247 Journalists are in prison as you read this
The emotional reality of the journalists misplaced behind bars in the Middle East and Russia.
Imagine getting arrested for simply doing your job, this is exact what Remzi Bekirov, Fahd Al-Sunaidi and many others are currently experiencing. While you’re reading this sentence 247 journalists are in prison, a record number of journalists ever to be in prison stated The Committee to protect Journalists.
This topic caught my eye and the attention of the media when Zoeann Murphy got arrested at the capitol riots earlier this year. She was arrested for breaking the curfew laws set out in the US despite journalists being identified as key workers throughout the pandemic. ‘Some days are like this’ in her tweet made me realise this is a regular occurrence as a professional within the sector. #PressFreedom and #JournalistsSaftey are just some of the hashtags that were trending throughout the riots and got me researching and exploring the topic further.
Media Freedom is something that arose on social media across 2020 with various attacks against the media in key issues worldwide such as the death of George Floyd, BLM protests, the US elections. The European Federation of Journalists have put together an interesting interactive map where you can see exactly where journalists have been prevented from reporting. You can even see what issues have aroused in your very own home town.
Although we may hear a lot about local issues concerning journalists and those working for the outlets, we very rarely explore the sentencing that goes on globally in the Middle East and Russia. So I am going to be looking into who and where are some of the journalists are on the other side of bars for simply doing their job and are now being stripped of basic human rights.
“a concern for for ethical issues is not something to be compartmentalised, a curriculum to be ticked off and conveniently forgotten. It is something with implications for all aspects of journalistic practise” — Journalism Principles and Practise
Remzi Bekirov
Internet Reporter at Grani
Imprisoned in Russia
Charged for: “organising the activities of a terrorist organisation”
Bekirov was detained on the 27th March 2019 in Rostov-On-Dov, Russia by the FSB (Federal Security Service). The Human Rights internet reporter for Grani faced terrorism charges after posting video online that contributed to Crimean Solidarity. Crimean Solidarity aims to support those political prisoners by showcasing their prosecution. Little did Bekirov know this would also lead him to the other side of the bar. But theres more, according to the lawyers involved in the case and the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KHPG) Remzi Bekirov has experienced days with out food, water and even spent time in a basement where he couldn’t stand up straight and had to nap standing.
“Out of 100 Crimean political prisoners, 77 are Crimean Tatars. Thirty-seven political prisoners stay in Crimea, while 63 prisoners are in Russia. Forty-two people already received sentences of 4 to 19 years in prison. Out of 100 people, ten are citizen journalists. Every tenth political prisoner is a citizen journalist,” Head of ZMINA Human Rights Center Tetiana Pechonchyk
Is the same thing happening outside of Russia and Crimea?
Yes.
China, Turkey and Saudia Arabia are just some of the countries imprisoning journalists as I write this, but the laws differ dramatically compared to that of the UK and majority of Europe, where approximately 0 journalists are imprisoned.
Fahd al-Sunaidi
Broadcast reporter at Al-Majd
Imprisoned in Saudi-Arabia
Charged For: “supporting the Muslim Brotherhood” and “demanding the release of security detainees.”
Al-Sunaidi was arrested by Saudi Arabian authorities in September 2017. Although he was known for staying clear of controversial topics the arrest came after he hosted Islamic authorities on the programme he was a talk show host for, Saat Huwar. Much like Bekirov it leaked that Al-Sunaidi was tortured and suffered severe physical injuries as well as malnutrition, a report by The Guardian stated. Throughout autumn 2020 the Committee to Protect Journalists repeatedly tried to contact the relevant stakeholders for an update on Fajd al-Sunaidi’s well-being but no response was sent.
The Guardian have also looked into more detail about the denial of basic rights for the journalists currently imprisoned. In an article it was identified that “The patient has difficulty walking because of a number of bruises visible on the legs area. A number of injuries are also visible on the forearm and lower back area. Malnutrition and obvious dryness on the skin”.
Human Rights Watch also called for Saudi Arabia to “immediately release all jailed human rights activists and peaceful dissidents, and invite international monitors to conduct a comprehensive and transparent investigation into their treatment”.
Justin Shilad, a Middle East research associate at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the case of Fahd al-Sunaidi, a journalist, showed the extent and reach of the crackdown ordered by the crown prince. “This is not someone who really stirred the pot in terms of the topics he covered … The fact that he is in detention for no discernible reason, the fact that he was not known as a controversial figure, it really demonstrates the totality of Mohammed bin Salman’s crackdown on press freedom, on independent journalism or any commentary that smacks of a critical or independent nature,”.
To explore this further and closer within my community I also conducted a survey on my twitter @DFCJourno asking if people actually considered the legal issues surrounding what they’re posting.
61.3% of my audience said yes. They do in fact consider the legal challenges when sharing information online. I was honestly surprised but also felt at ease that a range of online journalist and digital communities were considering the laws behind journalism and therefore their own safety. Although contrasting to the values of the middle east it’s important to consider. Here are some of the key legal elements I keep in mind while writing and publishing online when in the UK
Privacy -
Within Media Ethics: Key Principles for Reasonable Practise it was identified that privacy is one of the most vexing media issues of our time, and digital technologies have made this even more confusing. With most of us sharing our whole lives on the internet the idea of privacy can sometime be forgotten. With the rise of GDPR laws and recent privacy scandals in light of mainstream media it is something we have all pricked our ears up too. At its most basic level, privacy is understood to be the ability to do things in our lives without public scrutiny. To translate this into journalism laws we can look at the IPSO code of practise which identifies that everyone is entitled to respect for private and family life, editors have to justify intrusions into someone private life and it is unacceptable to photograph individuals without their consent. However, there are some exceptions which is where it can get confusing…if a journalist can justify a privacy breach if related to public interest. For example if the story protects public health and safety or contributes to a matter of public debate just to name a few.
Accuracy -
Something that should be constantly considered in journalism is accuracy. The clickbait hype is something that has derived from digital journalism but publishing inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images could be a crime. Inaccuracies can be a mistake so as mentioned in the IPSO guide “a fair opportunity to reply to significant inaccuracies should be given, when reasonably called for”. Caroline Rich also touches on this within Writing and Reporting News: A coaching method, where she identifies that the most common cause of lawsuits is carelessness. Journalist and outlets don’t usually intentionally publish material they know or suspect is false. This can then create issues of Libel offences.
Although the chances of getting arrested for your writing are very slim its important to always keep it in mind. Andrew Knight from The London School of Journalism has also put together a list of Ten Legal Tips for Journalists that you can refer back to if ever lost in the world of defamation laws.
Let me know your thoughts on the legalities of journalism over on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
WEEK 8 — TEDxTalk of the Week
As always if you would like to explore the topic further I have included my ‘TEDxTalk of the week’ for you to have a watch!
