One has to wonder at the senise of humor of the people who decided that holding summit on the future of the media and press freedom in Doha Qutar.
Qatari authorities arrest another European TV crew
A BBC crew was arrested in Qatar on 2 May for filming Nepali workers without permission, becoming the second European TV crew to be arrested in the space of a few weeks for trying to cover the conditions of migrant workers in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Reporter Mark Lobel said no charge was brought against him and the three other members of his crew, but they had to spend two nights in prison and their equipment was not returned.
The BBC crew was invited on a tour organized by the government to show improvements in conditions for migrant workers. Saif al-Thani, the head of the government’s press office, said they broke the law because they entered a workers’ camp without permission, thereby trespassing on private property.
After being released, the BBC crew was finally able to leave Qatar on 10 May. The German TV crew that was arrested on 27 March also had its equipment confiscated.
These journalists were detained for investigating the appalling working conditions for those working to construct facilities for the 2022 World Cup.
Somehow below statement doesn't quite inspire confidence about protecting journalists when the government hosting the event tightly controls the country's media.
The urgent need to protect journalists - and the future of their profession - will be the focus of two events in Doha this week.
Do journalists need protections which ensure their ability to work without fear of censorship, arrest or death? Of course. Yet, like Doha the previous two summits were held, first in Beijing and the second in Moscow neither having an exemplary record when it comes to protecting a working free press.
No comments:
Post a Comment