AP News, June 15th, 2007
The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Friday to free 11 people detained by authorities for providing Al-Jazeera television with a videotape of an interview of a woman accusing three security officers of raping her.
Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf confirmed that the 11, employees of a private media production company, were in custody, saying that their detention was ordered by a judge and the entire case was now in the hands of the judiciary.
"If the people from the Committee to Protect Journalists want to come and learn the truth for themselves, then they can request this through official and legal channels," Khalaf said.
The 11 are being held at an Interior Ministry jail, according to a CPJ statement and a police officer who took part in the Feb. 25 raid on the Baghdad offices of Wasan Media. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
The statement from the New York-based CPJ said the group was "gravely" concerned about the 11, whom it said were being held "on specious criminal charges and without due process."
It said the detained included the company's general manager, Shaker Mahmoud Khalaf al-Falahi, engineers, editors, cameramen and drivers.
The statement quoted Mohammed Shekhly, whom it identified as a lawyer representing the company, as saying the detainees were charged with incitement to terror for allegedly producing footage for Iraq's insurgency and of working for the Doha-based Al-Jazeera, which has been banned from working in Iraq since 2004.
It quoted Shekhly as saying there is no evidence that the company employees have committed any crime and believes their arrest is an attempt by the government to intimidate the media.
Wasan Media officials, according to the statement, deny supplying footage of the interview to Al-Jazeera, and maintain that the interview was filmed by several news organizations and was widely available.
The woman's rape charges caused an uproar in Iraq this year, with Sunni and Shiite politicians trading accusations over the affair.
"These men are facing serious charges, but they have yet to see any evidence against them or to appear before a judge. We believe the charges are false, and the men are being held arbitrarily," said the CPJ statement. "We call on you (Prime Minister al-Maliki) to use your influence to ensure that these employees of Wasan Media are released at once."
Iraqi journalists marked Iraqi Press Day on Friday, the 138th anniversary of the first Iraqi newspaper, Al-Zawra. They are increasingly worried that intimidation and the prospect of sudden, violent death are threatening their profession.
At least 106 journalists have been killed since the Iraq war began, according to the CPJ. Eighty-four of them were Iraqis.
