Iran Accuses Saudi Arabia of Jailing 6 State Media Crew Members Ahead of Upcoming Hajj
Iran claimed on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia had expelled six crew members from its state media agency, asserting that the kingdom’s authorities unjustly detained the journalists for nearly a week prior to the expulsion. Iran insists that its crew has only been filming and producing regular content about the upcoming Hajj, which is the holy pilgrimage that Muslims from all over the world make to Islam’s holiest sites.
The first arrests occurred over a week ago when three crewmembers were arrested while recording a reading of the Quran at Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque in Medina. They were then taken for several hours of questioning before being placed indefinitely in a detention center, Iranian state media claims.
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The Islamic Republic claims that Saudi authorities detained three other Iranian journalists over the next week. Later, Saudi authorities expelled the men from the country, effectively preventing them from participating in the Hajj.
In reporting on the incident, Iranian media did not specify or provide additional details as to what events preceded each of the arrests, but they called on Saudi Arabia to answer for the expulsions, claiming that some of its staff have lost their chance to participate in the holy pilgrimage.
The Hajj is a requirement for all Muslims who are physically and financially able to do so once in their lives.
Saudi Arabia has yet to publicly respond to its regional rival’s claims.
