9 April 2003

Alert

IFJ calls for military withdrawal as journalists trapped in Baghdad siege


Incident details

journalist(s)

threatened

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

IFJ Calls for Military to Withdraw Over Arab Journalists Trapped in Baghdad Siege

The International Federation of Journalists today called on the Iraqi and American forces to pull back from a confrontation in Baghdad where 27 journalists working in the Baghdad bureau of Abu Dhabi TV have been caught in the crossfire.


The journalists and technicians of Abu Dhabi TV and al-Jazeera spent the night in the Abu Dhabi building, and were still trapped on Wednesday. The IFJ has appealed to the American command in Qatar who have passed the appeal on to operational units, but the situation is made worse because of fears the journalists are being used as a shield by regular Iraqi troops behind the building.

"It is urgent that the military pull back so that the media staff and other civilians can withdraw," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "The Iraqi forces must not use journalists and media staff as a shield. That is completely unacceptable and a violation of international law."

The IFJ says that in the current dangerous conditions everything must be done to protect all civilians, particularly journalists. "Many media organisations have pulled their people out because of recent events and the situation is by no means clear," said White. "We fear for the safety of our colleagues who are under siege. They must be protected and evacuated to a safe location."

Journalists have appealed for rescue to non-governmental organizations, including the International Red Cross. However, the Red Cross pulled out of Baghdad today, saying that the situation was too dangerous.

The Abu Dhabi building is the site of one of three deaths among media workers on Tuesday. Tareq Ayoub, a journalist with al-Jazeera, died when a bomb hit the building. It is situated by the river Tigris, close to the Palestine Hotel, where fire from a US tank killed Taras Protsyuk, a Ukrainian cameraman working for Reuters, and Spanish Telecinco cameraman José Couso.

The IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries.




Source:

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At a glance

Iraq
Iraq
 
Key reports and information
  • Iraq’s Information Crimes Law

    Badly Written Provisions and Draconian Punishments Violate Due Process and Free Speech

    Human Rights Watch 12 July 2012

  • World Report 2012: Iraq

    "In April Iraq’s parliament approved a Journalists’ Protection Law, intended to protect media workers and compensate them for injuries sustained while working"

    Human Rights Watch 22 February 2012

  • Attacks on the Press in 2011: Iraq

    Iraq's impunity rate, "three times worse than any other nation"

    Committee to Protect Journalists 22 February 2012

  • Press Freedom Index 2011-2012: Iraq

    Iraq fell 22 places, from 130th to 152nd in annual press freedom index

    Reporters Without Borders 25 January 2012

 
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