(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called on American forces in Falluja to release Abdel Kader Al-Saadi, a correspondent for Al-Arabiya satellite television, whom they arrested in the city on 11 November 2004. “We call for the immediate release of Abdel Kader Al-Saadi, who has been held for six days,” the organisation said in a 17 November […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called on American forces in Falluja to release Abdel Kader Al-Saadi, a correspondent for Al-Arabiya satellite television, whom they arrested in the city on 11 November 2004.
“We call for the immediate release of Abdel Kader Al-Saadi, who has been held for six days,” the organisation said in a 17 November letter to Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, First Expeditionary Corps marine commander in Falluja. “The American authorities must at least justify the reasons for his prolonged detention,” RSF said.
Al-Saadi, who is originally from Falluja, remained in the city to cover the fighting for his television station and gave himself up to American forces along with numerous civilians living in Falluja.
On 16 November, Al-Arabiya announced that the United States (US) army had arrested its correspondent in Falluja. The US forces confirmed they were holding him and told the station he would be released “as quickly as possible.”
“[I am] very worried for the safety of Al-Saadi. We are impatiently waiting for the American forces to release him, all the more so since we have already suffered heavy losses in Iraq. Eight of our employees have died since March 2003, three of them journalists killed by the American army,” Al-Arabiya editor-in-chief Nabil Khatib told RSF.
According to Al-Arabiya, their correspondent was arrested on 11 November “with a large number of other citizens” who obeyed military orders to civilians to gather in Falluja’s mosques. Al-Saadi was carrying identification papers indicating he is a journalist.
Al-Saadi covered the fighting between Islamist insurgents and US and Iraqi forces until 11 November, when Al-Arabiya lost contact with him.
On 18 March, Al-Arabiya reporter Ali Al-Khatib and cameraman Ali Abdel Aziz were killed by US fire at a checkpoint as they covered the aftermath of a rocket attack on a Baghdad hotel (see IFEX alerts of 7 April and 19 March 2004). On 29 March, the American army accepted responsibility for their deaths, saying the shooting was “accidental.” Al-Arabiya journalist Mazen Al-Tomaizi was killed by missiles fired from an American helicopter while providing live coverage of an attack on a Bradley tank in Baghdad streets (see alert of 13 September 2004).
