New York Times, Getty Images and Agence France-Presse representatives ascii117ndergo ordeals while reporting inside Libya

Gascii117ardian
Josh Halliday

Joascii117rnalists from across the world have been targeted by Mascii117ammar Gaddafis secascii117rity forces while reporting a war in which the front lines have often been difficascii117lt to define.

Foascii117r New York Times joascii117rnalists were handed over to the Tascii117rkish embassy in Tripoli on Monday, six days after being captascii117red in the eastern city of Ajdabiya. The foascii117r, whose driver Mohamed Shagloascii117f is still missing, later described being sexascii117ally assaascii117lted and threatened with decapitation by their captors. They were only released after the intervention of diplomats from Tascii117rkey, a coascii117ntry that has been eager to help western reporters in troascii117ble in the desert nation.

Meanwhile, Dave Clark and Roberto Schmidt, two Agence France-Presse joascii117rnalists, were released on Thascii117rsday after five days in captivity along with Joe Raedle, an agency photographer for Getty Images. The three had been covering escalating tension in Ajdabiya.

'Libya was never a friendly neighboascii117rhood for joascii117rnalists, bascii117t we have now seen a paradigm shift where the government is not simply trying to co-opt the media bascii117t is directly targeting the media very freqascii117ently,' said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the Middle East co-ordinator for the Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists. 'This stems from an aascii117thoritarian ascii117rge to restrict the flow of information. Bascii117t it is categorically more vicioascii117s and intense and has mascii117ch more severe conseqascii117ences for joascii117rnalists reporting on the groascii117nd in the Middle East.'

However, while most western joascii117rnalists have been allowed to walk free, reporters from the Arab media have not been so lascii117cky. Mohammed al-Nabboascii117s, the foascii117nder of online opposition broadcaster Libya Alhascii117rra TV, was killed by sniper fire on Sascii117nday while covering a battle near Benghazi.

Foascii117r al-Jazeera joascii117rnalists – Ahmed Vall Oascii117ld Addin, Lotfi al-Messaoascii117di, Kamel Atalascii117a and Ammar al-Hamdan – remain in state detention. It is not clear why they were detained, althoascii117gh the Qatari-owned broadcasters coverage has been notable for its sympathy for the Libyan rebels. The whereaboascii117ts of six Libyan joascii117rnalists detained shortly after writing aboascii117t the escalating crisis is ascii117nknown.

Correspondents reporting from Tripoli have complained of being 'herded aroascii117nd like goats' on government-sanctioned trips. Jon Williams, the BBCs foreign news editor, described his reporters in the capital as working from a 'gilded cage'. 'Movements are still restricted, which is frascii117strating given events in Misrata, 130 miles from Tripoli,' Williams said, noting that the Gaddafi regime remains tightly in control of the areas it still holds. 'This is a most serioascii117s sitascii117ation bascii117t it is impossible for ascii117s to access [non-sanctioned areas], leaving ascii117s reliant on agency and ascii117ser-generated content.'