Brazil requests Britain to explain detention of Brazilian citizen

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Brazil requests Britain to explain detention of Brazilian citizen

(Xinhua) 13:17, August 20, 2013

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 19 -- Brazil's Foreign Ministry announced Monday it requested British authorities to explain why they interrogated a Brazilian citizen for nine hours at London's Heathrow international airport.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota said he called Britain's ambassador to Brazil Alexander Ellis to express his government's dissatisfaction while demanding an explanation of the case.

The Brazilian national David Michael Miranda was interrogated under a British anti-terrorism law, according to British officials.

Airport authorities interrogated Miranda for the maximum time allowed by the anti-terrorism act without lodging a formal charge and confiscated his laptop, cellphone, camera, memory cards, DVDs, and even a games console.

"There is no justification for a Brazilian citizen who is not suspected of involvement with terrorism or any other illicit activities to be detained incommunicado for nine hours," Patriota said at a press conference.

"We acknowledge counter-terrorism is a legitimate fight to prevent the loss of innocent lives, but it also must be based on the ideals of multilateralism, international law and rationality," he added.

However, Miranda, who arrived in Rio early Monday, told local daily O Globo that he wanted more actions from the Brazilian government than just a statement.

The Sunday's detention of Miranda as he was en route from Berlin to Rio via London sparked a conjecture that London's real target was his partner Glenn Greenwald, a reporter who helped break the story on Washington's global surveillance program and similar spying by Britain.

Greenwald's articles in the British daily The Guardian, based on revelations from former U.S. intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden, put Washington in the hot seat as governments around the world questioned its spying on friends and foes alike.

Meanwhile, the British embassy in Brazil said Monday the detention was "an operational matter" for British police.

According to the embassy, Patriota and his British counterpart William Hague spoke on the phone Monday afternoon and agreed to have Brazilian and British authorities discuss the matter.

"The ministers agreed that representatives of the Brazilian and British governments should stay in contact over the issue. This continues to be an operational matter of the London Metropolitan Police," said the embassy.