Trafigura gagging order lifted as Twitter and Guardian win free speech victory

By Davey Winder
Tuesday, 13 October 2009 17:49

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News is breaking that solicitors Carter Ruck has now "dropped its claim that to report parliament would be a contempt of court" just before a legal challenge was due to be heard in the High Court. Twitter users can celebrate playing their part in helping to defend the freedom of the press. iTWire reveals all...

When The Guardian newspaper was prevented from reporting on British parliamentary proceedings by a court order, Twitter users took it upon themselves to uphold the 1688 Bill of Rights and defend freedom of speech.

Amongst other the immutable civil and political rights granted by the 1688 Bill of Rights is that of freedom of speech. Specifically that the proceedings in Parliament shall not be impeached or questioned in any court.

Yet on the evening of Monday 12th October, The Guardian reported how it was not being allowed to report on parliamentary proceedings on legal grounds after a judge granted a gagging order against the newspaper.

"The only fact the Guardian can report is that the case involves the London solicitors Carter-Ruck" reporter David Leigh said, adding "Today's published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found".

The newspaper was also prevented, by the order, from explaining to its readers why it was being prevented from reporting the parliamentary proceedings. "Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret" as Leigh puts it.

Guardian Editor, Alan Rusbridger, had this morning Tweeted that he hopes to "get into court today to challenge ban" and it is actually very apt that the announcement was made on Twitter. Without Twitter, it has to be said, most people around the world would probably not have heard of either Carter-Ruck (the solicitors which took the action) or Trafigura (the company they are representing).

Indeed, as I write (less than 24 hours after the story started getting noticed on the micro-blogging site) Trafigura, Carter-Ruck and CarterRuck provide three of the top four trending keywords on Twitter. How's that for freedom of speech?

Although, mysteriously, the #trafigura hashtag which was the top trending keyword before I went to bed last night had vanished from sight, and site, this morning. The where's and why fores have yet to be explained by Twitter although conspiracy theories abound.

So what's the fuss actually all about? The mystery of who Trafigura are and how Twitter has become the upholder of democracy when the media fails, are explained on the next page along with the previously banned question in full.

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