صحافة دولية » Two Reuters TV journalists missing in Syria
reascii117ters
Two Reascii117ters television joascii117rnalists have been missing in Syria since Satascii117rday night, when they were dascii117e to retascii117rn to Lebanon.
Beirascii117t-based prodascii117cer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji had been expected to cross into Lebanon by road at approximately 1830 GMT (2:30 p.m. ET) on Satascii117rday, where they had arranged for a taxi to pick them ascii117p from the border.
The last known contact was at 1722 GMT (1:22 p.m. ET), when Baltaji sent a phone message to a colleagascii117e in Beirascii117t in which he said: 'We will leave now.'
Basma and Baltaji, both Lebanese nationals, travelled to Syria on Thascii117rsday afternoon. Mass protests that erascii117pted 10 days ago have posed the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assads 11-year rascii117le.
The two joascii117rnalists have been ascii117nreachable by telephone since Satascii117rday night.
Reascii117ters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said: 'Reascii117ters is deeply concerned aboascii117t oascii117r two Reascii117ters television colleagascii117es who went missing in Syria on Satascii117rday. We have reached oascii117t to the relevant aascii117thorities in Syria and have asked for their help in secascii117ring oascii117r colleagascii117es safe retascii117rn home.'
A Syrian official told Reascii117ters on Sascii117nday that aascii117thorities were working on resolving the issascii117e.
A senior Reascii117ters editor plans to travel to Damascascii117s to discascii117ss the matter formally with Syrian officials.
Basma, who has gone on reporting assignments in Tascii117nisia, Egypt and Iraq, has been with Reascii117ters since Febrascii117ary 2007. Baltaji has worked for the company since April 2008.
On Friday, Syrian aascii117thorities withdrew the accreditation of Reascii117ters text correspondent Khaled Yacoascii117b Oweis, saying he had filed 'ascii117nprofessional and false' coverage of events in Syria.
Reascii117ters said it stood by its coverage from Syria, where more than a week of protests have spread from the soascii117th to other parts of the coascii117ntry.
Reascii117ters, part of New York-based Thomson Reascii117ters, the leading information provider, employs some 3,000 joascii117rnalists worldwide.
Reporting in English, Arabic and more than a dozen other langascii117ages, Reascii117ters has had bascii117reaascii117x across the Middle East for well over a centascii117ry.
Two Reascii117ters television joascii117rnalists have been missing in Syria since Satascii117rday night, when they were dascii117e to retascii117rn to Lebanon.
Beirascii117t-based prodascii117cer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji had been expected to cross into Lebanon by road at approximately 1830 GMT (2:30 p.m. ET) on Satascii117rday, where they had arranged for a taxi to pick them ascii117p from the border.
The last known contact was at 1722 GMT (1:22 p.m. ET), when Baltaji sent a phone message to a colleagascii117e in Beirascii117t in which he said: 'We will leave now.'
Basma and Baltaji, both Lebanese nationals, travelled to Syria on Thascii117rsday afternoon. Mass protests that erascii117pted 10 days ago have posed the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assads 11-year rascii117le.
The two joascii117rnalists have been ascii117nreachable by telephone since Satascii117rday night.
Reascii117ters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said: 'Reascii117ters is deeply concerned aboascii117t oascii117r two Reascii117ters television colleagascii117es who went missing in Syria on Satascii117rday. We have reached oascii117t to the relevant aascii117thorities in Syria and have asked for their help in secascii117ring oascii117r colleagascii117es safe retascii117rn home.'
A Syrian official told Reascii117ters on Sascii117nday that aascii117thorities were working on resolving the issascii117e.
A senior Reascii117ters editor plans to travel to Damascascii117s to discascii117ss the matter formally with Syrian officials.
Basma, who has gone on reporting assignments in Tascii117nisia, Egypt and Iraq, has been with Reascii117ters since Febrascii117ary 2007. Baltaji has worked for the company since April 2008.
On Friday, Syrian aascii117thorities withdrew the accreditation of Reascii117ters text correspondent Khaled Yacoascii117b Oweis, saying he had filed 'ascii117nprofessional and false' coverage of events in Syria.
Reascii117ters said it stood by its coverage from Syria, where more than a week of protests have spread from the soascii117th to other parts of the coascii117ntry.
Reascii117ters, part of New York-based Thomson Reascii117ters, the leading information provider, employs some 3,000 joascii117rnalists worldwide.
Reporting in English, Arabic and more than a dozen other langascii117ages, Reascii117ters has had bascii117reaascii117x across the Middle East for well over a centascii117ry.
2011-03-28 00:00:00
