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Rebecca Vincent Profile picture
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31 Jan, 6 tweets, 4 min read
It’s been a worrying few days for UK press freedom. On Thursday, photojournalist @andyaitchison was arrested for photographing a protest against poor conditions in Napier Barracks, a military camp in Kent housing hundreds of asylum seekers. 1/

independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…
On Friday, government equalities minister @KemiBadenoch triggered a flood of abuse & threats against @HuffPostUK reporter @Nadine_Writes by smearing her (in an 8-part Twitter thread) simply for doing her job by asking a question in the public interest. 2/

huffpost.com/entry/uk-minis…
This comes just a week after government minister @nadhimzahawi and other Tory MPs attacked @yorkshirepost and @RobynVinter for their accurate public interest reporting on Covid jabs being diverted to other regions. 3/

yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/v…
These are only the latest developments in a worrying trend that @RSF_inter highlighted last year, of increasingly aggressive behaviour by UK government officials & departments in an attempt to discredit reporting that doesn’t toe the official line. 4/

rsf.org/en/news/uk-pre…
Much of this is in backlash to critical reporting on the government’s Covid response. These stories are clearly in the public interest, and impact public health. Attempting to undermine or silence such reporting violates the rights to freedom of expression and information. 5/
This comes against a worrying backdrop of longer term issues such as the detention of Julian Assange, a clampdown on freedom of information & threats to the safety of journalists in Northern Ireland, which continue to mar the UK’s press freedom record. /6 rsf.org/en/news/rsf-in…

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More from @rebecca_vincent

Rebecca Vincent Profile picture
6 Jan
Good morning. I’ll have updates on Julian Assange’s bail hearing on this thread today. The hearing takes place at 10 am GMT at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. @RSF_inter calls again for Assange’s immediate release.

#FreeAssange 1/
I’m on my way to court. Escaped the hellish queue for the public gallery today only because Assange’s family have been kind enough to put me on their list - so unless the court pulls something funny, I should get in without problems today. 2/
The thought of walking into court at a reasonable time and taking a seat like a normal person today seems like a luxury. We’ve been treated so terribly in monitoring hearings in this case since last February. Again, this is not how we’re accustomed to doing our jobs, anywhere. 3/
Read 28 tweets
Rebecca Vincent Profile picture
5 Jan
Hello new followers! Can I introduce you to some of @RSF_inter’s other priority cases? They all deserve much more attention and support! Thread.
#DaphneCaruanaGalizia was a courageous Maltese journalist assassinated by a car bomb near her home in October 2017. More than three years on, there’s still been no justice for Daphne or the extensive corruption she had uncovered. Some background here: rsf.org/en/news/malta-…
We are working to support her family’s campaign for #JusticeforDaphne. Follow @daphnefdtn, her sons @mcaruanagalizia, @acaruanagalizia & @pcaruanagalizia, her sisters @Corinne_Vella & @MandyMallia, and her niece @meg_mallia. @TheShiftNews is also an excellent resource.
Read 12 tweets
Rebecca Vincent Profile picture
4 Jan
Good morning from the Old Bailey! Today’s the big day, as we await the extradition decision in the case against @wikileaks publisher Julian Assange. I’ll have updates on this thread.

#FreeAssange 1/
5 hours to go until the 10am hearing. We’re already queuing outside in early morning winter temperatures to have a fighting chance of gaining access to the public gallery. This is how we’re left to try to do our jobs as the judge refuses to recognise the role of NGO observers. 2/
My makeshift office during this long, cold morning.

Actual conversation just now: how long does it take to get hypothermia?

Sunrise is still a long way off at 8:06 am...

3/
Read 25 tweets
Rebecca Vincent Profile picture
3 Jan
I’ve often said that nothing is normal about Julian Assange’s case. Here’s my list of the top 10 least normal aspects, strictly on the logistical side of monitoring the extradition proceedings (this is not to mention the many substantive issues that are also far from normal).
1. The judge’s stubbornly persistent refusal to acknowledge that NGO observers are professionals and have an important role to play (separate to that of the general public) in ensuring open justice, and refusal to grant us access to be able to do our jobs properly.
2. The constantly shifting goal posts in gaining access to the public gallery, and arbitrary restrictions on numbers in all 3 courts where proceedings have been held. On any given day, it’s impossible to predict how many will be let in and when, necessitating very early queuing.
Read 12 tweets
Rebecca Vincent Profile picture
11 Dec 20
Okay, I’m not done yet (still furious). The barriers we’ve faced monitoring proceedings in Assange’s case are extensive and evolving, and cannot be purely coincidence or incompetence, as it’s been at 3 separate courts and happened pre-Covid too. The common factor is the judge.
It is the judge who refuses to recognise NGO observers as different to the public & who revoked NGOs’ remote access. When we face barriers on entry, court officials say the judge set the (arbitrary) limitations on numbers. She even set the freezing temperature at the Old Bailey.
I won’t speculate yet on the outcome of the extradition proceedings, as I sincerely hope that justice will prevail and that the system isn’t as broken as I fear. But one has to question what is the motive in making even a 90-second hearing so unbelievably difficult to observe.
Read 8 tweets
Rebecca Vincent Profile picture
11 Dec 20
Back at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this morning attempting to monitor a call over hearing in the case of @wikileaks publisher Julian Assange. This is the last such hearing scheduled before the extradition decision will be given on 4 January.

Thread. 1/
The goal posts for access constantly shift at this court, in a completely arbitrary manner. We are currently being told by a court official that no journalists will be allowed in (told they can access the Cloud Video Platform) and only two people can access the public gallery. 2/
At times, even under Covid measures, four journalists have been allowed into the well of this same courtroom, and five people into the public gallery. Two in total today is completely arbitrary. We’re told the access restrictions are the judge’s decision. 3/
Read 12 tweets

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