The war reporter and deputy editor-in-chief of the German newspaper BildPaul Ronzheimer, was interrogated and arrested by unknown men in Lebanon, one day after the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 28.
The information was released this Wednesday (9), after the journalist returned safely to his country of origin.
As reported by Ronzheimer, unknown men took him and his team from a hotel to an unknown location, where they carried out interrogation. The detainees were blindfolded and handcuffed.
Bild newspaper suggests in a report on the subject that the men involved in the kidnapping were employees of the Lebanese military intelligence service.
On the eve of his arrest, shortly after the air strike against Nasrallah, the journalist said he worked as a correspondent in several countries, including Israel, giving a live interview for the channel Kan News while in Beirut, which may have led to the arrest.
Ronzheimer says that journalistic coverage in Lebanon is limited due to Hezbollah. “Regardless of the fact that we were arrested and interrogated there and also that we were in a prison, it is currently incredibly difficult for many reporters to get out of the premises to report what is actually happening,” he said.
According to the Bild reporter, Hezbollah makes it difficult to open more licenses for journalists in the country. “Recently, Belgian reporters were even attacked and beaten by Hezbollah supporters in Beirut,” he said.
Ronzheimer was only released after mediation by the German embassy in Lebanon.
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