Blindfolded too

“Bild” reporter abducted and interrogated in Lebanon

Paul Ronzheimer on September 25 at the Austrian Media Days in Vienna. Three days later he was arrested in Beirut.

(Bild: APA Pool/APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

The German journalist Paul Ronzheimer was arrested in Beirut at the end of September. The war reporter and deputy editor-in-chief of the "Bild" newspaper made this public after his safe departure from Lebanon. The details of his arrest are shocking.

The incident took place on September 28, the day after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israel, the tabloid "Bild" reported on Wednesday. For security reasons, the incident was only made public after the war reporter had left the country.

Handcuffed and blindfolded
Unknown men took "Bild" deputy editor-in-chief Ronzheimer and his team from the hotel room to an unknown location and subjected the journalists to interrogation. They were handcuffed and blindfolded.

German embassy had to intervene
According to Bild, the men were allegedly members of the Lebanese military intelligence service. Ronzheimer was released late in the evening. The German embassy in Beirut intervened and thanks to the cooperation of the Lebanese authorities, he was quickly released.

Accreditation as the trigger
Lebanese security circles claimed that Ronzheimer did not have the necessary accreditation from the Ministry of Information. A "Bild" spokesperson contradicted this: accreditation had been duly submitted. "Hezbollah granted permission to work in an area controlled by Hezbollah. At no point during the multiple interviews by the Lebanese security authorities was Paul Ronzheimer confronted with a lack of accreditation."

Regardless of the incident that we were arrested and interrogated there and also sat in a prison, it is the case that it is currently incredibly difficult for many reporters to report from the places that are really at stake.

Der deutsche Journalist Paul Ronzheimer

Live broadcast to Israel was a thorn in Hezbollah's side
The "Bild" report also stated: "On the eve of the arrest, shortly after the airstrike on Nasrallah, Ronzheimer had himself switched to several countries, including Israel, as a correspondent." In Lebanon, it is not officially permitted to report for Israeli media. In particular, no official permits are granted for live broadcasts to Israel. The two countries also have no diplomatic relations.

Of course I will continue to report on this war.

Der deutsche Journalist Paul Ronzheimer

According to the article, Ronzheimer continued to report on the fighting from Beirut even after his release. He finally left after about a week. However, because of the pro-Iranian Shiite militia Hezbollah, his opportunities were limited, Ronzheimer explained: "Regardless of the incident that we were arrested and interrogated there and also sat in a prison, the fact is that it is currently incredibly difficult for many reporters to report from the places that are really at stake."

Hezbollah is hardly granting any more permits to journalists. Nevertheless, Ronzheimer emphasized: "Of course I will continue to report on this war."