[Media-watch] FW: three French journalists arrested

[David Miller]

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From: Sigi Dlabal <sigi.dlabal at btopenworld.com>
Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 07:23:55 +0100
To: David Miller <david.miller at stir.ac.uk>
Subject: three French journalists arrested

Dear David,
as the  Media Watch list still seems to be down I email this to you -
Best
Sigi

http://rhein-zeitung.de/tick/index.html?km
 From RZ newsticker at 00.51 today)

French TV team arrested by US military in Iraq.
Paris  team of the french TV Channel Canal+ is being held by US troups.
The french Station said in Paris that they haven't been able to
establish contact to their people.
(...)
And from Expatica website:
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=58&story_id=
7731
French journalists arrested in Iraq
BAGHDAD, May 19 (AFP) - A group of French journalists were arrested in
Iraq, a US military spokeswoman said Wednesday, while witnesses
identified those detained as three Canal Plus employees and an Iraqi
driver.

"I can confirm that some French journalists were arrested and their
media agency asked us to check it," she told AFP.

Witnesses and colleagues said the four were arrested at 3:00 pm (1100
GMT) Tuesday by a US military checkpoint outside the central Baghdad
Hotel.

By mid-afternoon Wednesday they had not returned to the hotel they were
staying at.

They apparently were filming in the area, even though large signs
written in English and Arabic state that photography is strictly
prohibited.

The military was unable to confirm whether Iraqi forces or US troops had
detained   the team or whether they were still being held.

A brother of the detained Iraqi driver identified the four as: Stephane
Rossi, Mohammed Ballout, Michel Despraix, all French, and his relative
who he named only as Sarmed.

© AFP

Subject: French news