Warren calls for Brazil to drop charges against Glenn Greenwald

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called on Brazil to drop cyber crime charges against an American journalist who reported on leaked cell phone messages from Brazilian officials in a story raising concerns about corruption inside the government. 

Warren, who is also a top-tier presidential candidate, called the charges against journalist Glenn Greenwald an attack on a free and open press. 

“The Bolsonaro government is pursuing state retaliation against Glenn Greenwald because of his work as a journalist to expose public abuse and corruption. Brazil should drop the charges immediately and stop its attacks on a free and open press,” Warren tweeted Thursday. 

The Bolsonaro government is pursuing state retaliation against Glenn Greenwald because of his work as a journalist to expose public abuse and corruption. Brazil should drop the charges immediately and stop its attacks on a free and open press. https://t.co/FTFqhP7mDG

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 23, 2020

Brazilian federal prosecutors charged Greenwald, a co-founding editor of The Intercept, with cyber crimes over publication of articles based on the leaked messages, including the publication of private phone conversations involving Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro.

Greenwald pushed back strongly on the charges, and called the accusation “an obvious attempt to attack a free press in retaliation for the revelations we reported about Minister Moro and the Bolsonaro government.” 

Warren’s call to drop the charges comes after her primary opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) campaign co-chairman Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), spoke out against the charges. 

Khanna said he is crafting legislation to protect journalists for being prosecuted over their work.