[NYTr] US Occup'n Routinely Persecutes Iraqi Journalists
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[Two journalism groups have added their voices to protest the egregious
persecution and targeting of journalists in Iraq by the US Occupation. The
Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of
Journalists have both issued press releases specifically protesting the
arrests and harrasment of Iraqi journalists.-NY Transfer]
Electronic Iraq - Sep 29, 2005
http://electroniciraq.net/news/2169.shtml
Committee to Protect Journalists Report:
Iraqi journalists routinely jailed by U.S. forces
NEW YORK -- At least seven Iraqi reporters, photographers, and
cameramen have been detained by U.S. forces for prolonged periods this
year without charge or the disclosure of any supporting evidence, the
Committee to Protect Journalists said in a letter today to U.S.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper
expressed "grave concern" about the detentions. At least three
documented detentions have exceeded 100 days, and the others have
spanned many weeks.
COPY OF THE LETTER SENT BY THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS TO
U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY DONALD RUMSFELD:
September 28, 2005
Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301
Via facsimile: (703) 697-9080
Dear Secretary Rumsfeld,
The Committee to Protect Journalists wishes to express its grave
concern about the continuing detention of Iraqi journalists by the
U.S. military in Iraq. U.S. forces have routinely detained Iraqi
reporters or photojournalists since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In several cases, individual journalists have been held for weeks or
months without charge or due process.
In 2005 alone, CPJ has documented seven cases in which reporters,
photographers, and cameramen were detained for prolonged periods
without charge or the disclosure of any supporting evidence. These
detentions have involved journalists working for CBS News, Reuters,
The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. At least
three documented detentions have exceeded 100 days; the others have
involved detentions of many weeks. In at least five cases documented
by CPJ, the detainees were photojournalists who initially drew the
military's attention because of what they had filmed or photographed.
In several cases, U.S. military officials have voiced suspicions that
some Iraqi journalists collaborated with Iraqi insurgents and had
advance knowledge of attacks on coalition forces. But the military has
never provided evidence to substantiate any claims, despite repeated
inquiries over many months, and nearly all of the journalists detained
on such suspicions have been released without charge.
Today, at least four detainees remain in U.S. custody. They include:
- Abdul Ameer Younis Hussein, CBS News. Hussein, an Iraqi cameraman
working for CBS News, was taken into custody after being wounded by
U.S. forces' fire on April 5 while he filmed clashes in Mosul in
northern Iraq. CBS News reported at the time that the U.S. military
said footage in the journalist's camera led them to suspect he had
prior knowledge of attacks on coalition forces. AFP also cited U.S.
officials as saying the journalist "tested positive for explosive
residue." No charges have been made public and the evidence used to
hold him remains classified. The New York Times reported this month
that the U.S. military referred Hussein's case to Iraqi justice
officials who reviewed Hussein's file but declined to prosecute him.
Nevertheless, Hussein remains in U.S. custody today. U.S. military
officials, meanwhile, have stuck to vague accusations that Hussein was
"engaged in anti-coalition activity," and that he had been "recruiting
and inciting Iraqi nationals to violence against coalition forces and
participating in attacks against coalition forces." Military officials
have yet to provide any evidence to support these accusations.
- Ali Mashhadani, Reuters. Mashhadani, a freelance photographer and
cameraman for Reuters news agency, has been held incommunicado and
without explanation by U.S. forces since August 8. Mashhadani was
taken from his home in Ramadi during a general sweep of the
neighborhood by U.S. Marines who became suspicious after seeing
pictures on his cameras, Reuters quoted his family as saying. He is
being held in Abu Ghraib Prison. Reuters reported last month that a
US-Iraqi Combined Review and Release Board (CRRB) had determined that
Mashhadani posed a "threat" and ordered his continued detention. U.S.
officials told Reuters that Mashhadani would be denied access to
counsel or family for 60 days, but would be granted a review of his
case within 180 days. Officials have yet to substantiate the basis for
his continued detention.
- Majed Hameed, Al-Arabiya, Reuters. Hameed, a reporter working with
the Dubai-based broadcaster Al-Arabiya who also freelances for
Reuters, was arrested along with several other men at a gathering
after the funeral of a relative on September 15 in Anbar province.
Both Reuters and Al-Arabiya have said his arrest appears connected to
footage found on his camera by U.S. troops. U.S. officials, however,
have not specified the basis for his detention. According to
Al-Arabiya, Hameed is being held at a U.S. facility in western Anbar
province.
- Samir Mohammed Noor, Reuters. Reuters reported this week that its
freelance television cameraman Noor was arrested by Iraqi troops at
his home in the northern town of Tal Afar in May 2005 and has been
ordered detained indefinitely by the CRRB, which oversees detentions
in Iraq. A U.S. military spokesman told the news agency that Noor was
determined to be "an imperative threat to the coalition forces and the
security of Iraq" and his case would be reviewed within six months.
U.S. officials have not said what he is accused of. Reuters said he
was being held at camp Bucca, in southern Iraq.
Journalists have a professional duty to cover events in Iraq including
the actions of the U.S. military. Their proximity to the battlefield
and the presence of photographs of the insurgency should not be used
as the basis for indefinite detention. At the very least, the media
organizations that employ journalists should be contacted as part of
the review process. We find these open-ended, unsubstantiated
detentions an unacceptable interference in the work of media
professionals. They threaten to undermine the ability of the media to
report on events in Iraq, especially as international news
organizations rely heavily on Iraqi journalists to work in frontline
newsgathering. Moreover, by holding journalists for weeks or months
without charge and on the basis of secret "evidence," the United
States, which has publicly committed its support for democracy and
human rights in Iraq, sends a troubling message to Iraqis that it is
not accountable for its actions. It is noteworthy that even Iraqi
officials have taken exception to the detentions. Earlier this month
Justice Minister Abdul Hussein Shandal criticized prolonged detentions
by the U.S. military and expressed concerns that journalists were not
being afforded appropriate protections in reporting on events in Iraq.
We call on you to ensure that the U.S. military cease the use of these
detentions at once and that officials credibly explain the basis for
the detentions of those currently being held, or release them
immediately.
Sincerely,
Ann Cooper
Executive Director
Committee to Protect Journalists
for More Info:
Joel Campagna (x103) or Ivan Karakashian (x104) at CPJ, 330 Seventh
Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212
465 9568, e-mail: mid...@cpj.org, Internet: www.cpj.org
***
Electronic Iraq - Sep 28, 2005
http://electroniciraq.net/news/2170.shtml
Report, IFJ, 28 September 2005
Federation of Journalists calls on US army to end targeting journalists
The International Federation of Journalists today expressed concern
over the targeting of Iraqi journalists by military authorities and
called on United States forces to release a leading television
reporter detained without explanation two weeks ago.
Majed Hameed, a reporter for the Al Arabiya News Channel, is one of a
number of journalists to be detained without charge or explanation
from the authorities. In recent months several Iraqi reporters working
for international news organisations have been held for lengthy
periods without being charged.
"We are very concerned that there is no word about why he has been
held in what appears to be a premeditated action against him," said
Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "This man is acknowledged as a
hard-working professional whose work has taken him into some of Iraq's
most dangerous places from where he has delivered much ground-breaking
journalism."
The IFJ says that Iraqi journalists whose energy and resourcefulness
is producing some of the most telling reporting from the region are
also among those most likely to face harassment from the military.
"There have been a number of cases of journalists being targeted
simply because they get to the scene of an incident quickly. In the
eyes of the army this is suspicious, but in effect they are penalised
for doing their job too well," said White.
Al Arabiya say that Hameed has been an eye-witness to combat incidents
between US forces and armed groups in Falluja, al Qa'em, Ramadi,
Hadeetha, Rawa and most recently Tella'far, where he was the only
broadcast reporter on the spot in a major confrontation. His reports
have received global coverage.
But he was arrested away from the front line, while attending the
mourning of a family member in Al Anbar area, where he was among a
number of people detained. He was taken by US forces to the
neighbouring Al Anbar detention facility.
Last week, freelance cameraman Samir Mohammed Noor working for
Reuters, who was arrested by Iraqi troops at his home in the northern
town of Tal Afar four months ago, was found by a secret tribunal to be
"an imperative threat to the coalition forces and the security of
Iraq." At least four other journalists working for international media
are being held without charge by the US military in Iraq.
"These detentions, which appear to have been calculated actions, make
no sense at all," said White. "There should be an official explanation
as to the whereabouts of all our colleagues and concrete reasons for
their arrests. If not, we can only assume that once again Iraqi
journalists brave enough to try to report freely are being
victimised."
The IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 110 countries.
for More Information:
International Federation of Journalists, International Press Centre,
Residence Palace, Block C, 155 Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels,
Belgium, tel: +322 235 2200 or +322 235 2207, fax: +322 235 2219,
e-mail: rober...@ifj.org, Internet: www.ifj.org
*
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