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U.S. Must Respect Freedom Of The Press Abroad
Our Opinion
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: Commentary
On Sunday, after two years in prison - including a six-month trial - the U.S. military agreed to release Pulitzer Prize-winning AP photographer Bilal Hussein. That's a step forward for the American military, which often holds Iraqi journalists for several days without charge, and has been holding another journalist - Sami al-Hajj - for several years. In fact, the war on freedom of the press in Iraq has been ramped up so much that thousands of journalists have been arrested by American forces since the beginning of the war, just for doing their job.
In Hussein's case, he was driving near Ramadi, Iraq, in December 2004 with two other AP journalists on an assignment. As they traveled down the highway, they were stopped at gunpoint by a group of masked insurgents. The insurgents demanded that Hussein take pictures of an Italian captive they had just executed. Hussein - threatened with the same execution - obliged. The journalists were then returned to their vehicle and left to go on their way.
Following this incident, allegations of Hussein's connections to terrorist groups began to surface. Many alleged that his Pulitzer Prize-winning photos displayed a lack of concern for his own safety that could only be possible if he was working with the terrorists. So, on April 12, 2006, the U.S. military took him into custody.
Hussein's pending release is a victory for Iraqi sovereignty. After holding Hussein for a year and a half in a military prison, the U.S. government filed charges against him in Iraqi court. That same court exonerated him and ordered his release under the new Iraqi amnesty law.
Unfortunately, Hussein is just one high-profile journalist who was arrested. Another well-known journalist detainee is Sami al-Hajj. He has been held in Guantanamo Bay for over six years without being charged. Al-Hajj was arrested by American forces while traveling with an al-Jazeera camera crew through Pakistan in 2001. Since then, he has been in American custody without access to a lawyer.
It is disturbing that the United States would engage in such Orwellian practices that are so contrary to its own stated goals of freedom and democracy. Hussein's release was a step in the right direction. Now, it is time for the U.S. military to follow through and release all of the journalists that it is currently holding without charges. If someone is suspected of aiding terrorists, they should be charged with such and taken through the proper legal channels, but the holding of people - journalists especially - without charges has to stop.
In Hussein's case, he was driving near Ramadi, Iraq, in December 2004 with two other AP journalists on an assignment. As they traveled down the highway, they were stopped at gunpoint by a group of masked insurgents. The insurgents demanded that Hussein take pictures of an Italian captive they had just executed. Hussein - threatened with the same execution - obliged. The journalists were then returned to their vehicle and left to go on their way.
Following this incident, allegations of Hussein's connections to terrorist groups began to surface. Many alleged that his Pulitzer Prize-winning photos displayed a lack of concern for his own safety that could only be possible if he was working with the terrorists. So, on April 12, 2006, the U.S. military took him into custody.
Hussein's pending release is a victory for Iraqi sovereignty. After holding Hussein for a year and a half in a military prison, the U.S. government filed charges against him in Iraqi court. That same court exonerated him and ordered his release under the new Iraqi amnesty law.
Unfortunately, Hussein is just one high-profile journalist who was arrested. Another well-known journalist detainee is Sami al-Hajj. He has been held in Guantanamo Bay for over six years without being charged. Al-Hajj was arrested by American forces while traveling with an al-Jazeera camera crew through Pakistan in 2001. Since then, he has been in American custody without access to a lawyer.
It is disturbing that the United States would engage in such Orwellian practices that are so contrary to its own stated goals of freedom and democracy. Hussein's release was a step in the right direction. Now, it is time for the U.S. military to follow through and release all of the journalists that it is currently holding without charges. If someone is suspected of aiding terrorists, they should be charged with such and taken through the proper legal channels, but the holding of people - journalists especially - without charges has to stop.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
IC
posted 4/17/08 @ 10:31 AM EST
Hmmm...just wondering...did we file charges against Japanese prisoners-of-war and then grant them trials in civilian courts?? Also, I would just like to apprise the writers of this missive that the U. (Continued…)
Kim O'Brien
posted 4/17/08 @ 1:31 PM EST
Its only a matter of time before these torture techniques and violations of jounalist rights are extened to US citizen journalists. The Empire's world policeman will find themselves facing additonal wars and revolutions in the time ahead. (Continued…)
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