LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned horrifying testimony shared by Palestinian freelance journalist Sami Al‑Sai, who was allegedly subjected to torture and sexual violence while being held in Israel’s Megiddo Prison.
Al‑Sai, who has reported for Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher and local station Al‑Fajer TV, detailed his account during a public forum organized by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms in Ramallah on Sunday. He was released from prison in June this year.
Israeli authorities detained the journalist in the occupied West Bank on Feb. 23, 2024, and held him under administrative detention — a policy that allows suspects to be held without formal charges or access to evidence — on the grounds that he posed a “threat to national security,” Al‑Sai said in his testimony.
While in custody at Megiddo Prison, he described severe mistreatment, including beatings, blindfolding, shackling and humiliation. He testified that guards also sexually assaulted him in an incident involving the insertion of a hard object into his body.
In his account, Al‑Sai said he was taken by several guards to an area of the prison where he was repeatedly beaten and insulted before the sexual assault occurred.
Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director, described the allegations as “deeply alarming” and said they reflected a concerning pattern consistent with other testimonies from journalists detained by Israeli authorities. She added that the allegations “point to a troubling and systemic pattern of abuse,” and called for urgent independent investigations, full transparency and accountability for those responsible.
While CPJ said it could not independently verify the details of Al‑Sai’s testimony, the organization said that his account aligns with descriptions from other human rights groups of harsh conditions and mistreatment faced by Palestinians in custody.
The testimony comes amid increased international scrutiny of the treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. Alleged mistreatment has surged since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023.
At least 9,300 Palestinians are reported to be held in Israeli prisons. According to CPJ records, about 30 Palestinian journalists are imprisoned in Israel as of Dec. 16.
Media watchdog condemns alleged torture, sexual violence against Palestinian journalist in Israeli prison
https://arab.news/vqd4e
Media watchdog condemns alleged torture, sexual violence against Palestinian journalist in Israeli prison
- Sami Al‑Sai detailed his account during a public forum organized by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms in Ramallah
- He described severe mistreatment, including beatings, blindfolding, shackling and humiliation
Eurovision Sport, Camb.ai to provide live subtitling for Paralympic Winter Games
- Partnership aims to increase accessibility for all audiences
- Milano Cortina Games run from Friday to March 15
LONDON: Eurovision Sport, the European Broadcasting Union’s free-to-air streaming platform, will provide live and on-demand subtitling for coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in partnership with AI language company Camb.ai
The service will run across all competition days, allowing viewers to stream all six Paralympic Winter Games sports on Eurovision Sport with real-time subtitles. The Games open on Friday and run through March 15.
Camb.ai will supply contextual speech-to-text transcription for both live and catch-up coverage, which the organizers said would support accessibility without altering the editorial integrity of broadcasts.
Eurovision Sport Managing Director Alan Fagan said the aim was to make the Games available to “the widest possible audience,” by scaling up digital accessibility across every event on the platform.
The initiative forms part of the EBU’s most extensive digital coverage of a Paralympic Winter Games to date and complements member broadcasters’ linear output.
It also reflects a wider industry push to make live sport easier to follow for viewers watching without sound, people with hearing impairments and audiences consuming content on demand.
Camb.ai’s Chief Technology Officer Akshat Prakash said the company was proud to deepen its partnership with Eurovision Sport, describing the platform as a leader in applying new technology to sports coverage.
The two organizations began working together in 2024, when they delivered what they described as Europe’s first AI-powered real-time translated sports commentary during European Athletics events.
