World’s media condemns police raids of the ABC and Annika Smethurst’s home as ‘attack on press freedom’

Anger over Federal Police searches of the ABC and a journalist’s home is spreading, with global media attacking the intimidation tactics.

Anger over the unprecedented raids by Federal Police on the ABC and a high-profile journalist’s home is spreading, with global media organisations condemning the “attack on press freedom”.

The BBC led a chorus of fury overnight as the AFP stepped up its actions against journalists who published leaked information.

Australian news organisations, the union and a flood of press freedom groups have described the raids — including yesterday’s extraordinarily broad search warrant that led to almost 10,000 items being reviewed by officers — as heavy-handed intimidation.

“This police raid against our partners at ABC is an attack on press freedom which we at the BBC find deeply troubling,” the British Broadcasting Corporation said in a statement.

“At a time when the media is becoming less free across the world, it is highly worrying if a public broadcaster is being targeted for doing its job of reporting in the public interest.”

It echoed the concerns expressed by Reporters Without Borders, which compared scenes of six AFP officers poring over countless documents at the ABC to an authoritarian state.

“Persecuting a media outlet in this way because of a report that was clearly in the public interest is intolerable,” Daniel Bastard, the group’s Asia Pacific head, told SBS.

“This kind of intimidation of reporters and their sources can have devastating consequences for journalistic freedom and independent news reporting.”

John Lyons, executive editor of ABC News, is followed by an Australian Federal Police officer out of the ABC building in Sydney. Picture: AAP

Six AFP officers spent several hours going through almost 10,000 documents seized during a wide-ranging raid. Picture: John Lyons

The International Federation of Journalists said the two raids showed a “disturbing new pattern” of attacks on press freedom and attempts to intimidate reporters who are acting in the public interest.

“I strongly condemn the repeated harassment of journalists in Australia as infringements of press freedom,” IFJ president Philippe Leruth said.

“The IFJ strongly calls the Australian authorities to ensure press freedom and the Australian judicial and police authorities to respect the fundamental rights of journalists.”

Ben Stelter, chief media reporter for CNN, said the power given to the AFP yesterday was shocking.

“We almost never see this in a democratic country like Australia,” Stelter said. “Something very troubling (is) happening on multiple fronts in Australia.”

RELATED: PM opens door for law change after AFP raids on journalists

Federal Police go through Annika Smethurst's kitchen before they moved on to her underwear drawer.

Seven AFP officers spent several hours inside the home of News Corp Australia political editor Annika Smethurst.

The Telegraph newspaper in the United Kingdom reported the actions had “led opposition MPs and media figures to query whether the recently re-elected centre-right Liberal Party was engaging in a campaign to muzzle press freedom”.

The global condemnation comes as a leading human rights barrister said the acting AFP Commissioner should explain himself, and if he can’t, then he should be dismissed.

“He should be called before parliament to explain and, if necessary, sacked,” Geoffrey Robertson QC told ABC Radio.

“Either for the delay (in executing the raids) or for, more importantly, undermining Australian democracy by authorising these raids.”

One of the seven AFP officers who raided the home of political editor Annika Smethurst, which included searches of her kitchen, bathroom and bedroom and the seizure of her computer and mobile phone.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance — the union for journalists in Australia — said the raids, as well as threatened action by the AFP and Department of Home Affairs against broadcaster Ben Fordham over a third story, was clearly about intimidating journalists.

“A second day of raids by the Australian Federal Police sets a disturbing pattern of assaults on Australian press freedom,” MEAA media section president Marcus Strom said.

“This is nothing short of an attack on the public’s right to know. These raids are about intimidating journalists and media organisations because of their truth-telling.

“They are about more than hunting down whistleblowers that reveal what governments are secretly doing in our name but also preventing the media from shining a light on the actions of government.”

RELATED: Timing of AFP raids stinks to high heaven

ABC news director Gaven Morris was one of three individuals named on an extraordinarily broad search warrant executed yesterday. Picture: AAP

The ABC raid was sparked by 2017 reports, based on leaked top-secret Defence documents, that highlighted serious allegations of war crimes by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

The warrant obtained by the AFP gave it wide-reaching authority to view, seize, edit and destroy virtually any documents it saw fit.

It came just a day after the Canberra home of Annika Smethurst, political editor for News Corp Australia’s Sunday newspapers, was raided by seven police for seven hours.

During that search, Smethurst’s kitchen was rifled through — including cookbooks and her oven and bin — and officers went through her underwear drawer.

“This is a really chilling example of what happens when government thinks they aren’t going to be held to account,” Claire Harvey, The Sunday Telegraph’s deputy editor, told the ABC.

“Seven Federal Police officers spent several hours going through every drawer in (Smethurst’s) home, the kitchen drawers and underwear drawer. Her cookbooks, they went through every page.

“It’s interesting they haven’t searched Annika’s office. All media organisations should be concerned about who’s going to be next.”

AFP officers leave the ABC in Ultimo after spending several hours inside. Picture: Damian Shaw

Harvey said she expected further raids in coming days and weeks, noting there were a number of stories she could think of the Government might want to target next.

The Australian newspaper reports further raids were planned for today but were put on hold.

The extended search of Smethurst’s house was prompted by an April 2018 report about a secret plan to allow the cyber spy agency to snoop on Australian citizens.

Her report included confidential correspondence between the bosses of the Department of Home Affairs and Department of Defence.

The search warrant executed at the ABC yesterday. Picture: John Lyons

It gave the AFP wide-reaching authority. Picture: John Lyons

Serious questions have been asked about the timing of the raids, the level of involvement from key government ministers and the way they were carried out.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who’s currently in the UK, has attempted to distance himself from the raids.

Speaking to reporters in Portsmouth in England’s south, Mr Morrison claimed the action was “pursued by the AFP operationally at complete arm’s length from the Government, not in the knowledge of the Government, not at the instigation of government ministers”.