House of Commons · Westminster Hall
27 May 2021 · 0 other contributors · 538 words
Opened by Roger Gale Con Herne Bay and Sandwich
Responding minister: Not recorded
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Roger Gale raised concerns about media freedom and journalist safety abroad in Westminster Hall. Response awaited from government.
Key points
Key requests to Government
The speaker asked four questions: whether media freedom will be on the G7 agenda for Cornwall, if Magnitsky sanctions can be used for breaches of media freedom, assurance that BBC World Service funding will continue beyond September, and support for a UN special representative for journalist safety as called by Reporters Sans Frontières.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
The speaker expressed concern about the ongoing oppression of journalists in various countries such as Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Turkey, Hong Kong, and Iran. He highlighted specific cases like Roman Protasevich's case initiated by Lukashenko, the President of Belarus; Jamal Khashoggi's murder at the behest of the Saudi Arabian Government; and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's imprisonment in Iran on a trumped-up charge.