Reuters Cameraman Held in Abu Ghraib: Considered a Security Threat
Reuters cameraman ordered held in Abu Ghraib
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A cameraman for Reuters in Iraq has been ordered by a secret tribunal to be held without charge in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison until his case is reviewed within six months, a U.S. military spokesman said on Wednesday.
Ali Omar Abrahem al-Mashhadani was arrested by U.S. forces on August 8 after a search of his home in the city of Ramadi. The U.S. military has refused Reuters requests to disclose why he is being held. He has not been charged.
His brother, who was detained with him and then released, said they were arrested after Marines looked at the images on the journalist's cameras.
"The CRRB has determined that Mr. Mashhadani remains a threat to the people of Iraq and they recommended continued internment," Lieutenant Colonel Guy Rudisill said, referring to a hearing of the Iraqi-U.S. Combined Review and Release Board held at a secret location in Baghdad on Monday.
He said Mashhadani would be entitled to a review of his case within 180 days and would be held at Abu Ghraib.
Rudisill said he would not be allowed to see an attorney, his family or anyone else for the first 60 days of his detention, which began in Abu Ghraib last week.
Those evil American troops! Imagine the nerve of them wanting to make sure that this photographer is not part of the terrorist network. The press have really got a distorted view of themselves. This is a press photographer so he should be immune from scrutiny. After all, they're the press, incorruptible, unbiased, altruistic, only interested in the truth (as they see it).
Full Story: Reuters Cameraman
What do you think?
To leave your opinion click on the word "COMMENT(S)" below
posted by Will Malven at 8:42 AM
4 Comments:
I'm not saying he's innocent, but 6 months with nothing, 2 months before they even come up with a charge, is bullsheet. Has nothing to do with the fact he's media, it has to do with what's right.
Aren't we supposed to be spreading democracy?
You linked to a story where one reporter was shot half a dozen times... discovered to be a reporter and after this was discovered his assistant was detained.
The second incident is where a camerman is detained for having photographs.
And your comments regard the integrity of the media.
You are a fuckwit.
I note that in the story preceeding this one by 1 or two positions, where a "accused terrorist" is not being granted asylum by the US, you state:
"The Bush administration needs to develope a little backbone and grant Carriles asylum. Unless there is sufficient evidence of his terrorist activity. If he is an actual terrorist then that is an entirely different matter."
assuming innocence until proven guilty, and now in THIS story, you see no problem with eliminating due process for this photographer.
This is about the most blatant piece of hypocrisy I have seen in so-called "conservative" journalism (a stretch to refer to this as such, considering). The same issue at stake, in the same "issue" of your mag, and you present two diametrically opposed positions. Obviously, you have a prejudice supporting CIA (right or wrong), and opposing "liberal" media (right or wrong). This is the heart of the problem with what you folks have taken to calling "conservatism"; it is merely a vague screen drawn across unsupported prejudice, bigotry and unsupported opinion.
YOU HAVE JUST PROVEN THAT THIS SITE IS NOT WORTH READING, AND WELL WORTH AVOIDING.
There is value in real discussion - and harm in dishing out or exposing oneself to illogical bigotry of any kind.
Gee, let's see if I can explain this simply enough for your limited Liberal intellect to grasp...I'm thinking, it's so very difficult to think down to that level...oh yeah...how about this.
We are at war in Iraq. When this was written, the military was still receiving casualties at a high rate from nasty people called terrorists who were setting IED's on the road sides in hopes of causing maximum causalties to our troops so that little Liberal idiots...like you...would raise a stink and protest against your own government-in support of the terrorists' own aims.
The Reuters reporter was given a hearing (in a war zone, that's as close as one gets to a habeus corpus hearing). He was told that he would be eligible for review in 6 months I would say that his treatment was pretty fair, had it been any other nation in the Middle East (other than Israel) he simply would have been summarily shot.
I believe that as a suspected anti-American terrorist he received pretty fair treatment.
You see, during war...in a war zone, some of the niceties that we enjoy here in our safe (thanks to President George Bush) homes must be sacrificed.
While this concept may be alien to individuals like you who believe that "Terrorists need love too," or some similar blather, the world is populated with both good and bad people.
When the good people (that would be Americans and our troops) are engaged in a life or death struggle against the bad people (that would be terrorists) some few innocents may get swept up in the process (of course we don't know if the Reuters reporter is innocent). It is unfortunate, but for reasonable people-those who live in the real world-understandable.
k_mears:
Carriles was and is accused of a heinous crime. His accusers, the Cuban Dictatorship, are also purveyors of even worse crimes, against humanity...terrorism, mass murder, the oppression of an entire nation of citizens under the boot of a communist dictator...you know, the sort of crimes that Liberals like you support in your over arching desire for a Marxist state. That in effect is reason enough for me to doubt Carriles' guilt.
In fact, given his accusers, I naturally assume that he is innocent since oppressive communist regimes are not given to holding honest trials or fair trials...just as they are not generally given to being truthful about pretty much everything else they claim about themselves or other nations.
Even given those truths, I did provide for the possibility that, for once, the Cuban government might be telling the truth about Carriles. As to that possibility:
"Posada was found not guilty by a military court; however, this ruling was overturned and he was held for trial in a civilian court. Posada escaped from prison with Freddie Lugo in 1977, turning themselves in to the less-than-sympathetic Chilean authorities. He was immediately extradited, and was held without conviction for eight years before escaping while awaiting a prosecutor's appeal of his second acquittal in the bombing. "
Posada Carriles was acquitted twice for his alleged crime. In spite of that, he was still held for eight years awaiting an appeal by his accusers.
Why don't you get back to me after Ali Omar Abrahem al-Mashhadani is held for eight years without a hearing...maybe I'll be a little more sympathetic.
Two different circumstances; two different cases with witnesses of widely different levels of reliability. You see, I trust our troops and support them whereas Liberals like you detest them and all for which they stand.
I have seen the lies of reporters in our media and am quite reluctant to blindly trust their words over the words of men who are daily placing themselves at risk for our security and the freedom of an oppressed people.
You are wrong about one thing, I do not "have a prejudice supporting CIA (right or wrong), I have often expressed doubt about the veracity of their leaked stories (in particular those regarding Valerie Plame's self outing), but you are correct when you say that I have a prejudice "opposing 'liberal' media (right or wrong)," primarily because they have been right so rarely when it comes to reporting the truth.
I particularly enjoy your comment that:
"what you folks have taken to calling "conservatism"; it is merely a vague screen drawn across unsupported prejudice, bigotry and unsupported opinion."
I like it because in a single sentence you have done precisely that of which you have accused me.
By the way, Ali Omar Abrahem al-Mashhadani was ultimately held for only five months then released, only to be arrested and subsequently released a second time...again for "having close ties to insurgents." He remains a "person of interest."
You better "go have a nice lie-down" now before you pop a blood vessel.
Cheers...
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home