Report: lawmakers targeted by Netzpolitik charges

German periodical "Der Spiegel" reported on Friday that lawmakers had been named by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence agency, in a criminal complaint.

The BfV's complaint - which launched a treason probe against two Netzpolitik journalists and an "unknown source" - "directed attention to members of parliament" and "explicitly named" a nine-member parliamentary panel that had access to the files published by the reporters.

Netzpolitik editior-in-chief Markus Beckedahl and reporter Andre Meister are the target of an investigation after they published "classified" documents outlining the BfV's plans to expand digital surveillance.

In papers submitted to police, the BfV said the leaked documents matched nearly "word for word" a paper they had submitted to the parliamentary panel, according to AFP news agency.

The investigation, which has been described by politicians, activists and institutions as an attack on press freedom, has left German politics divided.

BfV chief Hans-Georg Maassen defended criminal charges against the reporters and an "unknown source," telling German paper "Bild am Sonntag" that "to continue the fight against extremism and terrorism…it was necessary to guard against the publication of documents classified as confidential or secret."

Christian Lindner, head of the opposition Free Democratic Party (FDP), has called for Maassen to step down, telling the German DPA news agency that "he expedited this charge…because he wanted to intimidate journalists - or at least accepted the intimidation of journalists."

Federal prosecutor Harald Range - who instigated the treason probe based in the BfV's charges - was forced into early retirement on Tuesday after complaining of "political influence" on the investigation.

ls/bk (AFP, epd, dpa)