GENEVA / AL JAZEERA QATAR

The United Nations human rights office said the demand to Qatar’s government by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to “summarily close down” its national broadcaster Al Jazeera “represents an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion”. UNTV CH

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:36
• Production Date: 30 June 2017
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: ZEID RA'AD AL HUSSEIN
• Corporate Name: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - OHCHR
• Subject Topical: EMBARGO; HUMAN RIGHTS; MEDIA
• Geographic Subject: MIDDLE EAST; QATAR
• MAMS Id: 1922377
• Parent Id: 1922377
• Alternate Title: unifeed170630a

Description

STORY: GENEVA / AL JAZEERA QATAR
TRT: 1:36
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 30 JUNE 2017 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“This alarming dispute has been taken to a new level with the inclusion of some fundamental rights and freedoms affected in the list of demands imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, with a 10-day deadline for implementation so that is we believe ending on 4 July, very soon. In addition to the issues we have already raised about the impact on ordinary people in the region of this dispute, the High Commissioner is extremely concerned by the demand that Qatar close down the Al Jazeera network, as well as other affiliated media outlets.”
4. Close up, journalist
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“Whether or not you watch it, like it, or agree with its editorial standpoints, Al Jazeera’s Arabic and English channels are legitimate, and have many millions of viewers. The demand that they be summarily closed down is, in our view, an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion”.
6. Med shot, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“To insist that such channels be shut down is extraordinary, unprecedented and clearly unreasonable. If it were to actually happen, it would open a Pandora’s Box of powerful individual States or groups of States as in this case seriously undermining the right to freedom of expression and opinion in other states, as well as in their own”.
8. Wide shot, journalists
9. Close up, UN logo

Storyline

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has been raising concerns over the past weeks about the various human rights issues arising out of the dispute between Qatar and Saudia Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

Speaking Friday (30 Jun) to journalists in Geneva, Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said “this alarming dispute has been taken to a new level with the inclusion of some fundamental rights and freedoms affected in the list of demands imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, with a 10-day deadline for implementation so that is we believe ending on 4 July, very soon. In addition to the issues we have already raised about the impact on ordinary people in the region of this dispute, the High Commissioner is extremely concerned by the demand that Qatar close down the Al Jazeera network, as well as other affiliated media outlets.”

The demands included the closure of all news outlets that Qatar allegedly funds, directly or indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Mekameleen and Middle East Eye.

Colville said “whether or not you watch it, like it, or agree with its editorial standpoints, Al Jazeera’s Arabic and English channels are legitimate, and have many millions of viewers. The demand that they be summarily closed down is, in our view, an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion”.

OHCHR issued today a press release saying that “if States have an issue with items broadcast on other countries’ television channels, they are at liberty to publicly debate and dispute them”.

Colville said “to insist that such channels be shut down is extraordinary, unprecedented and clearly unreasonable. If it were to actually happen, it would open a Pandora’s Box of powerful individual States or groups of States as in this case seriously undermining the right to freedom of expression and opinion in other states, as well as in their own”.

The High Commissioner urges all five states to take measures to solve this dispute “in a calm, reasonable and lawful manner, and to ensure that any actions they take do not impact on the human rights of their own and other countries’ citizens.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions on the country on June 5, accusing it of supporting “terrorism”. The allegation is rejected by Doha.