A Brazilian judge on Thursday dismissed cybercrimes charges against journalist Glenn Greenwald for allegedly advising hackers to destroy incriminating evidence.
Greenwald had published conversations at The Intercept featuring remarks from current Minister of Justice Sergio Moro from when he was the judge responsible for corruption investigation.
Prosecutors asserted that Greenwald was aware hackers had broken into Moro’s communications and advised them to destroy messages that would reveal their crimes. “The journalist cannot suggest what the person committing illicit acts should do to escape the prosecution work of the State,” the judge wrote.
The judge called Greenwald’s conduct “moral participation” in crime and described it as a “clear attempt to obstruct the work of investigating illicit [activity] and it is not possible to use source secrecy protection to create an exception.” But citing a Supreme Court injunction against prosecuting Greenwald for engaging in journalism, he concluded that Greenwald would not face charges “for now.”