13 Oct 2016 | Awards, Fellowship, Fellowship 2016, Middle East and North Africa, News, Syria
Credit: Joseph Willits, Caabu
Journalist Zaina Erhaim says the Syrian government wants her killed and that co-operating with Syrian officials, by seizing her passport, was a very dangerous thing for the UK to have done. “It’s obvious that they are still dealing with Assad as a president, not a criminal.”
Erhaim, a Chevening scholar and award-winning reporter, had her passport confiscated by British officials when she flew into London to take part in a literature festival with former BBC foreign correspondent Kate Adie. Erhaim, who won the 2016 Index award for journalism, voiced concern that the actions of officials in the UK suggested that they condoned the Syrian government. “They were speaking about the regime with really tender language as if was a legitimate government,” she said.
The journalist was speaking at a press conference, organised by the Council for Arab-British Understanding, in conjunction with Index on Censorship, Reporters Without Borders, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting and the Frontline Club. Her passport was seized at Heathrow on September 22 after being reported as stolen by the Syrian government.
Erhaim considers herself to be lucky because she has another passport, even if it is now full. She is also thankful that she works for an international organisation, speaks English and has the support of other journalists.
“If this happened to another Syrian who doesn’t have another valid passport and he or she’s not supported, what would happen?,” she asked. “Because if [border officials] are following the rules, they should deport him or her back to Damascus.”
Another major concern for her is making sure European governments are not able to deport Syrians fleeing from war in the future without the press being informed.
She said: “I’m not optimistic that the Home Office is going to be doing something about the situation, I’m not optimistic that my passport is going to be returned, and even if it’s returned I don’t think I would be able to use it again.”
When asked what a future without her passport holds, Erhaim said: “I believe this is going to be the last trip abroad I’m making. This is not as scary as not being able to go back to Turkey because all my family is there, the father of my baby is there. I don’t have my exit stamp for Turkey because that’s on the new passport. So they might ask me, ‘Where is your exit stamp?’ and not allow me in, which is really scary.”
If Erhaim is unable to gain access to Turkey, the only other option she sees at the moment is to stay in Britain or another European country where she holds a visa and seek asylum. This is a prospect she currently rejects. “I’m not ready for that,” she said.
Erhaim’s future may be uncertain but she will continue to fight and will only consider asking for asylum if she was threatened in Turkey or survived an assassination attempt.
“I would rather be stuck in Turkey than here, and I will try to go back.”
Also read:
Index condemns UK’s seizure of award winner’s passport
Podcast: How are women journalists shaping war reporting today?
Zaina Erhaim: “I want to give this award to the Syrians who are being terrorised”
Zaina Erhaim: Balancing work and family in times of war
7 Oct 2016 | Events, mobile
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Museums are increasingly under pressure from funders, the press and donors to change their programming, displays and events. As part of the Museum Association’s annual conference Index on Censorship’s Julia Farrington will tale about Index’s guides for arts organisations dealing with controversial exhibitions. This session will ask if and how museums can preserve their independence in the face of difficult demands and public controversy.
Speakers will discuss experiences of curating a collection featuring controversial artworks, a recent study of censorship and self-censorship, and the ongoing Index on Censorship project to provide guidance for cultural venues in moments of controversy. The session elicits views and stories from delegates via electronic voting.
Chair:
Alastair Brown
Policy Officer, Museums Association
Speakers:
Nathanial Hepburn
Director, Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft
Julie Farrington
Associate Arts Producer, Index on Censorship
Janet Marstine
Academic Director, School of Museum Studies, Leicester University
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1478536248327{border-radius: 5px !important;}”]When: 3pm, Monday 7 Nov
Where: Glasgow
Tickets: Session is part of Museums Association Conference and Exhibition[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
3 Oct 2016 | Events, mobile
|
Battle of Ideas 2016
A weekend of thought-provoking public debate taking place on 22 and 23 October at the Barbican Centre. Join the main debates or satellite events. |
Are reactions against offensive comics part of healthy debate over where we draw the line or is there something uniquely censorious in the reaction of audiences and comics alike? Should promoters and venues play a role in deciding what is acceptable, or is that between performers and the public? Has the online age made it easier for comics to find platforms for their work, or contributed to a more toxic atmosphere? Is the fear of offence killing comedy or are comics simply losing their nerve?
Chaired by stand-up comedian Andrew Doyle, the panel will include: Steve Bennett, the editor of Chortle; Will Franken, satirist, comedian, writer; Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive, Index on Censorship; Timandra Harkness, journalist, writer & broadcaster; Tom Walker, actor; creator, Jonathan Pie.
Reading list:
‘It’s only a joke’: How far is too far in comedy?, Ava Vidal, Telegraph, March 2014
Offensive Comedy Is Inevitable And Should Not Be Censored, Sean Fitzsimons, Sabotage Times, February 2015
Censorship can kill comedy. But not all jokes need telling, Libby Brooks, Guardian, November 2009
The biggest threat to comedy? Self-censorship, Tom Slater, Spiked, August 2015
That’s Not Funny!, Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic, September 2015
Should anything be ‘beyond a joke’?, Mick Hume, Spiked, January 2016
When: 23 October, 10-11:30am
Where: Cinema 2, Barbican, London
Tickets: Available from the Battle of Ideas
26 Sep 2016 | Campaigns, Campaigns -- Featured, Statements, Syria, United Kingdom
2016 Freedom of Expression Journalism Award winner Zaina Erhaim (Photo: Elina Kansikas for Index on Censorship)
Index on Censorship is appalled by the decision of UK border officials to confiscate the passport of Syrian journalist, Zaina Erhaim. The Syria coordinator for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting, Erhaim has been recognised by a number of organisations internationally for her work training citizen journalists to report on the conflict within Aleppo.
Index invited Erhaim, in her capacity as winner of this year’s Freedom of Expression Awards, to an event at Write on Kew Festival to speak about her experiences alongside veteran journalist Kate Adie.
When Erhaim arrived in the UK on Thursday 22 September for the event she was detained by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and questioned for an hour before UKBA confiscated her passport. Erhaim was told that the passport had been reported by the Syrian authorities as stolen and therefore UKBA was compelled to retain it and return it to the Syrian government.
Erhaim had her old passport, which remains valid but is effectively unusable because the pages are filled, and was able to enter the UK for the debate. Further travel may be impossible, however, as Erhaim no longer has a passport with which to apply for a new visa to enter Europe.
When Erhaim challenged this decision, she was told to seek consular advice from the Syrian government in Damascus.
“We are extremely disappointed by the treatment of Zaina by border officials. It seems quite astonishing that the UK would accede to a request from a government whom it has only this weekend accused of being complicit in war crimes – especially when it is clear that the Syrian government is using tools, such as passport rescindments, to harass those who oppose or expose its behaviour,” Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of Index on Censorship, said.
Index will be raising the matter with the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
If you would like to write a letter in support of Zaina Erhaim, address your correspondence to:
Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Direct Communications Unit
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
[email protected]
Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
[email protected]
More about Zaina Erhaim
Women on the front line: Zaina Erhaim and Kate Adie on the challenges of war reporting
Zaina Erhaim: “I want to give this award to the Syrians who are being terrorised”
#IndexAwards2016: Zaina Erhaim trains Syrian women to report on the war
