Reuters says U.S. probe on Iraq staff inadequate
Reuters said on Tuesday a U.S. Army investigation into the detention and treatment of three of its Iraqi staff was "woefully inadequate" and called for it to be reopened.
A summary of the investigation sent to Reuters by the 82nd Airborne Division said that the inquiry into the arrest of the three Iraqis near Falluja on January 2 and their treatment during three days in detention did not find evidence of any specific incidents of abuse.
"The government's investigation of the allegations of mistreatment made by Reuters staff was woefully inadequate," Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger said in a statement.
"It appears that the investigation consisted of simply interviewing the accused soldiers, and despite our offer, no effort was made to interview our staff," he said.
"The military's conclusion of its investigation without even interviewing the alleged victims, along with other inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the report, speaks volumes about the seriousness with which the U.S. government is taking this issue."
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense, Schlesinger called for the investigation to be reopened, and conducted in a more thorough and objective manner at senior levels.
Although the summary of the Army investigation's findings said no evidence of abuse was found, it said that the detainees were "purposefully put under stress", including sleep deprivation, and subjected to uncomfortable treatment.
The report also said that Task Force All American, in charge of security in western Iraq including Falluja, had launched an inspection of all its temporary detention facilities and reinforced standards for handling detainees.
JOURNALISTS "EXPOSED TO DANGER" BY U.S. STATEMENT
Schlesinger called again on the U.S. military to retract or clarify a statement on January 2 that "enemy personnel posing as media" had fired on U.S. forces near Falluja that day.
"The conclusions in the report, as well as comments made publicly, show that there is no credible evidence to support the military's earlier statement," Schlesinger said.
"Nonetheless, the military is apparently unwilling to modify its previously stated public position -- leaving journalists in the field exposed to even further danger."
The detained Reuters staff were Baghdad-based cameraman Salem Ureibi, Falluja-based freelance television journalist Ahmad Mohammad Hussein al-Badrani and driver Sattar Jabar al-Badrani. A freelance cameraman with the U.S. network NBC was also detained.
The Reuters crew said U.S. troops fired in their direction as they were covering the aftermath of a helicopter crash, and later detained them.
Major General Charles Swannack, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, which is responsible for security in Falluja, said last month that soldiers had reported being shot at by men wearing bulletproof jackets marked "press" near the crash site.
But he said "no credible evidence" had been found to suggest the detained journalists were responsible and they were "probably in the wrong place at the wrong time".
On January 27, Schlesinger sent a previous letter to the Defense Department expressing growing frustration at the U.S. military's failure to address its concerns about the safety of journalists in Iraq.
Two Reuters cameramen were killed by U.S. troops last year.
Palestinian Mazen Dana was shot dead by a soldier last August while filming near Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad. The U.S. military said the soldier mistook Dana's camera for a weapon.
In April, Ukrainian cameraman Taras Protsyuk of Reuters and Jose Couso of Spain's Telecinco were killed when a U.S. tank fired on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, where most foreign journalists were staying during the war to oust Saddam Hussein. Three other Reuters journalists were wounded in the attack.
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