Reuters News Agency has submitted a letter to Senator John Warner (R-VA), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, requesting that Secretary Donald Rumsfeld address the deaths and arrests of journalists at the hands of US troops in Iraq when he appears before the committee this Thursday.
In the letter to Warner, Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger cites “a long parade of disturbing incidents whereby professional journalists have been killed, wrongfully detained, and/or illegally abused by U.S. forces in Iraq.”
U.S. forces acknowledge killing three Reuters journalists, most recently soundman Waleed Khaled who was shot by American soldiers on August 28 while on assignment in Baghdad. But the military say the soldiers were justified in opening fire.
Reuters believes a fourth journalist working for the agency, who died in Ramadi last year, was killed by a U.S. sniper.
Reporters Without Borders has the count at 72 journalists and media assistants.
Schlesinger is concerned that this atmosphere in Iraq is impeding journalists from properly covering the war and that this “creates a serious chilling effect on the media overall”. He also blasted the US military for refusing to conduct independent investigations.
Detentions of journalists are escalating with some spending time “long periods” in prison at Abu Ghraib or Camp Bucca without charge.
A cameraman working for the U.S. network CBS has been detained since April despite an Iraqi court saying his case does not justify prosecution. Iraq’s justice minister has criticized the system of military detentions without charge.
On behalf of journalists, media organizations have attempted to work on the situation with the Pentagon but the efforts have failed, says Schlesinger.
It remains to be seen if Senator Warner forwards these concerns to the Senate Armed Services Committee and, more specifically, to Donald Rumsfeld – whose scorn for the press knows no bounds.
UPDATE:
Rumsfeld to address reporters’ safety in Iraq
Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner, chairman of the Senate armed services committee, raised the issue at a hearing with Rumsfeld and top U.S. generals after receiving letters from Reuters and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and a telephone call from Paul Steiger, CPJ chairman and managing editor of The Wall Street Journal.
“I raised the question of the safety of the press in Iraq and their ability to carry out the very important function of reporting to the American people,” Warner told reporters after the hearing.
“I’ve discussed it with the secretary. He’s going to take it under immediate consideration,” he said.
Donald Rumsfeld – whose scorn for the press knows no bounds.
His scorn for congress is rather impressive, too, and it seems to be mutual. I hope Warner does something, but I won’t hold my breath.
I remember an incident from earlier in the year when Warner was angry with Rumsfeld for ignoring a private request he’d sent asking for information. I don’t remember the nature of the info but Warner was not happy about Rumsfelds casual dismissal of his request.
I hope Warner remembers this and at least directs some pointed public questions regarding this issue at Field Marshall von Rumsfeld
Warner is a senior senator, an old-school conservative, and I believe he’s prior military. I’m quite sure he hates Rummy. Rummy is popular neither with the Senate, nor the military. But, he’s done an incredible job of insulating himself from consequences and dissent. Whenever Rummy gets dragged to Capital Hill, it’s very charged. But, he still has his job and he’s still been able to execute his agenda. Warner is held in check by the same thing that holds any reasonably ethical Republican in check — party loyalty. If he really goes after this, he’s crossing party lines and he has to be prepared for the larger implications of that. I think a lot of Republicans are uneasy, some horrified, but to go after Rumsfeld is to declare war on the White House. I doubt he’s ready to do that.
I don’t think current repub office holders can claim any ethics if they put party loyalty first. I think once the plug is pulled – and Abramoff may be that plug then after Delay all sorts of folks will be sucked down the drain. And good riddance to all of them, even the dems that have been ensnared.
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Recall during hearing where Rummy tries to avoid answering himself on direct questions from committee members. Became so obvious he didn’t want to perjure himself by giving the usual lies and deceit. I believe it was in particular, during questioning by John McCane, where John Warner as chairman called Rummy to order.
The topic was on the civilian orders, letters, emails on permission to torture in varying degree at Guatanamo Bay and in overseas detention centers Abu Ghraib, Bagram, etc. Rummy deflected answering by given the question to one of his multiple stars officers, or DoD civilians like Feith, red headed in manouvring to provide bits of info. This was very unsatisfactory, not only to the viewer watching, but especially the committee members.
Rumsfeld to face grilling by congressional panels
Fri May 7, 2004
▼ ▼ ▼ MY NEW DIARY
His scorn and contempt for humanity trumps all.
Yeah, well don’t hold your breath. It will be interesting to see how this bit of news is ignored. When oh when will the MSM wake the f up?
I don’t know what else to call it. Step out of line and we’ll kill you, and the whole time they worship the fuckers who would kill them without conscience or recourse!
Perhaps CNN’s Lou Dobbs could report on the death and detainment of his colleagues before his nightly “free Judy Miller” bit.
He’ll do a 16 part series on it.
or at least that’s what Rummy tells us. Just doesn’t happen to be these borders.
and just a tad too much truth there.
so true, so true
This news thrills me more than Delay’s or Frist’s troubles. Finally the word ‘murder’ will enter the conversation. We finally come to a crime they can’t say everybody’s doing.
Now – what about Dick?