Britain wrong to spy on Irish communications

THE British government was wrong to spy on phone calls, faxes and emails between Ireland and Britain, Europe’s highest court has ruled.

Irish and British human rights groups yesterday won their case against the British government for seven years of monitoring and storing details from personal and professional communications between the two islands.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Liberty and British-Irish Rights Watch claimed private and sensitive contacts between their offices were illegally picked up by the surveillance and the information stored for as yet unknown purposes.