Arab journalists working in Qatar risk losing their citizenship

Following the decision by a number of Arab countries to block Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has appealed to world leaders not to use journalists “as a political football”.

The ongoing political dispute with Qatar has seen Al Jazeera being banned from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Yemen and Bahrain. Even Israel has made threats to close down the channel. Saudi Arabia has also introduced a fine of $2,700 for anyone caught watching Al Jazeera and imposed a $27,000 penalty on hotels airing the Qatari news channel.

IFJ reported that 55 journalists from other Gulf States that are currently working at Al Jazeera in Doha are under pressure to leave Qatar or lose their nationality. It is thought that hundreds of jobs are also at risk as journalists are forced to leave.

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The blockade, said IFJ, is already having an impact on journalists. Media employees face the life changing prospect of either losing their job or giving up their citizenship. Riyadh has given its nationals only two weeks to leave or risk losing their citizenship.

Last week, UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein warned about the humanitarian crisis which could occur as a result of the blockade on Qatar saying that it had the “potential to seriously disrupt the lives of thousands of women, children and men, simply because they belong to one of the nationalities involved in the dispute,”.

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IFJ General-Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, shared his concerns: “We utterly condemn moves to force the closure of Al Jazeera, throw its journalists out of jobs and undermine the freedom to inform, and the right to free speech and free media.

Journalists doing their jobs and their families – husbands, wives and children – must not be used as political footballs in this dispute

added Bellanger. “There is now a grave danger their human rights are being violated.”