US military frees two Reuters journalists in Iraq

[Judi Lynn]

US military frees two Reuters journalists in Iraq
Sun Jan 15, 2006 5:08 AM ET

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military freed two Iraqi journalists who work for Reuters on Sunday after holding them for several months without charge.
Ali al-Mashhadani, a television cameraman who was arrested in August, and Majed Hameed, a correspondent for Reuters and Arabiya television who was detained in September, are both based in Ramadi, one of the centres of a Sunni Arab insurgency.

They were freed from Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison after being held there and at Camp Bucca, a U.S. jail in southern Iraq.

At least three other Iraqi journalists for international media, including a freelance cameraman working for Reuters in the northern town of Tal Afar, remain in custody.

Reuters has urged the U.S. military also to free Samir Mohammed Noor, who has been held without charge since his arrest by Iraqi troops at his home in Tal Afar seven months ago. A cameraman for U.S. television network CBS in Mosul has been held since April.
(snip/...)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-01-15T100826Z_01_MAC532774_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-REUTERS.xml&archived=False

[Kagemusha]

1. I read the headline and thought, more insurgent hostages freed

...And then I see it was the US holding them.

[EuroObserver]

2. That is so. n/t

[grytpype]

6. Me too!

I was thinking "at last some good news" and then I went "Oh."

[5X]

3. The question must be asked again...

Who are the terrorist?

How much of an uproar do we hear if one of our journalists
are 'kidnapped' by insurgents, and what is the difference if we hold
journalists in our torture chambers without charges.


edit for spelling.

[0007]

4. Is this the result of the NPR report a few days ago?

Reuters and international media rights groups have repeatedly voiced concern at the long and unexplained detentions of journalists by U.S. troops.

They have in particular criticized the military's refusal to deal more quickly with suspicions apparently arising from reporters' legitimate activities in covering the insurgency.

More than 14,000 people, mostly Sunni Arabs, are held by the U.S. military on suspicion of taking part in Iraq's insurgency.

[cantstandbush]

5. We hold hostages and then release to headlines that make the world

believe we saved them from insurgents. WTF? The MSM isn't even honest enough to post a true headline.

[Charlie Brown]

7. Let the lawsuits begin

I want to know why these two journalists were held for five months without due process by our military, and then released.

[NeoConsSuck]

8. Self Delete

[struggle4progress]

9. Nothing says "Hi, we're here to establish a democracy" quite like ..

.. jailing reporters ...

[HuffleClaw]

10. makes me wonder

what it is these folks witnessed to make them targets.

[Amonester]

11. "tens of millions of dollars worth of Iraqi funds held by the...

Americans and British have been misused or misappropriated."

Or something like that(?).

US troops seize award-winning Iraqi journalist
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1682207,00.html
Monday January 9, 2006
The Guardian

American troops in Baghdad yesterday blasted their way into the home of an Iraqi journalist working for the Guardian and Channel 4, firing bullets into the bedroom where he was sleeping with his wife and children.

Ali Fadhil, who two months ago won the Foreign Press Association young journalist of the year award, was hooded and taken for questioning. He was released hours later.

Dr Fadhil is working with Guardian Films on an investigation for Channel 4's Dispatches programme into claims that tens of millions of dollars worth of Iraqi funds held by the Americans and British have been misused or misappropriated.

The troops told Dr Fadhil that they were looking for an Iraqi insurgent and seized video tapes he had shot for the programme. These have not yet been returned.

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1682207,00.html

"FREEdom is on the march." (Guess we must believe them US-SR on parole.)