The Courage Foundation has signed on to the following letter alongside Defending Rights & Dissent and the Freedom of the Press Foundation to express our concern to the US Embassy in Jerusalem over the ongoing detention of U.S. journalist Jeremy Loffredo.
US Embassy In Jerusalem
14 David Flusser
Jerusalem 9378322, Israel
We, the undersigned press freedom and free expression organizations, are writing to express our urgent concern with the situation of US journalist Jeremy Loffredo. Although an Israeli judge has ordered him released, the Israeli government has taken his US passport and phone and forbidden him from leaving the country until October 20. Loffredo remains charged with “aiding the enemy during wartime and providing information to the enemy.” We urge you to advocate on his behalf.
Loffredo was arrested for reporting on the impact of Iranian missile strikes in Israel. Loffredo’s actions were well within the standard realm of journalism and would have been protected by the First Amendment in the United States. Israel has imposed an anti-democratic regime of military censorship on Israeli and international journalists. Although Loffredo’s reporting was forbidden by military censors, military censors have allegedly granted permission to Israeli publications reporting his arrest to publish the information he reported, and have declined to charge other journalists who published similar reporting.
Reporting news to the public that a government doesn’t like is not aiding the enemy. It is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes to equate independent journalism with aiding a foreign enemy.
As you are aware, Israel has one of the worst records on press freedom in the world today. In addition to military censorship, it has detained and killed numerous Palestinian journalists. Israel has barred international journalists from entering Gaza and has shut down Al Jazeera both within Israel and the occupied West Bank, where it has no lawful jurisdiction. We are deeply concerned with the fate of all journalists and have in the past called on the State Department to cease providing Israel with the weapons it uses to kill Palestinian journalists.
Loffredo is both a journalist and an American citizen. You have an obligation to advocate for him. We ask you to urge the Israelis to respect Loffredo’s press freedom rights, drop the charges against him, return his passport and phone, refrain from searching his phone which may contain confidential sources, and permit him to leave Israel if he so chooses.
Thank you,
Defending Rights & Dissent
Courage Foundation
Freedom of the Press Foundation