Australia’s Federal Police raided the offices of the national public broadcaster on Wednesday in connection to a 2017 story based on leaked military documents that indicated the country
Associated Press Reporters
June 5 2019 7:27 AM
Australia’s Federal Police raided the offices of the national public broadcaster on Wednesday in connection to a 2017 story based on leaked military documents that indicated the country’s military forces were being investigated for possible war crimes in Afghanistan.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the raid, the second in as many days by police investigating government leaks, raised questions about media freedom in the country.
„It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way,“ ABC managing director David Anderson said in a statement.
„This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and defence matters.“
ABC head of investigative journalism John Lyons tweeted pictures of the AFP officers at work, including the search warrant issued.
The raid in a suburb of Sydney came a day after federal police searched the Canberra home of Annika Smethurst, the political editor of The Sunday Telegraph of Sydney, over a 2018 story detailing an alleged government proposal to spy on Australians.
News Corp Australia, the parent company of The Sunday Telegraph, said the raid „demonstrates a dangerous act of intimidation towards those committed to telling uncomfortable truths“.
