BAGHDAD, Sept. 4, 2008
Military Arrests Iraqi Cameraman, Family
Journalist For Baghdad TV Taken Into Custody Two Days After Reuters Photographer Detained
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Awakening council members stand guard during a demonstration supporting them in the Azamiyah area of Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2008. About 100 Iraqis in a staunchly Sunni Arab neighborhood protested what they called abusive tactics by the Iraqi government against members of U.S.-backed groups that have joined the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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The arrest comes two days after American and Iraqi forces detained a freelance photographer for the Reuters news agency south of Baghdad.
The cameraman, Omar Husham, 28, was arrested at his house in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, said the television official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security reasons. His father and two brothers were also detained, the official said.
The U.S. military said it was looking into the report and did not have immediate comment.
The official said Husham had been working for Baghdad TV for two years and covered many political events.
Baghdad TV is owned by the Iraqi Islamic Party, the major Sunni political group and a member of the Shiite-led Iraqi government.
"Husham is a respected cameraman who has traveled abroad with government officials," the official told The Associated Press. "We demand that concerned officials intervene and for the Americans to release him immediately."
Azamiyah had been a center for Sunni insurgent operations until the U.S. military walled off the center of the district and organized a group of local Sunni fighters who had turned against the insurgents.
Even with the neighborhood's concrete walls, a suicide bomber last month killed Farooq al-Obeidi, the deputy head of the U.S.-allied Sunni fighters in Azamiyah. Nine other people were killed.
Since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, the U.S. military has detained a number of Iraqi journalists working for international news organizations, including The Associated Press. None has been convicted in an Iraqi court.
On Tuesday, U.S. and Iraqi forces arrested Reuters freelance photographer Ibrahim Jassam during a raid on his home in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, the London-based news agency said. Reuters has demanded that the U.S. either charge or release him.
The U.S. military said Jassam was detained because he was "assessed to be a threat" to Iraq and coalition forces but did not give more details.
In April, the U.S. military freed Bilal Hussein, an AP photographer who was among the recipients of a 2005 Pulitzer Prize for spot news photography from Iraq. He had been held for just over two years.
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- The U.S. military said Jassam was detained because he was "assessed to be a threat" to Iraq and coalition forces but did not give more details."
Yeah, we know what this means. The truth was almost exposed on something. - Reply to this comment
- I hope his family members are waterboarded if he doesnt cooperate with out troops.
Posted by gophockeymom at 09:02 AM : Sep 04, 2008
This is a prime example of neo con hate filled with despare. The American people see through this hate and fear that you instill did you read the artical.
He is a respected "The official said Husham had been working for Baghdad TV for two years and covered many political events".
Stop the neo con hate they are so mad they lost in 2006 they are attempting to bring down as many as they can with them. - Reply to this comment
- No surprise at all.These days most jounos have turned themselves into plain politicians that propagate and advance their political agenda thro the media outlets.
- Reply to this comment
- I hope his family members are waterboarded if he doesnt cooperate with out troops.
Posted by gophockeymom at 09:02 AM : Sep 04, 2008
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GOP_forever has a new identity! Still the same hate. - Reply to this comment
- I agree with the decision to arrest and detain the journalists and cameramen, who don''t follow operation security guidelines while an active armed conflict is in progress.
The Iraqi''s have the most to gain by the arrest. The Iranians have the most to lose.
Sooner or later, the Iraqis need to understand that their own "sacred cows" are killing their own efforts to attain a secure country. - Reply to this comment
- What part of "The Surge Is Working" does a
completely blast-wall surrounded city fit into.?
I understand The American military has
inspired people in the profession to come up
with a word thats more
derogatorially-definitive than the word
"disgusting".
Iraq is the Black Hole of News
The hammer''s down.!!
No way they''ll allow panoramic photos
of a market place with Iraqi cars entering
and existing through numerous check points
and the whole of the market place existing
within a blast-wall fish bowl.
It is OBVIOUS that there are no American
news people or cameramen over there.
And if there are, where are their photos?
If it''s as pacified as reported why aren''t
there photos of ANY kind from ANY countries'' photographers that show more than a close-
angle shot of a few people with a back drop
of a building or two.?
And we let them get away with this. - Reply to this comment
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