Monday, May 23, 2011

Libya: List of Journalist, Killed, Missing, or released



Censorship Background:

23 May, 2011 Italy-The Libyan Authority for External Communications, a government body responsible for regulating the work of international media, said that Libya is not responsible for the safety of foreign journalists who enter the country without following procedures that include government permission and supervision. "[Libya] does not bear any legal or ethical responsibility for any harm that might befall media. Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khalid Kaim, said journalists who enter the country "illegally" would be treated as "outlaws" and "al-Qaeda collaborators."  (CPJ)


CPJ  (Committee to Protect Journalists) has documented more than 80 attacks on the press since the uprising. Up to 25th of April, CPJ reports that there have been 49 detentions ,11 assaults, “two attacks on news facilities, the jamming of Al-Jazeera and Al-Hurra transmissions, at least four instances of obstruction, the expulsion of two international journalists, and the interruption of Internet service. At least six local journalists are missing amid speculation they are in the custody of security forces. One international journalist and two media support workers are also unaccounted for.”

Some journalists who are entering the country are “imbedded” journalist following the stories and action from the perspective of the collocation military. Censorship by Gaddafi explains why there are many amateur videos used by media resources in the attempt to follow the conflict inside.  Most of the videos are taken in the field from the perspective of the protesters.

In the end, it was difficult for me to find one complete list of the journalist covering the Libyan Revolution that are missing or killed.  As a result, I compiled a timeline of those missing, killed or freed until March 20th. Keep in mind that because of the lack of communication coming from Libya at this moment, there may be many more missing that is difficult for us to find out about.   If you have any names that you want to add, please let me know so I can update it.

Early March: Three Al-Jazeera journalists who were arrested in early March – Mauritian reporter Ahmed Vall Ould el-Dine, Norwegian photographer Ammar Al-Hamdane and British photographer Kamel Ataloua – are meanwhile still being held by pro-Gaddafi forces in the west of the country. A fourth Al-Jazeera journalist who was arrested at the same time, Tunisian Lotfi Messaoudi, was released on 31 March
(RSF).


12 March: Ali Hassan al-Jaber, journalist of Al Jazeera reports that he was returning to the eastern part of Benghazi after filling a report when “unknown fighters opened fire on a car he and his colleagues were traveling in.” Two people were killed. (Al Jazeera)

March 15: The Times said it received reports that it could not confirm suggesting that the journalists were taken by Libyan government forces in the city of Ajdabiya.
The journalists are: Anthony Shadid, a Pulitzer Prize winner and the paper's Beirut bureau chief; Stephen Farrell; and two of the paper's top photographers, Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario.  (Huffington Post)

16 March: Reporters Without Borders condemned the detention of Lofti Ghars, a journalist with Canadian and Tunisian dual citizenship who works for Al-Alam TV. He was arrested by pro-Gaddafi forces on 16 March as he arrived in Libya from Tunisia.

16 March: Four New York Times reporters are detained, and the authorities say that they will release them shortly. (CPJ)

18 March: Agence France-Presse previously said it had received no word from two of its reporters – Dave Clark, 38, and Roberto Schmidt, 45 – since the evening of 18 March, when they were near the eastern city of Tobruk. Getty Images photographer Joe Raedle was traveling with them. (CPJ)

19 March: Mohamed Al-Nabous, the founder and manager of a Libyan online broadcaster was killed by gunfire. (CPJ)

20 March:  Al-Jazeera said that the Lybian authorities have been holding four of its journalists in Tripoli, they are: Ahmed Vall Ould Addin and Lotfi al-Messaoudi, and cameramen Kamel Atalua and Ammar al-Hamdan. (CPJ)

20 March: Stéphane Lehr, an experienced French freelance photographer working for Polaris Images, who went missing shortly after arriving in Benghazi with a French TV crew. (NewsWatch)


21 March: NY Times journalists released Anthony Shadid, a Pulitzer Prize winner and the paper's Beirut bureau chief; Stephen Farrell; and two of the paper's top photographers, Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario crossing the Tunisian border. (USA Today)


28 March: Rana Akbani, a reporter for the arts and culture section of the Libyan daily Al-Shams, local journalists told CPJ. Akbani, a Syrian national, was detained on charges of "conspiring with the enemy during war." Reporters Without Borders reports, “presenter Hala Misrati accuses her of lacking objectivity, lying in her coverage of street demonstrations in Benghazi and of collaborating with foreign countries. In a televised interview on Al-Libya TV, a presenter accused her of spying.


5 April: American photographer James Foley, was detained near Brega on April 5, was permitted to call his family on Saturday for the first time since his capture, Global Post reported. He told his mother that he was being treated well and was uninjured (CPJ)

5 April: Spanish photographer Manuel Varela, who was detained with Foley
5 April: Anton Hammerl South African national, missing then discovered that he was killed.  He was in a remote desert location, was shot and could not receive medical treatment.
5 April:  Clare Gillia and James Foley was with Anton Hammerl, they were detained then released on May 19th, 2011 (Media Spy)


14 April: Libyan authorities released Rana Akbani

15 April: Libya, authorities released Al-Jazeera cameraman Ammar al-Hamdan on Thursday, the Qatar-based news station said. Al-Hamdan was detained in mid-March.
   
20 April: Tim Hetherington, British-American photojournalist, The Guardian reported, “Hetherington and Hondros were among eight to 10 journalists reporting from Tripoli Street in Misrata. When shooting broke out, they took shelter against a wall, which was hit by fire and was killed. (Guardian)

20 April: Chris Hondros,  an American photojournalist who was working for Getty Images was killed along with Tim Hetherton covering the demonstrations in Misrata. (Chris Hondros) The last Photos weblink

22 April: Anton Hammerl, a freelance South African photographer who was detained in early April, has appeared in government custody in Libya and is apparently in good health. (Times Live)

22 April: Manu Brabo, a Spanish journalist has been detained in Libya for illegally taking photographs without permission.

22 April: Clare Morgana Gillis, an American freelancer for The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlantic, and USA Today, who was detained near Brega on April 5, was allowed to call home on Thursday for the first time since her capture. She told her parents she is well and being held in a women's civilian jail in Tripoli.

24 April: Manu Brabo, a Spanish journalist, called home and said that he is okay. (Times Live)

18 May: Clare Morgana Gillis, an American freelancer for The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlantic, and USA Today was released today with for other journalist; James Foley of the GlobalPost, Manu Brabo, a Spanish journalist and Dorothy Pravaz was missing in Syria and deported to Iran, because she holds an Irianian passport that was expired, she was not heard from Since April 22. (Boston Globe)

20 May: It was discovered that Anton Hammerl who was thought to be missing, has been killed. (See 5 April) (The Guardian)

No comments:

Post a Comment