Criminal libel probe of N.B. blogger questioned
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has asked Fredericton police for an explanation of why a local blogger, Charles LeBlanc, is being investigated under the little-used law of criminal libel. In a Feb. 1 letter, the group seeks an explanation of why LeBlanc, "apparently a vocal critic of the police force," had his computer seized during a search of his home. The group points out that courts in at least three provinces — Ontario, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador — have struck down the Criminal Code's libel provisions as a violation of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.
Read the CBC report, which includes the text of the letter.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has asked Fredericton police for an explanation of why a local blogger, Charles LeBlanc, is being investigated under the little-used law of criminal libel. In a Feb. 1 letter, the group seeks an explanation of why LeBlanc, "apparently a vocal critic of the police force," had his computer seized during a search of his home. The group points out that courts in at least three provinces — Ontario, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador — have struck down the Criminal Code's libel provisions as a violation of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.
Read the CBC report, which includes the text of the letter.