BBG Calls on Syrian Government to Ensure Safety of Missing Alhurra Journalists
Washington, D.C. — The Broadcasting Board of Governors has called upon the Syrian government to ensure the safety of two of its journalists who were reportedly seized by Syrian forces on Monday, August 20.
Alhurra correspondent Bashar Fahmi and his cameraman, Cuneyt Unal, were reporting from Aleppo when they went missing. A video posted on YouTube by the Free Syrian Army announced that the journalists were detained by Syrian authorities.
It was reported that Fahmi and Unal were traveling with Japanese journalist Mika Yamamoto of Japan Press. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Yamamoto was killed Monday, August 20 in Aleppo, where she was covering clashes between Syrian troops and rebels.
“The safety and well-being of these two journalists is of paramount concern to us, and we strongly urge Syrian authorities to ensure their safe return,” said Michael Meehan, a member of the BBG Board and Chairman of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN).
Read today’s BBG Media Highlights for more news coverage.
MBN, a non-profit corporation, operates Alhurra and is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The BBG is an independent federal agency which serves as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the U.S. international broadcasters, including MBN.