(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Quebec Justice Minister Paul Bégin, RSF protested the detention of Charles East, photographer for the Sipa agency, arrested while covering the Summit of the Americas. RSF asked that the charges against him be withdrawn. “It is shocking that, in spite of the intervention of his agency, press freedom associations […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Quebec Justice Minister Paul Bégin, RSF protested the detention of Charles East, photographer for the Sipa agency, arrested while covering the Summit of the Americas. RSF asked that the charges against him be withdrawn. “It is shocking that, in spite of the intervention of his agency, press freedom associations and American consular authorities, Quebec authorities were able to detain the photographer for three days and continue to consider him a hooligan,” said RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard.
According to information collected by RSF, East, an American photographer for the Sipa agency who was sent to Quebec City for “Time” magazine, was arrested on 20 April 2001. Policemen reportedly mistook him for a demonstrator who had thrown stones at a policeman. In an Associated Press agency video, the photographer and the demonstrator both appeared to be wearing a helmet and a jacket of the same colour, and a gas mask. In spite of the intervention of his agency, the Professional Federation of Quebec Journalists (FPJQ), and United States consular authorities, East was only released on 23 April in the evening, after three days of detention. He had accreditation to cover the summit and an inscription on his helmet indicating that he worked for the press. Freed on bail, he is still being prosecuted on four counts: conspiracy to hide his identity by wearing a gas mask, conspiracy to participate in a riot, contempt for a police officer, at whom he is accused of having thrown stones, and resistance during his arrest. East has worked for the Sipa agency for several years, notably in the Middle East.
On 21 April, Louise Bilodeau, photographer for the Stock and Clix agencies and for the magazine “L’Actualité”, was also arrested while covering riots between policemen and demonstrators. The photographer was released later that same evening.
