Anniversary of AFP raids a reminder to reform laws that ‘criminalise journalism’: union
Exactly a year after the Australian Federal Police (AFP) raided News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst’s home, the industry’s union has demanded further progress on press freedom.
A year ago today, on 4 June 2019, the AFP raided Smethurst’s home over a 2018 story on government plans to grant the Australian Signals Directorate powers to spy on Australian citizens. The next day, it raided the ABC’s headquarters over ‘The Afghan Files’ – a series of 2017 reports on allegedly unlawful killings by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.
Last week it was revealed no charges would be laid against Smethurst, however the two ABC journalists behind that reporting – Daniel Oakes and Samuel Clark – still face the looming threat of charges.
