Syrian-British Journalist Richard Medhurst Arrested under UK Terrorism

London, MINA – Syrian-British journalist Richard Medhurst was arrested and held under Section 12 of the UK Terrorism Act for 24 hours last week, he revealed on Tuesday.

“On Thursday, as I landed in London Heathrow Airport, I was immediately escorted off the plane by six police officers who were waiting for me at the entrance of the aircraft,” Medhurst said in a video on X, as reported by Palestine Chronicle.

“They arrested me, not detained, they arrested me under section 12 of the Terrorism Act of 2000 and accused me of allegedly ‘expressing an opinion or belief that is supportive of a prescribed organization’ but wouldn’t explain what this meant,” he added.

Medhurst believed he was “the first journalist to be arrested under this provision of the Terrorism Act,” and added, “I feel that this is a political persecution and hampers my ability to work as a journalist.”

Section 12 of the TACT 2000 “makes it an offense to invite support for a prescribed organization; express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organization and in doing so is reckless as to whether a person to whom the expression is directed will be encouraged to support a proscribed organization; or to arrange, manage or assist in arranging or managing a meeting in support of a proposed organization,” according to the UK government’s website.

Medhurst further explained that his phone was confiscated, in addition to being searched, handcuffed, placed in a police van and informed that “everything was being recorded.”

He said once inside the police station, he was searched a second time, had his shoes and socks removed and also instructed to “hold up my feet so they can wear them well.”

Medhurst said all “my journalistic equipment and devices were seized, including phones, SIM cards, wireless microphones, microphones, headphones, even my shoelaces. They later took my DNA as well, my fingerprints, palm prints, and photographed me.”

He also explained that he was “placed in solitary confinement” and “was recorded 24/7 with audio and video, even when going to the toilet.”

The journalist said that even though he kept asking why he was detained, “the police would say something like, well, we’re just the arresting officers. We don’t really know. Or this will be explained to you during the interview or some other generic response.”

Medhurst said, “I felt that the whole process was designed to humiliate, intimidate, and dehumanize me and treat me like a criminal, even though they must’ve been aware of my background and that I’m a journalist.”

For many hours, “no one in the world knew what had happened to me or where I was,” he continued, “I had to ask like four or five different guards for several hours until I finally received a call.”

Medhurst said there were several challenges in trying to speak to a legal representative, with some of the calls not going through or “not answered.”

“One of the calls my solicitor was told would be monitored and so they simply refused to take it. I asked to speak to the solicitor afterwards when that happened, but I was not allowed to.”

He said that “In total, I spent almost 24 hours in detention. At no point was I allowed to speak to a family member or a friend. After waiting 15 hours, I was finally interviewed by two detectives.”

He believed the arrest was “done on purpose to try and rattle me psychologically.”

The journalist, whose parents “won Nobel Peace Prizes for their work as United Nations peacekeepers,” said he was “a product of the diplomatic community” and “raised to be anti-war.”

Medhurst felt that the arrest was “pre-planned” and “co-ordinated.”

“Many people have been detained in Britain because of their connection to journalism, sometimes under the Terrorism Act, sometimes not. I think of Julian Assange, Craig Murray, Kit Clarenberg, David Miranda, Vanessa Bealey,” he said.

“Freedom of the press, freedom of speech are really under attack. “The state is cracking down and escalating to try and stop people from speaking out against our government’s complicity in genocide,” Medhurst stressed. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)