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Hassan Ghani, (born 1985 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish broadcast journalist and documentary film-maker, based in London. He has worked in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gaza, Somalia, Turkey and Egypt during the uprising.
He was on board the international flotilla bound for Gaza in May 2010 which was boarded by the Israel Defense Forces His earlier news reports from the ship had warned of an impending bloody confrontation, and he reported live as Israeli soldiers boarded the Mavi Marmara Turkish ship.
He grew up in Glasgow and studied at the University of Stirling in Scotland, where his degree course specialised in documentary production.
From June 2006 to January 2009, he was employed as a journalist and documentary film-maker at the Islam Channel in London, and regularly presented the channel's daily news bulletin. He is currently working as an international correspondent for Press TV.
His work includes the 2007 documentary The Silent Prisoners filmed in Pakistan, and the 2006 documentary film Miles Beyond.
In November 2008 he and British journalist Yvonne Ridley travelled to Afghanistan to produce a documentary about female prisoners being held by the United States military. "In Search of Prisoner 650" was commissioned by Press TV. During the making of the film the two came under fire amid a clash between the Taliban and Afghan police on the road to Ghazni. The drama was caught on camera and featured in the film. The documentary was broadcast worldwide on Press TV in April 2009, and included in Aljazeera's documentary film festival 2010.
Ghani was Press TV's correspondent on the Viva Palestina humanitarian aid convoy that drove from London, United Kingdom to Gazaand sent back regular television news reports along the way. He followed up his coverage with a 50-minute documentary that summarised the journey, broadcast on Press TV in May 2009, as well as a second documentary entitled "Three Uncles go to Gaza" narrated by broadcaster Yvonne Ridley.
In December 2009 and January 2010 he followed this up by travelling with another Viva Palestina convoy to Gaza (again as Press TV correspondent), and has plans to make a further documentary about it.
Israeli attack on Gaza aid flotilla
On 31 May 2010 Ghani was involved in the Gaza flotilla, when the Israel Defense Forces attacked an international aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip, killing several activists and wounding others.
We are being hit by tear gas, stun grenades, we have a navy ship on either side and helicopters overhead. We are being attacked from every single side and this is in international waters, not in Israeli waters.
Later that day his father Haq Ghani spoke at a rally in George Square in Glasgow in protest at the attack.[1] He was deported to Turkey. He talked to BBC Radio Scotlands "Good Morning Scotland" from Turkey, that people:
used sticks, chairs, anything to stop these soldiers who were coming down with machine guns and tasers and firing rubber bullets and later on using live ammunition on civilians. We knew Israel would do some sort of action, but we thought they would perhaps just try to scare us and then allow us through. We didn't expect a ship with 32 different nationalities on board, with aid from 50 different countries on board, would be attacked in such a brutal manner.
Awards and nominations
In 2008 Ghani was one of five nominated by Channel 4's 4Talent scheme for its journalism award in the UK, and in October 2008 he was awarded 'Young Scottish Muslim of the Year' by Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond for his work in journalism and documentary. His work 'In Search of Prisoner 650' was included in Aljazeera's documentary film festival 2010.
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