REPORT: Russia criticizes Britain over pressure on Guardian

Russia accused Britain on Wednesday of failing to live up to its own declarations on human rights by forcing the Guardian newspaper to destroy materials leaked by fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.
  
Russia has granted temporary asylum to Snowden, who is wanted in the United States on espionage charges.
   
"The measures taken by the British authorities towards the Guardian newspaper are out of tune with the British side's statements on commitments to universal standards of human rights," Interfax news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich as saying.

Earlier, Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May defended the involvement of the nation's most senior civil servant in ordering the Guardian newspaper to surrender leaked documents related to British and U.S. surveillance programs.             

May said it was appropriate for top level officials including Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood to have been involved in trying to stop media coverage of secrets leaked by fugitive U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.                             

Sources told Reuters on Wednesday that British Prime Minister David Cameron ordered Heywood to contact the newspaper to try to stop the revelations.
                   
"I think issues of national security are rightly addressed at an appropriate level within government and I do not find it surprising that someone at a very senior level within government should be involved in this particular issue," May told the BBC.  


REUTERS

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