Reuters cameraman ordered held in Abu Ghraib

[sabra]

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=1083002&tw=wn_wire_story

Reuters cameraman ordered held in Abu Ghraib

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - 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.

Ali Omar Abrahem al-Mashhadani was arrested by U.S. forces on August 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.

"The CRRB has determined that Mr. Mashhadani remains a threat to the people of Iraq and they recommended continued internment," Lieutenant Colonel Guy Rudisill said, referring to a hearing of the Iraqi-U.S. Combined Review and Release Board held at a secret location in Baghdad on Monday.

[MetaTrope]

1. There you go, journalists are now officially terrorist threats

American democracy in action.

[Jack Rabbit]

12. Correction

American democracy Neoconservative imperialism in action.

[demnan]

2. He's photographed the truth

and that's an offense in the new "Democracy" of Iraq.

[rodeodance]

3. umm. Gen Myers is arguing the same--to keep the 80 photos from

being released her in the states.


"The CRRB has determined that Mr. Mashhadani remains a threat to the people of Iraq and they recommended continued internment," Lieutenant Colonel Guy Rudisill said, referring to a hearing of the Iraqi-U.S. Combined Review and Release Board held at a secret location in Baghdad on Monday.

[saigon68]

18. Myers is a Thug and a War Criminal

Responsible for the deaths of numerous women and children.

[Roland99]

5. Wonder what he captured on film?

[mike_c]

4. kicking and recommending....

The U.S. war on truth.

[mopinko]

6. how many journalists have we killed and imprisoned?

and tried to kill? i saw a stat here the other day about the number, but i forget. my son wants names. he has been trying to educate his complacent gamer Friends.

[UpInArms]

7. PENTAGON THREATENS TO KILL INDEPENDENT REPORTERS IN IRAQ

http://www.gulufuture.com/news/kate_adie030310.htm

10th March, 2003
by Fintan Dunne, Editor
http://www.GuluFuture.com

The Pentagon has threatened to fire on the satellite uplink positions of independent journalists in Iraq, according to veteran BBC war correspondent, Kate Adie. In an interview with Irish radio, Ms. Adie said that questioned about the consequences of such potentially fatal actions, a senior Pentagon officer had said: "Who cares.. ..They've been warned."

According to Ms. Adie, who twelve years ago covered the last Gulf War, the Pentagon attitude is: "entirely hostile to the the free spread of information."

"I am enormously pessimistic of the chance of decent on-the-spot reporting, as the war occurs," she told Irish national broadcaster, Tom McGurk on the RTE1 Radio "Sunday Show."


Ms. Adie made the startling revelations during a discussion of media freedom issues in the likely upcoming war in Iraq. She also warned that the Pentagon is vetting journalists according to their stance on the war, and intends to take control of US journalists' satellite equipment --in order to control access to the airwaves.

Another guest on the show, war author Phillip Knightley, reported that the Pentagon has also threatened they: "may find it necessary to bomb areas in which war correspondents are attempting to report from the Iraqi side."

...more...

Truth will not be tolerated by this maladministration.

[Eloriel]

13. THANK YOU. That's a link I'd lost along the way. It's important, too.

:kick:

[UpInArms]

16. anytime, Eloriel

I just think that it is important to remember that even before the War for Oil began, this administration was determined to kill anyone who dared tell the truth without the gubmint minders permission.

[3waygeek]

22. Not an idle threat...

more reporters have died in Iraq than in the entire Vietnam quagmire.

[NNN0LHI]

8. The US military is sending a message here

Report what we tell you to report or off to Abu Ghraib you go.

Let Freedom Reign!

Don

[Barrett808]

9. Reuters soundman killed in Baghdad, police blame US

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1732972&mesg_id=1732972

[me b zola]

26. Could the cameraman from the OP be the same as the cameraman in your post?

:shrug:

[truth2power]

10. The only threat to the people of Iraq

is that sick, psychotic POS, GWB. :puke:

[Stevious]

11. what the...

:wtf:

[txaslftist]

14. He must have photos of US Soldiers doing nasty things...

..like happens in any war. Especially a war where you don't know who the enemy is.

I read an essay by a Vietnam vet who said essentially the same thing, that when the enemy doesn't wear a uniform, everyone is your enemy. If you want to live you kill first, ask questions later.

I talked to a WWII vet a few years back who landed at D-Day and went all the way to Berlin. When unit casualties were something like 200%, he said he survived because "If it moved, I shot it. The ones of us who made it shot everything."

[Amonester]

19. Yeah, but the difference was (imho)...

that the creeps they were shooting at mostly wore nazi uniforms... and these fascists probably murdered many innocent civilians before, because most of their enemies (the resistance) didn't wear any uniform then...



OP: So that's the "freedom on the march" the Chimperor was lying about, hey?

:mad:

[me b zola]

25. That is exactly why war should always be the absolute last option

But this doesn't get through the thick skulls of the armchair chickenhawks who are always beating the war drums.

Who was it who said that war, itself, is a crime?

This is why it is an impeachable offense for a US president to lie to the country about why we are going to war, no less manufacture the evidence as his "rational".


I don't recall stories from any other war in our history of the government targeting or threatening journalists. This is specific, IMO, to bush*inc.

[progressivebydesign]

15. This is unbelievably frightening. What is Reuters doing about this? n/t

[ohgorsh]

24. Rueters was on democracy now

Was interview about it on democracy now about how they should have a full investigation about the reporter and his rights

[Frederik]

17. The War on Journalism rages on

Now we'll see what Reuters are made of. IF they accept this without raising serious hell about it, then they are in cahoots with the fascists. If that turns out to be the case, their reporting can never be trusted again and they should be considered "not a credible source" (DU threads linking to Reuters should be locked).

The saddest part is, if he hadn't worked for Reuters, we would never have heard about it.

I would like to see the pictures that got him imprisoned, by the way.

Anybody want to tell me the Sgrena hit was an "accident"?

Get used to the ring of this: "ordered by a secret tribunal to be held without charge".

[liveoaktx]

20. Held without charge-Democracy in Iraq?

[paineinthearse]

Reuters cameraman ordered held in Abu Ghraib

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-08-31T105535Z_01_DIT139342_RTRIDST_0_INTERNATIONAL-IRAQ-REUTERS-DC.XML

Reuters cameraman ordered held in Abu Ghraib
Wed Aug 31, 2005 6:56 AM ET

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - 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. Ali Omar Abrahem al-Mashhadani was arrested by U.S. forces on August 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.

"The CRRB has determined that Mr. Mashhadani remains a threat to the people of Iraq and they recommended continued internment," Lieutenant Colonel Guy Rudisill said, referring to a hearing of the Iraqi-U.S. Combined Review and Release Board held at a secret location in Baghdad on Monday.

He said Mashhadani would be entitled to a review of his case within 180 days and would be held at Abu Ghraib. Rudisill said he would not be allowed to see an attorney, his family or anyone else for the first 60 days of his detention, which began in Abu Ghraib last week.

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."

more......

[Richard Steele]

21. We just keep winning hearts and minds, don't we?

So, the PICTURES he took are a "threat to the people of Iraq"?

TRANSLATION: The TRUTH is a threat to our propaganda.

[struggle4progress]

23. kick

[Judi Lynn]

27. US to hold Reuters cameraman for six months

US to hold Reuters cameraman for six months

Claire Cozens, press and publishing correspondent
Wednesday August 31, 2005


A Reuters cameraman being held without charge in Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib prison is to be detained for a further six months while the US military reviews his case.

Ali Omar Abrahem al-Mashhadani has been in custody since he was arrested by US forces on August 8, and a military tribunal held in secret this week ruled that he should be held for another six months.

Another Reuters cameraman, Haider Kadhem, who was wounded in a shooting incident at the weekend, is also being held by the US military.

The military is refusing to disclose why it is holding Kadhem, who was arrested on Sunday following a shooting incident that killed his colleague, soundman Waleed Khaled.
(snip/...)

http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1559946,00.html

[Rex]

28. Star chamber

Secret tribunals, yeah that was probably real fair. His "trial" probably lasted 5 seconds.

[HuffleClaw]

29. suuuuuuuuuure

ok, the only thing i can see here is that they are HIDING something. i bet its something real ugly too. its funny too, considering the fuss they are making about a new york times guy being held in CHINA 'without trial'.