MATT condemns wiretapping

On Friday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said in a statement in Parliament that members of the media were among those whose phones and other electronic communications were illegally monitored.

If the reports are accurate, according to MATT’s president, Kerry Peters, in a release issued yesterday, the association sees this practice as a dangerous infringement on the rights of journalists to do their jobs with the freedom guaranteed under the Constitution.

“We welcome the Prime Minister’s assurance that the practice has been stopped. The Media Association also welcomes the introduction of legislation to rule that any security agency which wants to carry out wiretapping or other monitoring must show good cause and obtain a warrant from a judge,” the release stated.

The association also congratulates Persad-Bissessar for reaffirming that “freedom of the press is enshrined in our Constitution and the widespread wiretapping of journalists and the media houses undermines this important pillar in our democracy.

“We view the latest revelations with as much concern as we did the dismissal of talk show host Fazeer Mohammed from CNMG.. The wiretapping of journalists shows once again how crucial it is to point out to politicians the importance of the freedom of the press, since they appear unable to resist the temptation to interfere with it even though it is enshrined in the Constitution,” the release stated.