20 May 2009 

IMPORTANT LEGAL CASE - ACT NOW TO HELP JOURNALIST UNDER THREAT 

NUJ member Suzanne Breen could face imprisonment for standing up for a basic principle of journalism. The Northern Ireland editor of the Dublin-based Sunday Tribune is facing the prospect of a court order to surrender confidential source information relating to articles about the Real IRA. 

If an order is granted she faces the prospect of jail if she fails to hand over her source material. Her life could be in danger were she to comply with an order to disclose information about the Real IRA. Counter-terrorism legislation is being used to allow the police to make their application in private, meaning even Suzanne's own legal team has been excluded from most of the proceedings so far. 

Please help our campaign by taking action below. 

Sign our petition 

The Police Service of Northern Ireland, which is pushing for Suzanne Breen to reveal her source material, falls under the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shaun Woodward MP. We need you to send him a message by signing our petition. 
Sign our petition at: www.ipetitions.com/petition/protectsources 
Please also send the link on to colleagues or circulate a hard copy around your newsroom. 

Attend a rally or protest

The NUJ is organising rallies in London and Dublin, as well as protests to coincide with her court case in London and Belfast. Please do all you can to get to these events. 

LONDON RALLY - Tuesday 26 May, 6.30pm, at NUJ headquarters, 308-312 Gray's Inn Road, London. Suzanne Breen will join other protection of sources experts and press freedom campaigners. Other speakers will include Bill Goodwin, who won a landmark protection of sources case at the European Court of Human Rights, Index on Censorship's Jo Glanville and leading lawyers Sir Geoffrey Bindman and Mark Stephens. All members are welcome. 

DUBLIN RALLY - Thursday 28 May, 12.45pm, at Buswell's Hotel, Dublin. On the eve of the scheduled court hearing, Sunday Tribune Editor Noirin Hegarty and NUJ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley will speak at a press conference and rally. For full details email: info@nuj.ie. 

LONDON AND BELFAST PROTESTS - On the day of Suzanne Breen's court case, currently scheduled for Friday 29 May, the NUJ is organising protests outside the Northern Ireland Office in Westminster and the Belfast Recorder's Court. Both demonstrations will assemble at 9.30am. Please email campaigns@nuj.org.uk to register so we can let you know if details change. 

Please do all you can to support this vital campaign