Free our man, Reuters tells US forces

Ali al-Mashhadani was detained on Saturday while he was in the Green Zone government compound in Baghdad for routine checks for a US military press card.  It was the third time he had been detained.  No charges have ever been filed against him.

“Any accusations against a journalist should be aired publicly and dealt with fairly and swiftly, with the journalist having the right to counsel and present a defence,” editor-in-chief David Schlesinger said.

“Iraqi journalists like Mashhadani play a vital role in telling this story to the world.”

A US military spokesman said Mashhadani was being held at Camp Cropper, an American prison near Baghdad airport.

“He is being detained because he has been assessed to be a threat to the security of Iraq and coalition forces,” the spokesman said. He said the case would be reviewed by early next week.

US forces have held other Iraqi journalists working for Reuters and other news organisations for long periods without charge.

Mashhadani was previously detained from August 2005 to January 2006 and for two weeks in mid-2006.

Mashhadani also works freelance for the BBC and Washington-based National Public Radio. ■