Richard Medhurst refutes allegations of Hamas affiliation made by Austrian officials during his detention.
Richard Medhurst, a British journalist known for his pro-Palestinian reporting, reports a brief detention by Austrian authorities on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organization. This follows a similar incident in the UK in August.
Medhurst, based in Austria, shared a video on X, alleging he was entrapped during a scheduled interview. Authorities indicated they were considering revoking his residency due to his Gaza and Lebanon reporting.
He claims he was then unexpectedly apprehended by plainclothes officers, whom he describes as Austria’s equivalent of MI5 or the FBI. A search warrant was executed, and officials stated the suspicion of Hamas membership, along with accusations of disseminating propaganda and encouraging terrorism.
Authorities searched his apartment and studio, confiscating all his electronic devices.
I was detained this week by the Austrian police and intelligence services.
They raided my house, office, and took all my devices.
They are accusing me of being a member of Hamas and threatened me with 10 years in prison.
Journalism is not a crime.
— Richard Medhurst (@richimedhurst)
“They’re my journalistic tools. I have been left with literally nothing,” Medhurst stated.
Following fingerprinting, photography, and DNA sampling, he was released after six to seven hours, as detailed in his video.
Medhurst suggests a link between this Austrian incident and his August 15th detention at London’s Heathrow Airport, where he was held for over 24 hours under Section 12 of the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, for allegedly expressing support for a proscribed organization.
“Strangely enough, last week, the police in England again extended this investigation and then suddenly this happens in Vienna. I don’t think that is mere coincidence,” Medhurst commented.
He strongly denies the accusations from both British and Austrian authorities, asserting his identity as a journalist.
He characterizes the actions of both governments as excessive force and an attack on freedom of speech.
“I could face up to 14 years in prison in the UK, plus another two to five years if I don’t give them the passwords to my phones, and maybe another ten years in prison in Austria,” Medhurst concluded.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the UK’s National Union of Journalists (NUJ) previously condemned Medhurst’s UK detention as an attempt to suppress press freedom.