The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has today dropped all charges against Syrian-born British journalist Richard Medhurst.

Medhurst was first arrested by police in August 2024 under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act. The arrest was, of course, part of the Starmer regime’s misuse of anti-terror laws to target anti-genocide journalists and activists. He was kept in limbo for more than a year as the police state ‘made the process the punishment’, including being told to surrender himself to Heathrow police in April 2025 and the Met Police referred his case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) a month later for a decision on whether he would be prosecuted under the Terrorism Act for his journalism on Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its attacks on Syria and Lebanon.

Richard Medhurst announcement

Now, Medhurst has announced that the CPS has dropped its entire case against him and he is no longer on bail. However, the victory is only partial as the CPS has handed the matter to police in Austria, where Medhurst lives. Medhurst explained that UK authorities had asked Austrian police to raid his home there and seize all his devices.

In his video statement, Medhurst reiterated that he has never given the UK police or other authorities access to his electronic devices, despite threats of imprisonment, under unfit UK terrorism law that makes refusal automatically a criminal offence, and offers of journalistic immunity if he would hand over passwords.

Medhurst’s comment on the dropped charges was uncompromising:

There was no crime. But the fact they still went out of their way, my government went out of their way to give Austria whatever so-called files they have on me shows you what vicious little shits they are. These cockroaches are literally blowing people up on a daily basis. And then they have the nerve to call me a terrorist because I’m sitting in a room by myself talking to a camera.

He went on to say that while the victory may be partial, it is still:

This a victory for all of us, for our freedom of speech, for our free press, for our civil liberties.

Other UK journalists still face possible prosecution, while others have gone into exile rather than face imprisonment for speaking out. The Starmer regime also continues to hold twenty-four anti-genocide activists in prison without trial and is ignoring the 40+ day hunger strike of eight of them, as well as prosecuting Jewish anti-genocide campaigner Tony Greenstein early next month, also under anti-terror legislation.

Featured image via YouTube screenshot/Richard Medhurst

By Skwawkbox

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