A dangerous precedent may have been set yesterday. According to recent reports, an accredited journalist and producer for RT’s affiliate news agency Ruptly, was denied entry to yesterday’s NATO Leaders Meeting in north London – before being detained by British police under the Terrorism Act.
After being told his event press accreditation had been suddenly revoked, the video producer was then away and temporarily detained by UK police, where his person, belongings and equipment were then searched.
Продюсера нашего видеоагентства Ruptly, аккредитованного на саммит НАТО в Лондоне, прямо на саммите задержала полиция.
Обыскали, допросили, проверили все журналистские документы и сообщили, что его аккредитация аннулирована.
По закону — внимание! — о терроризме.
— Маргарита Симоньян (@M_Simonyan) December 5, 2019
It is still unknown why the journalist was singled out by British authorities, but it seems increasingly likely that this was a case of intimidation and harassment by the British state against what it perceives to be a ‘hostile’ Russian media.
Additional information and statements on this incident are available from at Sputnik News.
In recent years, Ruptly has developed into a leading international news wire agency, and managing to pull off a number of world exclusives including the illegal extraordinary rendition of journalist Julian Assange by British police from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London last April.
Ironically, this new incident follows on the heels of the launch of UK government’s international campaign for “Media Freedom“. In September, campaign spokesman Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, UK Minister for Human Rights, even warned his UN audience about how “the current crackdown on journalists’ across the world is a deep-rooted problem, and a rebuke to the rule of law.” Presumably, this doesn’t apply to matter at home, only abroad.
RT International spoke with a Ruptly’s chief content officer about yesterday’s incident. Watch:
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