The New Iraqi P.R.

evildave

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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040825/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_najaf_media_040825205158
NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) - Iraqi policemen rounded up dozens of journalists at gunpoint in a Najaf hotel and took them to police headquarters before later releasing them, an AFP correspondent said.

Firing their guns in the air, the dozen odd policemen, some masked, stormed into the rooms of journalists in the Najaf Sea hotel and forced them into vans and a truck.

An AFP correspondent, who was also forced into a van, said the police pushed and pulled many reporters at gunpoint.

After a two-minute drive from the hotel, where journalists from across the world are based while covering the battle between Shiite militiamen and US-led Iraqi forces in the holy city, the reporters were taken to the office of the police chief.

"You people are not under arrest," Najaf police chief Ghaleb al-Jezari told them.

"You are brought here because I want to tell you that you never publish the truth. I speak the truth, but you never broadcast what we are."
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It's a good thing we got that tyrant out of there and installed good, reasonable people to be in charge of Iraq like this one, eh?
 
Abuse of power by the police happens in the US too.
 
Todays Guardian includes further eyewitness accounts of the rounding up journalists in Najaf at gunpoint yesterday, including "the entire BBC team".
Strangely BBC Online appear to make absolutely no reference to this event. Call me a cynic but I suspect if the entire BBC crew had been rounded up and carted off at gunpoint by the police of an official enemy the story would have blasted everthing else off the front page. In this instance, though, they seem to be bending over backwards not to tarnish the already shredded credibility of car bomber Iyad Allawi and his police force by perpetuating the myth that only Islamist terrorists do bad things to journalists.

The BBC are also failing to report the carnage in Amara involving British forces where reports indicate at least 12 people including three children have died and dozens have been wounded.
Its par for the course though, the BBC appears to have a blindspot where Amara is concerned and coalition violence. I believe the last time they simply referred to "coalition forces" when merrily dismissing another day of slaughter.
 
demon said:
Todays Guardian includes further eyewitness accounts of the rounding up journalists in Najaf at gunpoint yesterday, including "the entire BBC team".
Strangely BBC Online appear to make absolutely no reference to this event. Call me a cynic but I suspect if the entire BBC crew had been rounded up and carted off at gunpoint by the police of an official enemy the story would have blasted everthing else off the front page. In this instance, though, they seem to be bending over backwards not to tarnish the already shredded credibility of car bomber Iyad Allawi and his police force by perpetuating the myth that only Islamist terrorists do bad things to journalists.

The BBC are also failing to report the carnage in Amara involving British forces where reports indicate at least 12 people including three children have died and dozens have been wounded.
Its par for the course though, the BBC appears to have a blindspot where Amara is concerned and coalition violence. I believe the last time they simply referred to "coalition forces" when merrily dismissing another day of slaughter.
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The last thing they need is another 'Hutton inquiry'.
 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1291444,00.html
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1291175,00.html
Media organisations are preparing a formal protest to the Iraqi authorities after dozens of journalists in Najaf, including the entire BBC team, were forced from their hotel at gunpoint and detained by local police.
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Probably not made up.

Try a google news search for: abduct journalists
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&l...oring=d&q=abduct+journalists&btnG=Search+News

Another perspective from Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0827/p06s01-wogn.html
 
If they are in fact misreporting the news by bias account, shouldn't we support him. Even if his methods were extreme, I bet it was a big wake up call.
 
Uh, yeah... that's the ticket. He's only 'misunderstood'. That's just the way they do press conferences over there. Kick doors in and abduct people at gunpoint, even firing their weapons. Good idea! That will get the international media on his side for sure.
 
evildave said:
Uh, yeah... that's the ticket. He's only 'misunderstood'. That's just the way they do press conferences over there. Kick doors in and abduct people at gunpoint, even firing their weapons. Good idea! That will get the international media on his side for sure.
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Never said it was the best method. I am only suggesting there maybe merit to the claim.
 
I read a report from Stephen Farrell last week in which police appeared at the Najaf hotel where journalists were staying and threatened to kill them all.
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1219760,00.html)

Blair's unbelievable response to this public threat to murder people on account of their being media was to claim -

"It was important not to be too hasty in turning this issue into a debate about free speech."
(http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page6244.asp)

I'm sure they won't be summarily dumped in a mass grave but there'll be few, if any, media left in Najaf to witness what appears to be an intensifying onslaught, nor the arrival of al Sistani and his "march on Najaf" if it ever happens. I believe there are two or three journalists remaining in the Shrine of Imam Ali, from which it will be difficult for Iraqi police or U.S. forces to evict, and that's all.
 
demon said:
I read a report from Stephen Farrell last week in which police appeared at the Najaf hotel where journalists were staying and threatened to kill them all.
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1219760,00.html)

Blair's unbelievable response to this public threat to murder people on account of their being media was to claim -

"It was important not to be too hasty in turning this issue into a debate about free speech."
(http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page6244.asp)

I'm sure they won't be summarily dumped in a mass grave but there'll be few, if any, media left in Najaf to witness what appears to be an intensifying onslaught, nor the arrival of al Sistani and his "march on Najaf" if it ever happens. I believe there are two or three journalists remaining in the Shrine of Imam Ali, from which it will be difficult for Iraqi police or U.S. forces to evict, and that's all.
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I think the main issue over there is they do not want a style of government we have setup.

I think they will probably end up with something closer to Saudia Arabia (SP?)
 
I'm betting something a lot more like what they had before we invaded.
 
And that has what to do with rounding up press in the night, firing weapons and dragging them before a police chief? Are you implying that there's something wrong with being an international award winning journalist that deserves to have him threatened with firearms and abducted for coverting current events?

Usually when someone wants to say something to the press, they just get on the phone and tell them they'll make a statement, and the press shows up on their own.
 
evildave said:
Uh, yeah... that's the ticket. He's only 'misunderstood'. That's just the way they do press conferences over there. Kick doors in and abduct people at gunpoint, even firing their weapons. Good idea! That will get the international media on his side for sure.
Click to expand...

Well that method worked well for my first wife.

I never would have married that shrew otherwise.
 
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