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Marking Anniversary of Palestine Hotel Attack, Media and Human Rights Groups Call on Pentagon to Inv
Marking Anniversary of Palestine Hotel Attack,
Media and Human Rights Groups Call on Pentagon
To Investigate 'Friendly Fire' Deaths of Journalists
Joint News Release from:
The Newspaper Guild-CWA
International Federation of Journalists
Amnesty International, USA
6,000-Signature Petition Urges New Steps to Protect Media Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Marking tomorrow's anniversary of the U.S. shelling of Baghdad's Palestine Hotel in which two journalists were killed, leading groups representing media workers and human rights advocates called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to release information on the hotel attack and conduct an independent investigation of other "friendly fire" incidents in Iraq involving journalists.
Rumsfeld also was urged to develop protocols to reduce the likelihood of similar tragedies and to increase the safety of war correspondents in a letter from officials of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, the International Federation of Journalists, and Amnesty International USA. Leaders of the groups also requested a meeting with Rumsfeld to discuss their concerns.
Included with the letter was a petition signed by more than 6,000 journalists and supporters stating, "These actions are necessary to provide closure for the families and colleagues of those who died trying to tell the story in Iraq and to minimize the risk to media workers in the future."
Officials from the three organizations noted that nine journalists "perished in at least five separate incidents of so-called 'friendly fire' by U.S. troops in Iraq since hostilities began in March 2003." In each case, the Pentagon has kept classified the results of its own investigation and details of the incidents have been withheld from the families of the dead journalists as well as the public.
The April 8, 2003 tank attack on the Palestine Hotel, which was headquarters to 150 media staff, killed Taras Protsyuk of Reuters and Jose Couso, a camera operator for Spanish network Telecinco. It occurred the day before the fall of Baghdad.
Other incidents include:
* Firing by U.S. troops on an ITN camera crew near Basra, in which reporter Terry Lloyd was killed. His colleagues Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman are still missing and presumed dead.
* A U.S. airborne missile attack on the Baghdad office of Al-Jazeera television in which reporter Tareq Ayoub was killed.
* The shooting by U.S. troops in broad daylight of Reuters camera operator Mazen Dana, who was reporting from a prison in Baghdad weeks after the war was officially over.
* The killing last month by U.S. troops of Al-Arabya media staffers Ali Abdel Aziz and Ali al-Khatib.
Altogether, 38 journalists have died from various causes while covering the Iraq war and its aftermath.
The letter to Rumsfeld was signed by TNG-CWA President Linda Foley, IFJ General Secretary Aiden White, and Amnesty International USA Director of Government Relations Alexandra Arriaga.
The IFJ also announced that its affiliated media organizations are organizing worldwide protests April 8 to urge the U.S. government to investigate these incidents and release the facts surrounding them. Aiden White will deliver a separate IFJ petition to the U.S. ambassador in Brussels. Other major demonstrations will take place in London and Madrid.
# # #
Contact: TNG-CWA -- Linda Foley, 202-434-1261
IFJ – Robert Shaw, 011-32-2-235 2200
Amnesty International USA –
Alistair Hodgett, 202-544-0200
Media and Human Rights Groups Call on Pentagon
To Investigate 'Friendly Fire' Deaths of Journalists
Joint News Release from:
The Newspaper Guild-CWA
International Federation of Journalists
Amnesty International, USA
6,000-Signature Petition Urges New Steps to Protect Media Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Marking tomorrow's anniversary of the U.S. shelling of Baghdad's Palestine Hotel in which two journalists were killed, leading groups representing media workers and human rights advocates called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to release information on the hotel attack and conduct an independent investigation of other "friendly fire" incidents in Iraq involving journalists.
Rumsfeld also was urged to develop protocols to reduce the likelihood of similar tragedies and to increase the safety of war correspondents in a letter from officials of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, the International Federation of Journalists, and Amnesty International USA. Leaders of the groups also requested a meeting with Rumsfeld to discuss their concerns.
Included with the letter was a petition signed by more than 6,000 journalists and supporters stating, "These actions are necessary to provide closure for the families and colleagues of those who died trying to tell the story in Iraq and to minimize the risk to media workers in the future."
Officials from the three organizations noted that nine journalists "perished in at least five separate incidents of so-called 'friendly fire' by U.S. troops in Iraq since hostilities began in March 2003." In each case, the Pentagon has kept classified the results of its own investigation and details of the incidents have been withheld from the families of the dead journalists as well as the public.
The April 8, 2003 tank attack on the Palestine Hotel, which was headquarters to 150 media staff, killed Taras Protsyuk of Reuters and Jose Couso, a camera operator for Spanish network Telecinco. It occurred the day before the fall of Baghdad.
Other incidents include:
* Firing by U.S. troops on an ITN camera crew near Basra, in which reporter Terry Lloyd was killed. His colleagues Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman are still missing and presumed dead.
* A U.S. airborne missile attack on the Baghdad office of Al-Jazeera television in which reporter Tareq Ayoub was killed.
* The shooting by U.S. troops in broad daylight of Reuters camera operator Mazen Dana, who was reporting from a prison in Baghdad weeks after the war was officially over.
* The killing last month by U.S. troops of Al-Arabya media staffers Ali Abdel Aziz and Ali al-Khatib.
Altogether, 38 journalists have died from various causes while covering the Iraq war and its aftermath.
The letter to Rumsfeld was signed by TNG-CWA President Linda Foley, IFJ General Secretary Aiden White, and Amnesty International USA Director of Government Relations Alexandra Arriaga.
The IFJ also announced that its affiliated media organizations are organizing worldwide protests April 8 to urge the U.S. government to investigate these incidents and release the facts surrounding them. Aiden White will deliver a separate IFJ petition to the U.S. ambassador in Brussels. Other major demonstrations will take place in London and Madrid.
# # #
Contact: TNG-CWA -- Linda Foley, 202-434-1261
IFJ – Robert Shaw, 011-32-2-235 2200
Amnesty International USA –
Alistair Hodgett, 202-544-0200