Northern Ireland police unlawfully put reporters under surveillance, tribunal rules

By: asiaone.com

Dec 18 2024
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Northern Ireland police unlawfully put reporters under surveillance, tribunal rules — Northern Ireland police unlawf

LONDON — Northern Ireland's police force unlawfully placed two investigative journalists under surveillance to try and find out their source, a London tribunal ruled on Tuesday (Dec 17).

Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey sued the Police Service of Northern Ireland after their homes and offices were raided and they were arrested over a documentary that alleged police collusion in the 1994 murder of six Catholic football fans.

The so-called Loughinisland massacre took place while people were watching the Republic of Ireland beat Italy during the 1994 World Cup.

The 2017 documentary No Stone Unturned named a Protestant paramilitary gunman it said police believed had shot six fans in one of the most notorious episodes of Northern Ireland's Troubles.

Birney and McCaffrey were arrested in 2018 over the alleged theft of material used in the documentary from Northern Ireland's police ombudsman and claimed they were subject to covert surveillance before and after the release of the film.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled on Wednesday that the police force unlawfully authorised putting Birney and McCaffrey under surveillance in 2018.