Dear mr Seaman,
Dear mr Seaman,
On behalf of the Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ) I want to file a complaint against the behaviour of the border police at Ben Gourion airport against the Dutch Journalist mrs. Abir Sarras.
Mrs. Sarras, arriving at Ben Gourion Airport, has been arrested Sunday night 21th of april and has been sent back to Europe this morning.
Mrs. Sarras has a Dutch Passport and is working as a professional journalist for a well known Dutch broadcasting organisation, Radio Netherlands Worldwide.
We strongly condemn the treatment of mrs. Sarras at the airport, as it was clear that she was trying to enter Israel for a legitimate cause, reporting on the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel.
We know Israel as a democratic state that values the importance of free reporting within its borders. Therefore, we hope that you can make sure that possible misunderstanding regarding this case will be solved at short notice and that mrs Sarras will get permission to do her work as a journalist in Israel.
We would appreciate to get a confirmation of our request as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Bruning
General secretary Dutch association of Journalists (NVJ)
T: +31 20 676 67 71
F: +31 20 662 49 01
E: tbruning@nvj.nl
cc. mr. Wim Jansen, Editor in Chief Radio Netherlands Worldwide,
mr. Han Peters, director information and communication, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs