A Dutch journalist had a run-in with the local police in Qatar. Bas Scharwachter, reporter of NU.nl, had to remove six photos of security people from an agent, who used a “quite intimidating tone.” The editors-in-chief of NU.nl and the journalists’ union NVJ react with bewilderment.
Scharwachter says on Twitter that the first incident with the Qatari police is ‘a fact’. “I had to delete all the photos I just took of the cheerful security people from my phone and camera,” the journalist said in the statement. “On the iPhone, I even had to go to the ‘deleted’ folder to delete it permanently.” Scharwachter wanted to make atmospheric images at the Al Thumama Stadium, where the Netherlands will play against Senegal on Monday. Not all preparations had been completed there and Scharwachter went to investigate. A group of security people sat together next to the stadium and were photographed by the reporter.
First incident with the Qatari police is a fact. I had to delete all the photos I just took of the happy security people from my phone and camera. On the iPhone I even had to go to the ‘deleted’ folder to delete it permanently.
— Bas Scharwachter (@BasScharwachter) November 18, 2022
Talking to it General Journal he tells how the agent approached him. “What have you shot, he asked. Let’s see. The tone was quite intimidating, he was really serious. At the time I tried not to let things escalate, but afterwards I thought: what is actually going on here? happened? My name was not asked.” Ultimately, six photos had to be removed.
Gert-Jaap Hoekman, editor-in-chief of NU.nl, reacts surprised. “On those images you also see police officers and security guards. They are relaxed on the floor. I am familiar with the restrictions there, but I don’t know why you shouldn’t be allowed to make those images. It says something about how journalists have to do their work there. That’s something I’m worried about.” Journalists’ union NVJ reacts shocked in the person of Paul Teixeira, who is responsible for press safety. “We are not convinced that FIFA’s efforts have led to a real expansion of press freedom in Qatar. That should have happened, but in practice that is not always the case. Apparently the Qatari government is saying something and it is not complied with. This is not possible.”
This is not the first press-related incident in Qatar. Wednesday was a live broadcast of the Danish channel television 2 in Qatar disrupted by security guards. The television crew was also threatened and told that filming was not allowed. It was said that if filming continued, the TV crew’s camera and equipment would be damaged. Reporter Rasmus Tantholdt later reported on Twitter that they have since received an apology from the organization. It is not known whether Scharwachter also had one.