Vice Media blacked out nearly 100 digital channels globally on Wednesday in a plea to free its journalist Mohammed Rasool, who’s been imprisoned in Turkey for two months.
The media company went black at 10 a.m. ET and will stay that way until noon ET. All home pages from Vice’s nearly 100 digital outlets, will be black in a call for the release of Rasool, who was imprisoned in Turkey while on assignment for Vice. The black homepages allow readers to sign a Change.org petition calling for his release.
“The very existence of democracy relies on a free and thriving fourth estate,” Vice founder Shane Smith said. “Please help us focus attention on Rasool’s case by sharing the hashtag on social media of #FreeRasool, and keeping pressure on the Turkish authorities to free him immediately.”
Rasool and his colleagues Phil Pendlebury and Jake Hanrahan were arrested and detained by Turkish police on charges of assisting a terrorist organization while reporting in southeast Turkey. Pendlebury and Hanrahan were released after 11 days, but Rasool still languishes in a maximum security anti-terror prison.
The Committee to Protect Journalists also called for Rasool’s release, citing the “tremendous injustice” that showcases the “arbitrary, capricious, and punitive nature of the Turkish criminal justice system.”
“It is also a reminder of the essential role of media support staff, the fixers, stringers, translators and drivers who risk their lives to bring us the news,” CPJ executive director Joel Simon said.
#FreeRasool is trending on Twitter as many call for his immediate release.
Western journos win plaudits for coverage in dangerous places. Without ppl like Rasool, it wouldn’t happen in the first place. #FreeRasool
— Louisa Loveluck (@leloveluck) October 21, 2015
Standing w/ my friends @vicenews to help #FreeRasool. He has been wrongly jailed for two months in Turkey. https://t.co/qkqOPjReXV — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) October 21, 2015
@VICE This is outrageous. Keep raising awareness for Rasool and keep reporting the real news, the world needs it. #FreeRasool
— T. Rooney (@sluggerdean47) October 21, 2015
Mohammed Rasool has been detained in Turkey for 56 days #FreeRasool @Vice https://t.co/oRuX6i6t9j — PEN World Voices (@PENworldvoices) October 21, 2015