Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh

Two small points in response to Hans Ouwerkerk's intervention. Firstly I am not English, secondly Hans should know me well enough to know that I am concerned not only for the welfare of journalists and that I would have made as much fuss for a technician, a salesman or an accountant. I was merely applying the conventional wisdom, reaffirmed many times when issues of murder by government forces, kidnap and unlawful detention have been discussed in the International Press Institute or the Inter-American Press Association which groups employers as well as editors. That wisdom says make a loud noise and keep the spotlight on the case, never let it off the front pages or out of sight until you have the desired result. An exception is if noise is likely to endanger the life of the victim further. If that has been the case I of course bow to Tom Glocer's and David Schlesinger’s knowledge of the situations. It is perhaps time I shut up. Let me cast one more small pebble: It is galling that the nation which purports to teach the world democracy, human rights, the rule of law and freedom, should so blatantly flout the principles it claims to uphold. Every American should be ashamed of the recent events on which we have touched in this column. ■