How a human rights defender was convicted of terrorism | Muhammad Rabbani

How far would you go to protect a client?

When Muhammad Rabbani, a human rights advocate, was stopped and interrogated on his way back to the UK after working with a high profile client, it was an experience he was familiar with. 

As a Muslim and an activist, he'd been stopped at the airport many times before.

This time however, when he refused to give up the passwords to his personal devices, he was arrested, charged and convicted under the Terrorism Act.

His fight to clear his name has been documented in the new film 'Phantom Parrot', which highlights the controversial 'Schedule 7' clause that allows police to detain and question citizens at the border without suspicion, and how it's used to gather and share intelligence with other bodies such as the FBI.

This week on the Big Picture podcast, we sit down with Rabbani, who is the managing director of CAGE, to hear his story firsthand, and why he thinks it should shock and concern every British citizen.

You can find out more about 'Phantom Parrot' and where to watch it here: https://phantomparrot.com/

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.

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