Czech Republic: Television station issues statement about interview with refugee that sparked online hatred

The TV Prima television station in the Czech Republic has issued a statement about an interview broadcast on 11 February with a refugee in which the interpretation of what the refugee said was inaccurate. News server Romea.cz is providing the statement here in full translation.

Statement of TV Prima

In connection with the reportage broadcast on 11 February 2016 during FTV Prima’s main news program, about a family of Christian refugees from Iraq, we would like to state the following:  The report presented relevant, truthful information supported by the interpretation services of a court-registered interpreter of Arabic, Ing. Naziha Albahri. It is not appropriate for us to comment on the response of the Generation 21 foundation to the reportage.

As far as the accusations made by the foundation against Bohumil Roub, who is an external reporter for TV Prima, about his influence on the reportage, Mr Roub’s statement is as follows:  "Immediate after we recorded the material the representatives of the Multicultural Center and the foundation New [sic] Generation 21 began pressuring us not to broadcast the reportage on the topic of the inconvenient accommodation. My colleague, cameraman Roman Svoboda, responded that if we were to keep it quiet we wouldn’t have a job, and I simply confirmed that."

Jitka Obzinová, News Director, FTV Prima