Miranda warnings, as fans of American cop shows know, begin by informing thugs that they have "the right to remain silent"-quoting a Supreme Court ruling in 1966 in favour of Ernesto Miranda, who had not been told this. In Britain, the same name is becoming a rallying point against different legal excesses. On August 18th the Terrorism Act 2000 was used to detain David Miranda, a Brazilian who was carrying materials for the Guardian newspaper between two journalists: Laura Poitras, a documentary filmmaker in Berlin, and Glenn Greenwald, a resident of Rio de Janeiro and Guardian reporter who has written stories based on leaks by Edward Snowden, a former contractor for America's National Security Agency. Mr Miranda was questioned for nine hours at Heathrow airport, the maximum allowed under the act. His laptop, a hard drive and even his digital watch were confiscated.
展开▼
