The report begins: "Three journalists, including two working for Agence France-Presse, have gone missing while covering the fighting in Libya, the news agency said on Sunday."
New York Times photographer Tyler Hicks walks near the front line during a pause in the fighting March 11, 2011, in Ras Lanuf, Libya. Hicks is now one of seven Western journalists missing or captured in Libya. (photo: Getty Images)
Libya Frees 4 Journalists, 4 Still Held, 3 Missing, 1 Dead
20 March 11
UPDATE: 03/21/11 - 8:am:pdt: The New York Times is reporting that all four of their journalists detained by the Libyan government have been released. They include Tyler Hicks, Lynsey Addario, Stephen Farrell and Anthony Shadid. The four had been detained for six days.
Still detained by Libyan forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi are four Al Jazeera journalists. They are: Lotfi al-Messaoudi, a Tunisian; Ahmed Vall Ould Addin, a Mauritanian;Ammar al-Hamdan, a Norwegian cameraman; and British national Kamel Atalua.
Still missing are two Agence France-Presse journalists: reporter Dave Clark and photographer Roberto Schmidt, and a photographer for Getty Images, Joe Raedle.
Killed in an ambush on March 12 near Benghazi was Al Jazeera cameraman Ali Hassan al Jaber. Al Jazeera says it holds the Libyan regime responsible, "Al Jazeera condemns the cowardly crime, which comes as part of the Libyan regime's malicious campaign targeting Al Jazeera and its staff."
CNN further reports: "Since the start of the revolt last month, the government has kept a close eye on journalists. Reporters in Tripoli have been given minders and, in some cases, prevented from covering protests.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday it has documented more than 40 attacks on the media in Libya since February. They include 25 detentions, four assaults, two attacks on news facilities, the jamming of transmissions, and the interruption of internet service, the New York-based advocacy group said." --
On Wednesday, March, 16th The New York Times announced that four of their journalists, Tyler Hicks, Lynsey Addario, Stephen Farrell, and Anthony Shadid, were missing. Later The Times revealed that the Libyan government had confirmed the four were being detained, and said they would be released. There is no confirmation that the four Times journalists have in fact been released.
With the report below that two Agence France-Presse journalists: Dave Clark, a reporter based at AFP's Paris headquarters, and Roberto Schmidt, a photographer in its Nairobi bureau; and a Getty Images photographer, Joe Raedle, are missing in Libya, the number rose to seven.
In addition, Al Jazeera is now reporting that four of their journalists are being held in Tripoli after being arrested. They are: Lotfi al-Messaoudi, a Tunisian, Ahmed Vall Ould Addin, a Mauritanian, Ammar al-Hamdan, a Norwegian cameraman, and British national Kamel Atalua.
That brings to 11 the total of foreign journalists missing or confirmed held by the Gadhafi government as Western airstrikes against forces loyal to Gadhafi enter their second day. -- ma/RSN
hree journalists, including two working for Agence France-Presse, have gone missing while covering the fighting in Libya, the news agency said on Sunday.
In a statement AFP said Dave Clark, a reporter based at its Paris headquarters, and Roberto Schmidt, a photographer in its Nairobi bureau, had not been heard from since they sent an email to senior editors on Friday evening.
Clark, 38, and Schmidt, 45, said in the email they planned to travel to an area about 19 miles outside of the eastern oil-rich city of Tobruk on Saturday to meet opponents of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and to speak to refugees fleeing the fighting, AFP said.
They were accompanied by Joe Raedle, a photographer from the Getty Images agency who also has not been heard from since Friday evening, AFP said.
Four New York Times journalists were captured by Libyan forces last week while covering the conflict in the eastern part of the country. The newspaper said it has been told they would be released.
(Reporting by Maria Aspan; Editing by Paul Simao and Todd Eastham.)
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