CENTRAL NEWS – On 04/20/2022, German journalist Marlene Förster and Slovenian journalist Matej Kavčič were arrested in Şengal, Northern Iraq. They have since been detained at the headquarters of the Iraqi Intelligence Service in Baghdad. So far, no official reasons for their detention are known. Neither of them has had the opportunity to speak to a lawyer.
According to reports of the German office of Civak Azad, Marlene is being held by the Iraqi secret service. The two foreign journalists were arrested at an Iraqi army checkpoint in Şengal. After their arrest, their trail was lost for a short period. After visiting Marlene Förster in prison, the German embassy informed the lawyer of the charge against her: “supporting terrorism”. The research on the Yezidi society is apparently interpreted as terror support by the Iraqi government.
About Marlene Förster
Marlene Förster was born on 13.03.1993 and grew up in Darmstadt. She attended the Ludwig-Georgs-Gymnasium school, where she started her socio-political commitment as a spokeswoman for the Darmstadt City Student Council. After graduating high school, she began studying at the Technical University of Darmstadt where she began being active in the General Student Committee (AStA) while also pursuing her first editorial and journalistic activities. From there, Marlene moved to Marburg to study at Philipps-Universität. After visiting Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, she became interested in Kurdistan: the life there and the building of democratic structures in society. She traveled to Kurdistan several times in the following years to continue her journalistic activities and socio-political commitment.
About Matej Kavčič
Matej Kavčič was born on 10.6.1993. He began his journalistic career at Radio Študent, where he became a member of the board in 2018. He continued his work for the radio in the form of correspondence from his travels around the world. He wrote about the socio-political realities he observed in essays, which were published in various print and online magazines. Working with refugees was his main focus in life for several years: he worked on the Balkan route from Athens via Šid and Velika Kladuša to Ljubljana. During that time, he gained insight into the political and social situation in the Middle East, especially that of the Kurdish and Yazidi people.
A campaign has been launched via social media under the hashtags #FreeMarleneAndMatej and #FreedomForMarleneandMatej. The open letter to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, published on Monday, can still be supported with a signature to [email protected]. You can also sing a petition here.
