MoD denies smear on rights campaigner

Published on Friday 6 February 2009 20:54

THE Ministry of Defence yesterday denied claims that it smeared a human rights campaigner by linking her to a British Army officer accused of revealing sensitive civilian casualty figures.

Rachel Reid alleged that the government had put her life at risk by leaking her name in connection with the arrest of Lieutenant-Colonel Owen McNally in Afghanistan under the Official Secrets Act.

Reports have claimed that the army officer passed her classified information about Afghan civilian casualties in military operations.

But the MoD insisted that it did not leak the human rights worker's name to the media and was "not in the business" of damaging anyone's reputation.

Ms Reid, a former BBC journalist who is now the Afghanistan researcher for Human Rights Watch, strongly denied reports alleging she had a "close" relationship with Lt-Col McNally.

They met twice at Nato's military headquarters in Kabul to discuss Afghan civilian casualties from US and Nato air strikes, but she received no information covered by the act, she said.

Ms Reid said: "I do not understand how these two meetings might have led the British government to accuse McNally of a serious crime that could lead to a hefty jail sentence, and why my government might want to see my reputation dragged through the mud, when I live in a country where a woman's reputation can mean her life."

She added: "Why was my name released to the media by the MoD with a 'nudge, nudge, wink, wink' libel that our relationship was close?

"They would know what impression they were creating, and presumably decided that my reputation was expendable."

Nick Gurr, the MoD's director-general for media and communication, denied Ms Reid's allegations.

Lt-Col McNally, 48, who is thought to be one of the army's most senior former non-commissioned officers, has been returned to the UK on suspicion of breaching the secrets act.

The Metropolitan Police is considering the case, but so far it has not launched a formal investigation and no arrests have been made.