TEHRAN – The permanent secretariat of the Sobh International Media Festival has denounced the detention, imprisonment, and questioning of Richard Medhurst, a British journalist and media activist, after he was honored and awarded by the festival.
The secretariat issued a statement, vehemently denouncing Medhurst’s detention at London’s Heathrow Airport. It described the arrest as a retaliatory act by Zionist entities and lobbies against Medhurst’s endeavors to reveal the crimes of the Israeli regime and its ongoing genocide against the people of Gaza.
The festival called on international institutions to condemn the killing of journalists in Palestine and the arrest, pressure, and intimidation of journalists worldwide, including Medhurst.
In a video posted on his X account on Tuesday, Medhurst said he was arrested on Thursday at London’s Heathrow Airport and held in custody for almost 24 hours.
The journalist denounced his arrest as “pre-planned” and “coordinated”, noting that many people have been detained in Britain because of their journalistic activities.