Editor's Note: I applaud the NZ PM, Mr. John Key for admitting that his officials acted 'ILLEGALLY' in spying on Mr. Kim Dotcom of Megaupload. I hope that NZ will set the example for the rest of the world that Free flow of Information defines Freedom in our world, and any restrictions placed on Freedom of SHARING Information, such as by Megaupload, or even by Wikileaks, should be vigorously opposed by Governments; Governments should defend Free flow of information not pass unjust laws to restrict such freedoms as the US and EU are currently seeking to do. I hope PM Key will move to have all charges dropped against Kim Dotcom and have all his property returned that is being illegally held by the authorities in NZ and abroad by freezing his bank accounts. Shame on the US that claims to be the bastion of FREE SPEECH but has lately morphed into Stalinist Soviet Russia seeking to control all the Flow of Information in the name of 'National Security.'
______________________________________________________________________________
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key apologized to Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, saying the file sharing tycoon was spied on illegally, since he was an NZ resident at the time of the surveillance. Key apologized on Thursday following the release of an official report into the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau’s (GCSB) surveillance of Dotcom. The FBI and New Zealand Police conducted an armed raid at Dotcom’s mansion in January of 2012, after requesting the GCSB’s assistance in their covert surveillance. The GCSB complied with the FBI’s request, apparently in violation of New Zealand law – the GCSB is only allowed to spy on foreign nationals, while Dotcom became a resident of New Zealand in 2010.
"I apologize to Mr. Dotcom… We failed to provide that appropriate protection for him," Prime Minister Key said in a statement. “It is the GCSB’s responsibility to act within the law, and it is hugely disappointing that in this case its actions fell outside the law. I am personally very disappointed that the agency failed to fully understand the workings of its own legislation,” he said.
Washington has demanded that Dotcom – born Kim Schmitz – be extradited to the US, claiming that he is liable for $175 million in fines connected to copyright infringement allegedly facilitated through Megaupload. It is not yet known whether this latest development will impede efforts to try Dotcom in the US, but the case was dealt a setback in June when a New Zealand court ruled that the warrants for the FBI raid on Dotcom’s mansion were illegal. The extradition hearing is set for March 2013. The PM’s apology came one day after Dotcom revealed his next project: A music-sharing service called ‘Megabox.’
MORE ON THE STORY
24.09, 08:20
New Zealand’s prime minister has ordered an inquiry into “unlawful interception of communications” by the country’s intelligence agency in the case of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom.
16.08, 15:09
A New Zealand judge dealt a blow Thursday to US prosecution efforts against Megaupload co-founder Kim Dotcom, upholding his right to view evidence against him in order to prepare a defense against his extradition hearing.
No comments:
Post a Comment