Independent journalists operating in Iraq face arrest and even torture at the hands of the US military and the authorities are failing to act on promises to do more to protect them, news organisations have warned.
Eason Jordan, chief news executive at CNN, said there had been only a "limited amount of progress", despite repeated meetings between news organisations and the US authorities.
"Actions speak louder than words. The reality is that at least 10 journalists have been killed by the US military, and according to reports I believe to be true journalists have been arrested and tortured by US forces," Mr Jordan told an audience of news executives at the News Xchange conference in Portugal.
Mr Jordan highlighted the case of al-Arabiya journalist Abdel Kader al-Saadi, who was arrested in Falluja last week by US forces and remains in their custody even though no reason has yet been given for his detention.
"These actions and the fact that no one has been reprimanded would indicate that no one is taking responsibility. We hear good words but not the actions to back them up," he added.
David Schlesinger, global managing editor for Reuters, said there was no indication the US government's own recommendations on journalists' safety had been understood or carried out by American military commanders in Iraq, or that there had been any progress.
Three Reuters cameramen - Taras Protsyuk, Dhia Najem and Mazen Dana - have been killed while working in Iraq.
"We have had three deaths and they were all non-embedded, non-coalition nationals and they were all at the hands of the US military, and the reaction of the US authorities in each case was that they were somehow justified," Mr Schlesinger said.
"What is the US's position on non-embeds? Are non-embedded journalists fair game?" he added.
Bryan Whitman, assistant US secretary of defence for public affairs, insisted US commanders were "very enlightened with respect to the freedom of the press" and said the death of Mazen Dana, who was shot last August when a soldier mistook his camera for a weapon, had been thoroughly investigated.
But Mr Whitman said news organisations had to accept that sending journalists to conflict zones would be dangerous.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think [the protection of journalists] was important. It is a difficult situation when you are sending people into dangerous situations," he added.
Reporters Sans Frontieres has written to Lt Gen John F Sattler, First Expeditionary Corps Marine Commander in Falluja, calling for the release of Mr al-Saadi.
"The American authorities must at least justify the reasons for his prolonged detention," the letter said.
Al-Arabiya said this week US forces had confirmed they were holding Mr al-Saadi and told the station he would be released "as quickly as possible".
Nabil Khatib, an al-Arabiya editor, told RSF that he was "very worried for the safety of al-Saadi".
"We are impatiently waiting for the American forces to release him, all the more so since we have already suffered heavy losses in Iraq. Eight of our employees have died since March 2003, three of them journalists killed by the American army."
Claire Cozens, press and publishing correspondent
Friday November 19, 2004
photo and story © Guardian
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