CPJ, partners call for transparency as exiled Syrian journalist applies for UK citizenship
CPJ joined three other international press freedom and human rights organizations in an October 18 letter to U.K. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper expressing concerns over delays in the citizen application of Zaina Erhaim, an award-winning exiled Syrian journalist who has lived in the U.K. since 2017 and has been targeted by Syrian authorities due to her work.
Erhaim applied for British citizenship in October 2023. Despite the process typically taking six months, her case has been delayed for over a year. The U.K. Home Office informed Erhaim that external “agencies” were conducting investigations into her application without providing a timeline.
The letter expressed concern that, given Syria’s previous efforts to interfere with the journalist’s travel and U.K. residency, this delay may be another instance of persecution for her journalistic work. The letter urged U.K. authorities to be “fully transparent about the nature of its enquiries” into her application and ensure that Erhaim is not again exposed to the persecution she was forced to flee.
Read the full letter here.