Brazil indicts U.S. journalist for cybercrimes

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Prosecutors in Brazil have filed charges against American journalist Glenn Greenwald, founder of The Intercept, accusing him of cybercrimes, court documents made public Tuesday indicate.

The government said Greenwald "helped, encouraged and oriented" members of a criminal organization that hacked the cellphones of multiple public officials last year, including prosecutors.

The Intercept published articles based on the cellphone records he allegedly helped hackers obtain. The records included messages the website said provided "unprecedented insight into the operations of the anti-corruption task force that transformed Brazilian politics and gained worldwide attention."

The documents included messages from Justice Minister Sergio Moro, who previously led the task force. The New York Times reported the messages opened the door for scrutiny into the task force's integrity and Moro's impartiality.

Greenwald and The Intercept have been critical of the government of new far right President Jair Bolsonaro.

Greenwald said the charges were "an obvious attempt to attack a free press in retaliation for the revelations we reported about Minister Moro and the Bolsonaro government."

"We will not be intimidated by these tyrannical attempts to silence journalists," he said.