Index on Censorship Chief Executive John Kampfner said: “Scotland Yard’s outrageous and unjustified attempt to force the Guardian to reveal its sources in its phone hacking investigation is a direct attack on a free press. This is a shocking move to intimidate the media using the Official Secrets Act, one of the state’s most draconian pieces of legislation. “
SoE executive director Bob Satchwell said: “This is outrageous, pointless and baffling. The Official Secrets Act is designed to protect national security so there is no justification in this case. The law, and particularly the Human Rights Act, is supposed to protect journalists’ sources.”
