Reuters journalist held without charge by US military

[Judi Lynn]

Reuters journalist held without charge by US military

Report, CPJ, 24 August 2005

NEW YORK -- The Committee to Protect Journalists demands that the U.S. military explain why it is holding a freelance Iraqi photojournalist working for Reuters news agency or release him immediately.

"U.S. officials must credibly explain the basis for the detention of Ali Omar Abrahem al-Mashhadani and other journalists being held without charge, or release them at once," said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper.

Mashhadani, a 36-year-old freelance cameraman and photographer working for Reuters in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, was detained by U.S. troops on August 8, and has been held incommunicado without explanation by U.S. forces since then, according to Reuters.

Mashhadani has worked for Reuters for the past year. He is being held in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, the news agency reported. U.S. officials said he would not be allowed visitors for 60 days.
(snip/...)

http://electroniciraq.net/news/2123.shtml

[still_one]

1. of course, they killed his sound man

and he was a witness

[Spiffarino]

3. It's a different story - the sound man was killed today

Reuters soundman killed in Baghdad, police blame US
By Alastair Macdonald 2 hours, 22 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A Reuters Television soundman was shot dead in Baghdad on Sunday and a cameraman who was wounded was still being questioned by U.S. troops 12 hours later.

Iraqi police said the two, both Iraqis, were shot by U.S. forces. A U.S. military spokesman said the incident was being investigated. The cameraman was being held and questioned because of "inconsistencies in his initial testimony," he added.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050829/ts_nm/iraq_reuters_dc

The guy the OP is talking about was picked up on August 8th in a sweep of a Baghdad neighborhood and has been held incommunicado at Abu Ghraib for the past three weeks. And it's not an unusual thing from what I'm hearing. There are something like 50 journalists currently being held without charge. Extremely troubling.

[Judi Lynn]

2. This is a seperate story from Barrett808's Reuters journalists' story

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1732972

Not good for working journalists in Iraq.