The MP at the centre of the campaign to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been accused of “abusing her power”, after making an “apparently threatening remark” to a pregnant female journalist after being quizzed about another Briton jailed abroad.
MP Tulip Siddiq told the journalist to have a “great birth, because child labour is hard” after being questioned about the case of lawyer Ahmad bin Quasem, who human rights organisations say was abducted by state security forces in Bangladesh last year.
The editor of Channel 4 News, Ben de Pear, has complained to both the MP, who sits on the Women and Equalities Committee in Parliament, and the Labour party over the remarks and sought an apology.
A Channel 4 News spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that no apology had been received but Siddiq had told the news show she will reporting it to the police.
Part of the complaint to Siddiq’s office seen by HuffPost UK reads: “Not only is it offensive that Daisy should be singled out for being pregnant, but the fact that it was commented on at all whilst she was working, and then used to intimidate her by reminding how painful childbirth is, is quite shocking, especially coming from a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee. “As her employer I object in the strongest possible terms that a politician should turn on a journalist for asking a difficult question and seek to cause deliberate upset and distress.”
Both Siddiq and the Labour Party are yet to respond to a request for comment from HuffPost UK.
“Thanks for coming Daisy, hope you have a great birth, because child labour is hard! See you!” @TulipSiddiq MP to pregnant Channel 4 News producer who asked her why she needed to “be very careful” for asking the MPs about her links to Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/55U36DbtBn — Hayley Barlow (@Hayley_Barlow) November 28, 2017
Today I complained to @TulipSiddiq & @UKLabour about her comments to our pregnant Producer “Thanks for coming Daisy, hope you have a great birth, because child labour is hard! See you!” We had asked if she could use her family connection to look into freeing a man in Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/EylvFYXgP6 — Ben de Pear (@bendepear) November 28, 2017
2/2 Tonight she responded that she has complained to the police about @Channel4News. No apology. Tomorrow we will place the entire contiguous footage of our exchange with @TulipSiddiq who’s been asked repeatedly about the case of a disappeared lawyer in #Bangladesh. #welovedaisy pic.twitter.com/yKecXBWTaW — Ben de Pear (@bendepear) November 28, 2017
Tulip Siddiq – vocal on human rights but refusing our questions on human rights in Bangladesh where her aunt is PM pic.twitter.com/OEP1t34bcO
Siddiq had been asked, while attending a rally for Zaghari-Ratcliffe in her Hampstead and Kilburn constituency, if she would do anything to help Quasem’s release, shortly before the controversial exchange took place.
In its dispatch, Channel 4 News had earlier detailed how the MP had been “begged to help (Quasem), over and over and over again”, so they decided to attend the rally to ask her again.
The MP has family connections with the government in Bangladesh, where her aunt is prime minister.
Siddiq appeared to not know who reporter Alex Thomson was asking her about, initially replying “Is he (Quasem) Hampstead? Is he a British citizen?”, before going on to warn him about his line of questioning.
“Are you aware that I am a British MP and that I’m born in London,” she retorted, before continuing: “Are you implying I’m Bangladeshi, because I am British. Be very careful with what you are saying, I’m a British MP.”
Siddiq then walked off and her spokesperson Oliver Denton told Thomson “this is absolutely desperate”.
Tulip Siddiq MP’s staff attempt to stop us from asking her questions @Channel4News tonight pic.twitter.com/TavUKa3HbS
The perils of being a pregnant journalist: An MP might use it against you. From tonight’s amazing #c4news https://t.co/hZIXgZBd03
Thomson detailed proceedings on Twitter where he noted that it was the first time “in 30 years reporting that an MP’s said this to me (‘be careful’ for asking a question”.
Tonight – Tulip Siddiq MP makes an apparently threatening remark about childbirth to our pregnant producer (the MP sits on the Commons Women and Equality Select Committee) pic.twitter.com/xqHKHi4gmV
November 28, 2017
« You’d better be very careful » first time in 30 years reporting that an MP’s said this to me for asking a question @Channel4News pic.twitter.com/5vgDoUEvUi — alex thomson (@alextomo) November 28, 2017
Tulip Siddiq says she is reporting C4N to the Police after refusing to answer questions from us pic.twitter.com/uHe8GY532b
Siddiq’s refusal to answer Thomson’s questions has been criticised by other journalists and lawyers who pointed out that Quasem had been well publicised so she could not “feign ignorance”.
This looks very bad for @TulipSiddiq. She’s going to need a pretty good explanation for how she handled completely reasonable questions by @alextomo and his team. https://t.co/GKf6URzirH
November 29, 2017
Ashamed my MP is closing down free speech, reporting @alextomo and C4 to the police for good journalism -an awful abuse of power https://t.co/rjypv2M6LS
Absurd for @tulipsiddiq to feign ignorance of high profile British barrister “disappeared” in Bangladesh. Brilliant @alextomo report, & see below for more details. https://t.co/cIUzuqiPRa https://t.co/6Cbjl8Kdma
November 28, 2017
Crim Bar Quarterly Reports on the Efforts to Free Abducted Barrister Mr Ahmad Bin Quasem https://t.co/xkYNmFnOfA @ChCtChambers #FreeArman
Lesson to @TulipSiddiq – implying a respectable journalist (in this case @alextomo is racist to avoid answering uncomfortable questions is NOT a good look. The questions were entirely reasonable. Shameful. #labour not so kind or gentle – apparently. #channel4news
November 28, 2017
Excellent journalism from @alextomo asking #TulipSiddiq why she can’t help release a British Bangladeshi. She replied by playing the race-card: “Be very careful, implying I’m a Bangladeshi”. https://t.co/sAFWgWuNWR
November 28, 2017
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told the Telegraph that Siddiq’s “hypocrisy is quite shocking”.
“When she was pregnant she brought much criticism on those who she thought were less than understanding of her situation and this was much publicised. Clearly she has questions to answer about her conduct.”
Ahmad bin Quasem, a member of the Bar in England and Wales, was “forcibly abducted from his home in front of his family” in August last year, Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers noted on the anniversary of his capture.
The chambers specialise in transnational litigation enforcing human rights and international criminal norms in national courts and are based in London.
According to the chambers, Quassem is the son of Mir Quasem Ali, a member of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami – an Islamic political organisation and social conservative movement founded in 1941 – who convicted by the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) and “summarily executed in circumstances which has been described by international jurists as a flagrant denial of justice and which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for a suspension of the verdict due to concerns of due process”.
Quassem was a member of his father’s defence team up until his execution and was abducted whilst the appeal was ongoing, the chambers said.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case has been heavily publicised in recent weeks after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson mistakenly said she was training journalists when she was captured in Iran last April.
Siddiq has been a vocal supporter championing the Government to do more to aide her release.