International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has blasted President Trump for emboldening autocratic regimes around the world to crack down on reporters with his attacks on the media.
“The U.S. president has given such regimes a green light and labeled the press in this country the enemy of the people,” Clooney said during an address at the 2018 United Nations Correspondents Association Awards in New York City on Wednesday night. She had earlier named Brazil, Hungary, Myanmar, North Korea, the Philippines, and Turkey as examples of countries with limited press freedoms.
“And of course, two months ago, a Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, walked into a consulate in Istanbul and was brutally tortured to death,” Clooney, a Lebanese-British lawyer, told the glitzy assembly. She was referring to the Saudi dissident columnist and U.S. resident who disappeared on Oct. 2 after an appointment at the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city.
At #UNCA70 dinner in New York, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney speaks about #Myanmar case of @Reuters #FreeWaLoneKyawSoeOo
‘The chilling effect is real.’
She also talks about the effect of #US President @realDonaldTrump‘s description of press as an enemy of the people. pic.twitter.com/m0rE7XCz0R
— Michelle Nichols (@michellenichols) December 6, 2018
Trump frequently uses news outlets like CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post as political foils, calling their coverage “fake news” or denigrating them for their ratings or circulation figures. Trump has also been criticized for siding with Saudi Arabia as the CIA reportedly found with “high confidence” that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was implicated in Khashoggi’s murder. The Saudi government has denied any involvement.
Clooney attended the gala, the U.N.’s 70th anniversary event, as its Global Citizen of the Year honoree. She also spoke about her work representing two Reuters journalists who were arrested and imprisoned while reporting on the Rohingya massacre in Myanmar.
Clooney and actor husband George, who accompanied her to the awards ceremony Wednesday, have in the past supported Democratic candidates and donated to liberal causes.
