(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has expressed serious concern over the disappearance of Florence Aubenas, a reporter with the French daily “Libération”, and her interpreter, Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi. They have not been heard from since they left their Baghdad hotel on the morning of 5 January 2005. “We are terribly worried. The situation in Iraq is such […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has expressed serious concern over the disappearance of Florence Aubenas, a reporter with the French daily “Libération”, and her interpreter, Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi. They have not been heard from since they left their Baghdad hotel on the morning of 5 January 2005.
“We are terribly worried. The situation in Iraq is such that nothing can be ruled out. We must wait longer before saying anything more about the plight of Florence Aubenas and her assistant, but there should be an immediate response. Even if there are no grounds for talking about a kidnapping, we should not forget that for Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, the international campaign did pay off,” RSF said.
Aubenas, 43, a veteran reporter with “Libération”, and her interpreter Al-Saadi have not been seen since they left Baghdad’s Mansur Hotel on the morning of 5 January. “Libération” editor Serge July said the special correspondent was working on “two topics: women candidates in the elections and the Falluja survivors.”
Aubenas arrived in Baghdad on 16 December 2004. Since 1986, she has covered conflicts for “Libération” in Rwanda, Kosovo, Algeria and Afghanistan. “She is a very experienced journalist,” July stressed.
Her disappearance comes just over two weeks after the release of French journalists Chesnot and Malbrunot, who were held hostage for more than four months by a group known as the Islamic Army in Iraq (see IFEX alerts of 22 December, 16 November, 21 September, 31, 30, 27, 24 and 23 August 2004).
“Iraq remains the world’s most dangerous country for journalists. At least 31 have been killed and 11 abducted since the start of the conflict in March 2003. “Nonetheless, it is essential that foreign media continue to cover the situation in the country,” RSF said.
