LONDON: TV crews from international news channels will be subject to “chilling” restrictions while reporting from Qatar for the FIFA World Cup, a human rights organization has warned.
The Gulf state has barred film crews from conducting interviews in residences, migrant worker accommodation sites, government buildings, universities, religious sites and private businesses, The Guardian reported.
Broadcasters must also “respect the privacy of individuals” and avoid filming people or properties without “express prior approval.
It comes as part of conditions imposed by Qatar for film permit applications to “capture photography and videography of the most popular locations around the country.”
However, the rules mean that media will be unable to investigate high-profile controversies surrounding the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup, including the alleged widespread abuse and repression of migrant workers.
FairSquare, a London-based human rights group, warned that the rules are an “extraordinarily sweeping range of restrictions.”
Co-director James Lynch said: “It would be incredibly difficult to fully comply with these terms, if even filming near to private or government property violates the terms of a permit.
“This is likely to have a severe chilling effect on free expression. How many organizations will authorize reporting on Qatar’s social issues if to do so puts them at risk of ending up in court?”
Index on Censorship Editor-in-Chief Jemimah Steinfeld described the Qatari rules as “definite cause for concern.”
She added: “The question is whether there might be stories that they (media) can still do within the realms of that agreement, and is it more important that they do those stories?
“If the BBC is basically being shoved into a position where all they can cover is the glory of it, then that would be a bad outcome.”
A BBC spokesman said the broadcaster had “a proven record of addressing topical issues as part of our coverage. This World Cup will be no different.”
Qatar has faced previous criticism for its treatment of journalists. In 2015, authorities in the country arrested and detained several BBC journalists who were investigating allegations surrounding the ill-treatment of migrant workers.
And last year, a pair of journalists from Norway faced similar punishments while covering the same issue.
In response to fears of a media crackdown, Qatar’s Supreme Committee for the World Cup said: “Several regional and international media outlets are based in Qatar, and thousands of journalists report from Qatar freely without interference each year.”
FIFA said in a statement that it is “working with the Supreme Committee and relevant organizations in Qatar to ensure the best possible working conditions for media attending the tournament, as well as ensuring that broadcasters continue to report freely without any restrictions.”
Qatar restricting media with ‘chilling’ rules ahead of World Cup
https://arab.news/4hkuy
Qatar restricting media with ‘chilling’ rules ahead of World Cup
- Human rights group describes policies as ‘definite cause for concern’
Israel arrests 2 Turkish CNN journalists over live broadcast outside IDF HQ
- Police said reporter Emrah Cakmak and cameraman Halil Kahraman were detained on suspicion of filming a sensitive security facility
- Since the Gaza war began, restrictions have expanded significantly, including tighter limits on filming soldiers on duty and sensitive or strategic sites
LONDON: Israeli police have arrested two Turkish CNN journalists who were broadcasting live outside the Israel Defense Forces’ headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Police said the pair were detained on suspicion of filming a sensitive security facility, according to the Israel Police Spokesperson’s Unit.
Reporter Emrah Cakmak and cameraman Halil Kahraman, from the network’s Turkish-language channel, had been reporting near the IDF’s Kirya military headquarters on Tuesday after Iran launched another missile barrage at Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel.
During the live broadcast, two men believed to be soldiers approached the crew and seized the reporter’s phone, according to initial reports and a video circulating online that could not be independently verified.
Police said officers were dispatched after receiving reports of two people carrying cameras and allegedly broadcasting in real time for a foreign outlet.
עיתונאים של CNN טורקיה נעצרו לאחר שצילמו את בסיס הקרייה@NoamIhmels pic.twitter.com/t8a5P9yXfw
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) March 3, 2026
Israel’s long-standing military censorship system, overseen by the IDF Military Censor, has long barred journalists and civilians from publishing material deemed harmful to national security.
Since the Gaza war began, restrictions have expanded significantly, including tighter limits on filming soldiers on duty and sensitive or strategic sites.
After a series of similar incidents involving foreign media — most of them Palestinian citizens of Israel working for Arab-language and international media, along with foreign journalists — during the 12-Day War, Israeli police halted live international broadcasts from missile impact sites, citing concerns that exact locations were being revealed.
The Government Press Office later imposed a blanket ban on live coverage from crash and impact areas.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir subsequently ordered that all foreign journalists obtain prior written approval from the military censor before broadcasting — live or recorded — from combat zones or missile strike locations.
Police said that when officers asked the CNN Turk crew to identify themselves, they presented expired press cards and were taken in for questioning.
Burhanettin Duran, head of Turkiye’s Directorate of Communications, condemned the arrests as an attack on the press and said Ankara is working to secure the journalists’ release.
