Two foreign reporters detained by Libyan gov't

Updated 10:51 a.m. ET

SAO PAULO - A correspondent for British newspaper the Guardian and a Brazilian journalist traveling with him been detained by government authorities in western Libya, the press freedom group Reporters Without Borders said Thursday.

Guardian correspondent Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, an Iraqi, was last in touch through a third party Sunday, when he was on the outskirts of Zawiya, a city west of Libya's capital that has seen battles in recent days, Middle East Editor Ian Black said.

Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported that it lost direct contact a week ago with its correspondent, Andrei Netto, who was covering the unrest in Libya.

A Libyan guide was traveling with the pair. It was not immediately clear whether the guide was also detained or where the men were being held.

The men were detained by pro-Qaddafi forces while covering the clashes in the Zawiya area and are still being held, Reporters Without Borders said in a written statement condemning the arrests.

"Journalists should not under any circumstances be made to pay for the fighting between government forces and rebels," the group said, adding that it condemns the treatment of three BBC journalists who were beaten and subjected to mock executions by Libyan authorities in the same area this week. The BBC employees were later released.

Complete coverage: Anger in the Arab World

A spokesman for Brazil's Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with the Libyan government and was working to obtain more information on Netto's situation. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, provided no other details.

The Guardian also said in a statement that it was in contact with the Libyan government seeking Abdul-Ahad's release and information about his whereabouts.

"We are obviously concerned for his safety and well being and hoping that the authorities in Tripoli will do all they can to locate him and ensure his safety," the Guardian's Middle East Editor Ian Black told The Associated Press.

Abdul-Ahad, a seasoned war correspondent, entered Libya through the Tunisian border two weeks ago, the Guardian said.

O Estado de S. Paulo, one of Brazil's largest newspapers, said earlier that it had been receiving "indirect information" indicating Netto was safe in the region of Zawiya.

But the newspaper said it received on Wednesday information suggesting Netto had been taken prisoner by Libyan government forces, and that a Libyan official said the information was "probably correct."

Netto entered Libya on Feb. 19 from the border with Tunisia and worked his way toward Zawiya, the newspaper said.

Journalists in Libya have been operating under heady reporting restrictions. Embattled leader Muammar Qaddafi has tried to control the flow of information by inviting Western journalists to Tripoli under government escort to see squares filled with pro-Qaddafi loyalists.

But attempting to cover the other side has presented increasingly fraught conditions for reporters. The BBC said three of its staff were detained, beaten and subjected to mock executions by pro-regime soldiers in Libya while attempting to reach Zawiya.

The news organization said the crew, members of a BBC Arabic team, were detained on Monday by Qaddafi loyalists at a checkpoint about 6 miles south of Zawiya.

Chris Cobb-Smith, a British journalist and part of the crew, said the group were moved between several locations, in some cases alongside civilian captives who had visible injuries from heavy beatings.