Staff at the Qatari embassy in Swaziland, now known as eSwatini, were accused of detaining two local journalists after they refused to sign an agreement not to publish a report about the acting ambassador.
According to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) NGO, the journalists were held for more than an hour at the Qatari embassy on October 5 as staff tried to prevent them from publishing an article about the diplomat's alleged involvement in an assault.
The two journalists, from the Times of Swaziland, were at the embassy to interview Qatar's acting ambassador Yaqoub Al Mulla about an incident in which he allegedly pointed a firearm at a street vendor.
Mr Al Mulla agreed to the interview but then tried to force the paper's business editor Kwanele Dhladhla and investigative journalist Welcome Dlamini to sign the agreement, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
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The Times of Swaziland published a document on Qatari embassy-headed paper which read: "We, the employees of The Times newspaper, are committed not to publish any information of the embassy of the state of Qatar without an order or written permission from the embassy. In case of anything, the newspaper and the responsible persons will be prosecuted."
The Qatari embassy's security staff were told to detain the journalists until they signed the document, according to Misa. They refused and were released after about an hour.
They filed a police complaint against the embassy, accusing the staff of kidnapping.
According to the CPJ, a senior official at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs emailed a statement saying Mr Al Mulla had agreed to an off-the-record briefing.
The statement said the journalists had “misunderstood the agreed ground rules as the Acting Ambassador was surprised to find that he had been recorded throughout".
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
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