BBC Journalist Questioned By US Border Agents, Subjected To Search

By Alltimepost.com

BBC World Service reporter, Ali Hamedani, has told media watchdog, The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that United States border agents at Chicago O’Hare airport detained and questioned him for over two hours when he arrived in the U.S. on January 29 to interview a Persian singer.

The journalist, who said he was traveling on a Media I Visa, told CPJ that agents searched his phone and computer and read his Twitter feed. Hamedani said when he traveled to the U.S. on the same visa in November last year he did not have any issues at the border.

The detention of the British-Iranian journalist came two days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning entry to the U.S. for 90 days for individuals from seven countries, including Iran.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers should respect the rights of journalists to protect confidential information when subjecting international reporters to screening on their arrival to the U.S.