U.S. Military Releases Freelance Cameraman

[cal04]

The last of three Reuters journalists detained by the U.S. military in Iraq was freed after nearly eight months without being charged, the military confirmed Sunday. Samir Mohammed Noor, a 30-year-old freelance television cameraman for Reuters, was held at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq since being arrested at home in the northern city of Tal Afar in June, a company spokeswoman said.

When contacted by The Associated Press, U.S. military spokesman Greg Frazho said, ''At this time, we don't have anything further to say about the release of Mr. Noor.'' Reuters said two more of its journalists, cameraman Ali al-Mashhadani and reporter Majed Hameed, who also works for Al-Arabiya television, were freed Jan. 15.

''We are glad that all journalists working for Reuters in Iraq are now free,'' Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger said in a statement. ''We are concerned, however, that it has taken so long, nearly eight months in the case of Samir, to secure their release, despite a lack of credible evidence against them.'' The spokeswoman said Reuters was trying to learn more about the circumstances of the arrests and the conditions in which the three journalists were held.

''Nothing we have heard so far from either the U.S. military or our colleagues indicates that suspicions were raised against them for any other reason than their courageous and honest pursuit of professional journalism,'' Schlesinger said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Britain-Iraq-Reuters.html

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. reason ?? - "courageous and honest pursuit of professional journalism"

.
.
.

DOH!

and cal -

It'd be sorta nice to put "snips" to indiate you skipped paragraghs to let viewers know there's more inbetween?

For the benefit of others - from the posted link - before the last paragraph in the original post

"'We are concerned, however, that it has taken so long, nearly eight months in the case of Samir, to secure their release, despite a lack of credible evidence against them.''

The spokeswoman said Reuters was trying to learn more about the circumstances of the arrests and the conditions in which the three journalists were held."

I'm just a picky Canuk on this sorta stuff

:dunce:

[cal04]

2. concerned

when I posted it was word for word. Sorry if it isn't now.
I just put two paragraphs of theirs into one, in my post


'We are glad that all journalists working for Reuters in Iraq are now free,'' Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger said in a statement. ''We are concerned, however, that it has taken so long, nearly eight months in the case of Samir, to secure their release, despite a lack of credible evidence against them.'' The spokeswoman said Reuters was trying to learn more about the circumstances of the arrests and the conditions in which the three journalists were held.

[uppityperson]

3. I'm glad they were released but why the hell were they held 8 months?

[HuffleClaw]

4. so that whatever they'd uncovered would be OLD NEWS

when they finally were able to report it.

[wellst0nev0ter]

6. Legalized Kidnappings

They don't even have the decency to lay out demands.

[bluerum]

5. We are jailing people without cause over there, so we won't have to

do it over here, yet.

This is the updated newer version of the gestapo playbook.