World Watch: Dangerous time for Iraq journalists
In the latest example of the danger facing journalists in Iraq, the British newspaper The Guardian said its Baghdad correspondent has been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital. Rory Carroll, a 33-year-old Irish citizen, is a seasoned foreign correspondent who was stationed in Rome and South Africa before accepting a yearlong posting in Iraq.
He has been in Iraq for nine months. In his article in yesterday's edition of The Guardian, "Dictator on trial for life as Iraqi court faces ultimate test," Carroll wrote about the trial of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, which began Wednesday. He was apparently asking Iraqis about their view on the trial when he went missing.
Iraqi insurgents have kidnapped more than 220 foreigners and killed nearly 40 since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders said 72 journalists and their assistants had died in Iraq since the start of the war.
"Unfortunately, the safety of journalists is still far from being assured in Iraq and there are grounds for suspecting that tensions linked to the start of Saddam Hussein's trial are having repercussions on the press," the group said in a statement.
The last incident involving a journalist was in August, when American freelance journalist Steven Vincent was abducted and killed in the southern city of Basra. His body was found on the side of the highway, with gunshots to the head and body. It is assumed that he was specifically targeted, having just written a column in the New York Times accusing Basra's police force of being infiltrated by Shiite militiamen.
Journalists are facing increasing dangers in Iraq. The Committee to Protect Journalists sent a letter on October 14 to Gen. George Casey, commanding general of the multinational force in Iraq, about the problem of journalists being shot at when they approach the entrance to the Green Zone, the fortified government enclave in Baghdad. On a single day two weeks ago, both a Wall Street Journal reporter and a National Public Radio producer were shot at while approaching Checkpoint Three, the only entrance for journalists into the Green Zone, prompting the embassy spokesman to open the daily briefing by saying, "Raise your hand if you were shot at today." The problems at Checkpoint Three have been going on for months, but some say the locale has become more dangerous recently, as the American military has given Iraqi forces more security responsibilities.
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