Many have been out of contact since the raid, with reports that some may be detained in the Israeli port of Ashdod. As the raid unfolded, journalists on board reported the jamming of electronic devices, the media watchdog International Press Institute reported.
Peter Kerr, executive editor of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper – which had two journalists, reporter Paul McGeough and photographer Kate Geraghty on board – told IPI that the two had been transported to a detention facility in the Israeli port of Ashdod.
He added that he had had no contact with the two since the incident. “It is unclear whether we will be able to talk to them before they have to make a decision between ‘free passage deportation’ or further detention and trial. We want to talk to them before that decision.
The two journalists had, Kerr said, done nothing wrong: “We maintain that they are bona fide journalists with proper accreditation and have a right to report.”
The Qatar-based Al-Jazeera network, meanwhile, has lost contact with seven of its journalists on board the flotilla boats.
Al-Jazeera English managing editor Ibrahim Helal said that, together, Al Jazeera and Al Jazeera English had seven reporters, in three teams, on board the boats. He said “We put all responsibility on the Israeli government’s shoulders for their safety …
"Al Jazeera Network also calls upon all media organizations to act for the release of all journalists on board the ships and to ask for their freedom to practice their profession without pressure and harassment."
IPI Director David Dadge said: “The priority for the International Press Institute is the safety of those journalists on board the flotilla of ships, but I also hope that there has been no interference in their ability to report on this ongoing news story.
"Given the controversy surrounding this incident, a free and independent media is probably the best possible safeguard for ensuring that the truth reaches the outside world.”
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