Bahrain: Journalists deported

April 23rd, 2012

Index condemns the arrest and deportation of foreign journalists covering demonstrations against the Bahrain Grand Prix this past weekend.

Three journalists from Channel 4, including foreign affairs correspondent Jonathan Miller, were arrested while filming a demonstration on Sunday. The arrest of the journalists, along with a local driver and prominent Bahraini human rights activist was reportedly “aggressive”.

Bahrain’s Information Affairs Authority (IAA) tweeted today that the journalists were in violation of “media rules” for entering the country without accreditation.

International media was given limited access to the country during the controversial race, as journalists from Sky News, Financial Times, CNN, and Reuters were denied entry. According to the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Japanese journalists from Asahi Newspaper were detained while covering protests. Local fixers and journalists are also under threat — photojournalist Mazen Mahdi claimed that police threatened to break his camera while covering a protest yesterday. Blogger and activist Mohammed Hasan was arrested and detained on Friday, and arrested once again Sunday with journalist Colin Freeman of the Sunday Telegraph. He was reportedly beaten during his initial arrest.

While the IAA has claimed that it allows the foreign media and workers to monitor ongoing unrest freely, this has not been the case. Journalists and rights workers were barred from entering Bahrain in the time leading up to the anniversary of Bahrain’s unrest, 14 February.

Bahrain should allow foreign media to have unfettered access to the country, and local fixers and activists should not be targeted for working with international journalists.

Pakistan: British journalist freed from Taliban

September 9th, 2010

British journalist working for Channel 4, Asad Qureshi, was freed after being held hostage by the Taliban in Pakistan for five months. Qureshi was filming a documentary about militancy in Pakistan for Channel 4 in North Warizistan before he was abducted on charges of spying.

Michael Jackson libel case costs Channel 4 £1.7m‎

June 22nd, 2010

Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard, Matthew Fiddes, discontinued his libel case against Channel 4 yesterday (21 June). Fiddes, had been arguing that Cutting Edge documentary The Jackson’s Are Coming, which followed Tito and Katherine Jackson moving to Devon, had been dishonestly edited to portray him exploiting the Jacksons and betraying their trust. However, appearing before Justice Tugendhat, Fiddes’s solicitors withdrew his case, admitting publicly that the programme was “not faked”. The total expenses incurred in the action are estimated to be in excess of £3m. Fiddes himself was not present in court, with his lawyer citing heavy traffic for his absence. 

British broadcasters defy Afghan media blackout

August 20th, 2009

British broadcasters have not changed their plans for covering the Afghan election after the country’s government ordered media organisations not to report on any violence during the polls. The BBC said it would proceed with its plans for covering the presidential election, which takes place today. Sky and ITN, which produces news for ITV and Channel 4, also indicated that they would continue as planned. Read more here

Channel 4 news team deported from Sri Lanka

May 11th, 2009

Three Channel 4 reporters have been deported from Sri Lanka after broadcasting details on living conditions and alleged sexual abuse on war refugees in displacement camps. Read more here