NEWS CENTER – One month ago, on April 20, 2022, German journalist Marlene Förster and her Slovenian colleague Matej Kavčič were arrested in northern Iraq. Although they immediately identified themselves as journalists, they were arrested and taken to the headquarters of the Iraqi secret service in Baghdad.
Friends of Marlene and Matej have initiated a petition to put pressure on the German government, in particular on Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the German Foreign Office, to support the release of the two journalists. Almost 52,000 people have now signed this petition, including numerous media professionals.
Journalists demand freedom for Marlene and Matej
The executive director of Reporters Without Borders, Christian Mihr, commented: “With the arrest of these two committed young media professionals, the Iraqi authorities are showing that nothing about the situation of the Yazidi minority in Sinjar or the actions of the Turkish armed forces in this region should get out.”
ARD’s Middle East correspondent Nathalie Amiri issued a statement on Twitter, saying, “Journalists in detention. When attention and backing for such cases are low, journalists in crisis areas become increasingly less so.”
IPI – The Global Network for Independent Media states, “The Iraqi government must immediately secure the release of German journalist Marlene Förster and her Slovenian colleague Matej Kavčič – who were wrongly arrested by Iraqi security forces for allegedly ‘supporting terrorism.’ Both journalists must be released immediately.”
Şoreş Şingalî: Marlene and Matej should continue their work in Şengal.
Yezidi musician Şoreş Şengalî, a member of the Şengal Culture and Arts Institute, criticized in a video: “The arrest of the two journalist:s is to prevent the culture, color and truth of the history of the Yezidi community from being heard. They wanted to make our culture and history known in Germany, especially Marlene was concerned. They visited cultural institutions, we introduced them to folk songs. We hope that they will be released soon and can continue their work here in Şengal. Because our culture was always under attack, they wanted to counter that.”
Wave of solidarity
Lydia Förster, Marlene’s mother, told ANF that the terror charge against her daughter is off the table. She is accused of a visa offense as well as “espionage.” Marlene had been put under pressure to reveal the sources of her research work in Şengal. Only when the Foreign Office learned about it did it become somewhat more active, she said. “As a journalist, of course she has to protect her sources,” Lydia Förster said.
“The German Embassy is very supportive of me and gets in touch regularly. But the Foreign Office could be a bit more active,” says Lydia Förster. She experiences an incredible amount of solidarity and human support from neighbors, colleagues and acquaintances. Many media have contacted her. Therefore, she is also cautiously optimistic that the great wave of solidarity will lead to Marlene’s release, but the pressure must not let up.
Today at 15.30 o’clock a demonstration takes place again in Darmstadt. The Darmstadt city council will vote today on whether to demand Marlene’s and Matej’s freedom.
