A cameraman for Reuters in Iraq has been ordered by a secret tribunal to be held without charge in Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison until his case is reviewed within six months, a U.S. military spokesman said on Wednesday.
But another Reuters cameraman was released after being held for three days by U.S. troops following an incident in which his soundman was shot dead, apparently by American soldiers.
Ali Omar Abrahem al-Mashhadani was arrested by U.S. forces on Aug. 8 after a search of his home in the city of Ramadi. The U.S. military has refused Reuters’ requests to disclose why he is being held. He has not been charged.
His brother, who was detained with him and then released, said they were arrested after Marines looked at the images on the journalist’s cameras.
Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger said: “I am shocked and appalled that such a decision could be taken without his having access to legal counsel of his choosing, his family or his employers.“I call on the authorities to release him immediately or publicly air the case against him and give him the opportunity to defend himself.”
It hasn’t changed since VietNam. Military justice is to justice — as military music is to music.
Reuters had also been pressing for the release of cameraman Haider Kadhem, who was detained in Baghdad on Sunday after an incident in which his soundman, Waleed Khaled, was killed as he drove the pair on a news assignment.
Iraqi police said U.S. troops fired on the Reuters team, both Iraqis.
The U.S. military said Kadhem, 24, was questioned about “inconsistencies” in his statements after the incident, before being released on Wednesday. He suffered superficial wounds from flying fragments.
The core of Freedom of the Press is the right to report without fear of reprisals. The press in Iraq was pretty well co-opted at the beginning of the war. They’re losing control, now — and the response is to switch to something a bit more like the Gestapo. Now, how do you think the press is going to respond to that?
