United States Agency for Global Media

Missing Alhurra Correspondent Bashar Fahmi Honored

January 11, 2013

Missing Alhurra Correspondent Bashar Fahmi Honored
Arzu Kadumi, wife of missing Alhurra journalist Bashar Fahmi, receives the Ibrahim Keresteci Press Awards on his behalf.
Arzu Kadumi, wife of missing Alhurra journalist Bashar Fahmi, receives the Ibrahim Keresteci Press Awards on his behalf.

Alhurra Television’s Bashar Fahmi was recognized at the Ibrahim Keresteci Press Awards. The award ceremony was hosted by the Municipality and Local Government Workers Union (BEM-BIR-SEN) in Turkey. Fahmi’s wife, Arzu Kadumi, accepted the award on her husband’s behalf.

Fahmi has been missing in Syria since Aug. 20th when he was caught in crossfire while reporting for Alhurra. At that time his cameraman, Cuneyt Unal was captured and held captive by the Syrian regime for 90 days before being released. Unal was also honored at the award ceremony.

During the ceremony Kadumi spoke on behalf of her husband (translated from Turkish), “I would like my husband be here to receive this award himself. Journalists are being killed, imprisoned or accused committing crimes that they did not commit. My husband is one of them. I have not had any information about him for five months. He was in Syria for informing the world as journalist.”

There has been no official acknowledgement of Fahmi’s status.