Organization for the Protection of Journalists - 2002-12-21

Two journalists from the Qatari television station Al Jazeera have reported that Dutch peacekeepers in Afghanistan treated them violently. Syed Hashmatullah Muslih, a producer for Al Jazeera who has become an Australian citizen, says that he and his Afghan reporter were blindfolded and interrogated violently for six hours by the Dutch peacekeepers. The two journalists say they were detained while attempting to film the aftermath of a grenade attack that occurred last Thursday at the main base of the peacekeepers, in which two Afghan workers were killed. An organization responsible for defending journalists' rights states that investigative journalists and those working to expose injustices have been targeted in many countries around the world over the past year, and action must be taken to protect them. The International Federation of Journalists reports that 67 journalists and their assistants were killed this year while performing their duties. The federation identifies Colombia, Russia, and Pakistan as the most dangerous countries for journalists. The federation, headquartered in Brussels, plans to establish an organization called the 'Institute for News Safety' next year, in collaboration with journalism organizations, labor unions, and other entities, aimed at protecting journalists worldwide.