Journalists Halvor Ekeland and Lokman Ghorbani were in Qatar to cover the World Cup next year. Journalists and ambassadors had been invited to the country to mark that one year remains before the World Cup begins.
On Sunday evening, just before the Norwegian journalists’ planned return trip, they were arrested at their hotel in Qatar. It happened after they did a longer interview with World Cup manager Nasser Al Khater. They were released after nearly 30 hours.
The journalists had booked an interview with regime critic Abdullah Ibhais (former employee of Qatar’s World Cup committee) the next day, reports NRK. Just hours before the meeting, the critic of the regime was arrested, which has also been confirmed by the human rights organization Amnesty International.
Read more: Former World Cup staff go on hunger strike in prison
Qatari authorities write in a press release that the reason for the arrest was that the journalists had filmed in a private area without permission.
According to VG, they were deprived of their mobile phones, computers and cameras and had to travel home without them. On Wednesday morning, they were back in Norway.
– We are fine. It’s been a hard day. It feels good to be home in Norway again, Ekeland told journalists at Gardermoen airport outside Oslo.
Halvor Ekeland and Lokman Ghorbani had to answer later on Wednesday how they experienced the arrest.
– It started with interrogation. We sit in separate rooms, we know we are close to each other but there are interrogations that last for about eight hours. One by one we are interrogated, the other just sits and waits, says Halvor Ekeland to NRK.
Ekeland further states that they were not exposed to threats or violence:
– We still felt safe, it was an unpleasant situation to be in, but we felt that we were treated well. When they saw that we were scared, they said that this will go well, says Ekeland.
Norwegian Prime Minister has responded to the arrest.
“The arrest of NRK’s journalists is unacceptable,” writes Jonas Gahr Støre on Twitter.
In addition, Qatar’s ambassador to Norway was summoned to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explain the arrest of the NRK journalists.
The events have led to strong reactions at NRK.
– We take very seriously the fact that two of our employees have been arrested and questioned in connection with their journalistic work. Freedom of the press is fundamental for NRK and for all independent media. It is difficult to interpret this as anything other than an attack on free journalism, says NRK’s broadcasting director Thor Gjermund Eriksen.
Thor Gjermund Eriksen takes the opportunity to praise the journalists.
– I am relieved, but also proud of two employees who have been down there and done an important job, he says.
Read more: AP: Former CIA employee spied on the Qatar World Cup
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