Ezzat Baltaji
Reuters concerned for photographer held in Syria
Saturday 02 April 2011
Reuters is concerned for the safety of photographer Khaled al-Hariri, who has been detained by Syrian authorities for five days.
Hariri, 50, has a condition which needs daily medication. A Syrian national, he was last seen when his wife dropped him off by car near the Reuters bureau in Damascus on Monday morning.
A witness has told Hariri’s family that he was stopped by two men outside the office and taken away. A Syrian official told the family that he would be released by the authorities if there was “no evidence against him”. He gave no details.
“We are deeply concerned about our colleague Khaled al-Hariri, who has been missing in Syria for five days now,” editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said on Saturday. “We continue to ask the Syrian authorities for their urgent assistance to help get Khaled home safely.”
Hariri is one of four Reuters journalists to have been detained in the past week in Syria. The three others, all foreigners, have been released and expelled. A fifth Reuters journalist, Jordanian Khaled Yacoub Oweis, was not detained but was expelled on 25 March after five years as the news agency's correspondent in the Syrian capital.
Two Lebanese television journalists, producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji, were detained in Damascus last Saturday. They were held incommunicado for two days before being deported to Lebanon. On Tuesday, Amman correspondent Suleiman al-Khalidi, a Jordanian, was arrested in Damascus, held for three days and then expelled on Friday.
● SOURCE Reuters
Hariri, 50, has a condition which needs daily medication. A Syrian national, he was last seen when his wife dropped him off by car near the Reuters bureau in Damascus on Monday morning.
A witness has told Hariri’s family that he was stopped by two men outside the office and taken away. A Syrian official told the family that he would be released by the authorities if there was “no evidence against him”. He gave no details.
“We are deeply concerned about our colleague Khaled al-Hariri, who has been missing in Syria for five days now,” editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said on Saturday. “We continue to ask the Syrian authorities for their urgent assistance to help get Khaled home safely.”
Hariri is one of four Reuters journalists to have been detained in the past week in Syria. The three others, all foreigners, have been released and expelled. A fifth Reuters journalist, Jordanian Khaled Yacoub Oweis, was not detained but was expelled on 25 March after five years as the news agency's correspondent in the Syrian capital.
Two Lebanese television journalists, producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji, were detained in Damascus last Saturday. They were held incommunicado for two days before being deported to Lebanon. On Tuesday, Amman correspondent Suleiman al-Khalidi, a Jordanian, was arrested in Damascus, held for three days and then expelled on Friday.
● SOURCE Reuters
Reuters journalists under attack in Syria, Libya
Thursday 31 March 2011
Reuters is urgently seeking the safe return of two of its veteran journalists in Syria, one of whom was said to be in state custody while the other was reported missing. In Libya, a Reuters correspondent was expelled on Wednesday without explanation.
Citing diplomatic sources, Reuters said correspondent Suleiman al-Khalidi, a 54-year-old Jordanian who has worked for Reuters for more than 20 years in Jordan, Kuwait, Syria and Iraq, had been detained in Damascus on Tuesday. The Jordanian foreign minister said in a Twitter post that he was monitoring the case closely.
He was able to make two brief telephone calls to his wife on Thursday, saying he hoped to return soon.
Reuters also said Damascus-based photographer Khaled al-Hariri, a Syrian who has also worked for Reuters for more than 20 years, has not been heard from since Monday. It said he was last seen at the Damascus bureau on Monday morning.
Both journalists had been covering political unrest in Syria.
“Thomson Reuters is deeply concerned about the whereabouts of our colleagues Khaled al-Hariri and Suleiman al-Khalidi,” editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said. “We call upon the Syrian authorities to help us urgently in ensuring their safe and timely release.”
Syrian authorities have detained several local journalists and press freedom advocates in recent days, although some have since been released. Reuters journalists were among those targeted. On Monday, authorities expelled producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji after holding them incommunicado for two days. On Friday, Syrian authorities revoked the press credentials of another Reuters senior correspondent, Khaled Oweis, for purportedly “false” coverage.
In Libya, authorities on Wednesday expelled Michael Georgy, who had been covering the conflict for several weeks, Reuters said. The Libyan government provided no justification for its action. Georgy, who was among a group of foreign journalists allowed to report from Tripoli under severe government restrictions, arrived in neighbouring Tunisia. He had been detained for several hours earlier this month while trying to reach Misrata, Reuters said.
“We are concerned for the safety of our two missing colleagues and urge Syrian authorities to do everything to ensure their safety,” said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator. “We are also disappointed to hear that the Libyan government has expelled Reuters’ Michael Georgy, seemly without cause.”
Two Lebanese Reuters television journalists who had been working in Syria since the previous week, producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji, were held incommunicado for two days before being released by Syrian authorities on Monday. They were expelled to Lebanon.
Reuters correspondent Khaled Yacoub Oweis, a Jordanian who had been based in Damascus, was expelled from Syria on Friday for what a Syrian information ministry official described as his “unprofessional and false” coverage of events.
Two weeks ago Saudi Arabia expelled correspondent Ulf Laessing from Riyadh.
Prominent Jordanian journalists and rights activists staged a silent protest on the steps of Jordan’s Journalists Syndicate in Amman on Thursday over Khalidi’s detention.
● SOURCE Committee to Protect Journalists | Reuters
Citing diplomatic sources, Reuters said correspondent Suleiman al-Khalidi, a 54-year-old Jordanian who has worked for Reuters for more than 20 years in Jordan, Kuwait, Syria and Iraq, had been detained in Damascus on Tuesday. The Jordanian foreign minister said in a Twitter post that he was monitoring the case closely.
He was able to make two brief telephone calls to his wife on Thursday, saying he hoped to return soon.
Reuters also said Damascus-based photographer Khaled al-Hariri, a Syrian who has also worked for Reuters for more than 20 years, has not been heard from since Monday. It said he was last seen at the Damascus bureau on Monday morning.
Both journalists had been covering political unrest in Syria.
“Thomson Reuters is deeply concerned about the whereabouts of our colleagues Khaled al-Hariri and Suleiman al-Khalidi,” editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said. “We call upon the Syrian authorities to help us urgently in ensuring their safe and timely release.”
Syrian authorities have detained several local journalists and press freedom advocates in recent days, although some have since been released. Reuters journalists were among those targeted. On Monday, authorities expelled producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji after holding them incommunicado for two days. On Friday, Syrian authorities revoked the press credentials of another Reuters senior correspondent, Khaled Oweis, for purportedly “false” coverage.
In Libya, authorities on Wednesday expelled Michael Georgy, who had been covering the conflict for several weeks, Reuters said. The Libyan government provided no justification for its action. Georgy, who was among a group of foreign journalists allowed to report from Tripoli under severe government restrictions, arrived in neighbouring Tunisia. He had been detained for several hours earlier this month while trying to reach Misrata, Reuters said.
“We are concerned for the safety of our two missing colleagues and urge Syrian authorities to do everything to ensure their safety,” said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator. “We are also disappointed to hear that the Libyan government has expelled Reuters’ Michael Georgy, seemly without cause.”
Two Lebanese Reuters television journalists who had been working in Syria since the previous week, producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji, were held incommunicado for two days before being released by Syrian authorities on Monday. They were expelled to Lebanon.
Reuters correspondent Khaled Yacoub Oweis, a Jordanian who had been based in Damascus, was expelled from Syria on Friday for what a Syrian information ministry official described as his “unprofessional and false” coverage of events.
Two weeks ago Saudi Arabia expelled correspondent Ulf Laessing from Riyadh.
Prominent Jordanian journalists and rights activists staged a silent protest on the steps of Jordan’s Journalists Syndicate in Amman on Thursday over Khalidi’s detention.
● SOURCE Committee to Protect Journalists | Reuters
Reuters journalists freed in Syria
Monday 28 March 2011
Two Reuters journalists detained by Syrian authorities were released on Monday, two days after they were held in Damascus.
Television producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji returned to their home base in Lebanon and said they were well.
"Reuters is concerned that its journalists were detained and held incommunicado for so long. We are delighted by their release and look forward to welcoming Ayat and Ezzat back," editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said. "We would like to thank everyone who helped us resolve the issue."
Basma and Baltaji, both Beirut-based Lebanese nationals, travelled to neighbouring Syria on Thursday to cover mass protests against president Bashar al-Assad’s 11-year rule.
A Syrian official said the journalists were detained and questioned because they did not have a permit to work in Syria and had filmed “in an area where filming is not permitted”.
● SOURCE Reuters
Television producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji returned to their home base in Lebanon and said they were well.
"Reuters is concerned that its journalists were detained and held incommunicado for so long. We are delighted by their release and look forward to welcoming Ayat and Ezzat back," editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said. "We would like to thank everyone who helped us resolve the issue."
Basma and Baltaji, both Beirut-based Lebanese nationals, travelled to neighbouring Syria on Thursday to cover mass protests against president Bashar al-Assad’s 11-year rule.
A Syrian official said the journalists were detained and questioned because they did not have a permit to work in Syria and had filmed “in an area where filming is not permitted”.
● SOURCE Reuters
Two Reuters TV journalists missing in Syria
Sunday 27 March 2011
Two Reuters television journalists have been missing in Syria since Saturday night, when they were due to return to Lebanon.
Beirut-based producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji had been expected to cross into Lebanon by road, where they had arranged for a taxi to pick them up from the border, at approximately 1830 GMT on Saturday. The last known contact was at 1722 GMT, when Baltaji sent a telephone message to a colleague in Beirut in which he said: “We will leave now.”
Basma and Baltaji, both Lebanese nationals, travelled to Syria on Thursday afternoon to cover mass protests against President Bashar al-Assad. They have been unreachable by telephone since Saturday night.
Editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said: “Reuters is deeply concerned about our two Reuters television colleagues who went missing in Syria on Saturday. We have reached out to the relevant authorities in Syria and have asked for their help in securing our colleagues’ safe return home.”
A Syrian official told Reuters on Sunday that authorities were working on resolving the issue. A senior Reuters editor plans to travel to Damascus to discuss the matter formally with Syrian officials.
Basma, who has gone on reporting assignments in Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq, has been with Reuters since February 2007. Baltaji has worked for the company since April 2008.
On Friday, Syrian authorities expelled correspondent Khaled Yacoub Oweis, saying he had filed “unprofessional and false” coverage of events in Syria. Reuters said it stood by its coverage.
● SOURCE Reuters
Beirut-based producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji had been expected to cross into Lebanon by road, where they had arranged for a taxi to pick them up from the border, at approximately 1830 GMT on Saturday. The last known contact was at 1722 GMT, when Baltaji sent a telephone message to a colleague in Beirut in which he said: “We will leave now.”
Basma and Baltaji, both Lebanese nationals, travelled to Syria on Thursday afternoon to cover mass protests against President Bashar al-Assad. They have been unreachable by telephone since Saturday night.
Editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said: “Reuters is deeply concerned about our two Reuters television colleagues who went missing in Syria on Saturday. We have reached out to the relevant authorities in Syria and have asked for their help in securing our colleagues’ safe return home.”
A Syrian official told Reuters on Sunday that authorities were working on resolving the issue. A senior Reuters editor plans to travel to Damascus to discuss the matter formally with Syrian officials.
Basma, who has gone on reporting assignments in Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq, has been with Reuters since February 2007. Baltaji has worked for the company since April 2008.
On Friday, Syrian authorities expelled correspondent Khaled Yacoub Oweis, saying he had filed “unprofessional and false” coverage of events in Syria. Reuters said it stood by its coverage.
● SOURCE Reuters
