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The Detainment of Bilal Hussein
by Ben Muessig
On April 12th, 2006, United States forces in Iraq detained Associated Press
photographer Bilal Hussein. A year and a half later, Hussein remains in custody in Iraq, uncharged.
Hussein, a native of Fallujah, became involved in journalism as a "helper" for the AP early in the Iraq War. He picked up photography and began to freelance for the AP in November 2004, capturing difficult to obtain images of insurgents as well as photographs of the devastation of war.
As early as 2004, Hussein came under the scrutiny of the conservative blogger Rusty Shackleford for taking photographs of members of the Iraqi insurgency that Shackleford considered propagandistic. In a November 14 entry on his blog, The Jawa Report, Shackleford wrote, "Mr. Bilal became APs 'embed' to those forces trying to kill Americans all over Iraq. By hiring a photographer to follow our enemies and to distribute their propaganda, the AP has betrayed our country." Shackleford did not respond to interview requests.
One of Hussein's photographs was part of a series of Iraq War images that won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. His photograph depicted insurgents in combat, including one figure holding a rifle and another who just launched a mortar.
Bilal Hussein's Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of insurgent forces in Iraq.
(Bilal Hussein, Associated Press, originally posted at Pulitzer.org)
Following Hussein's award, Shackleford titled an April 4, 2005 entry, "Pulitzer Prize Given to Terrorists," and argued in an April 6, 2005 piece that Hussein's photograph "has no other explanation than that of the AP photographer being privy to the highest ranks of the insurgency." On October 5, 2005, Shackleford prophetically suggested that Hussein be interrogated for his sources and imprisoned if he refused to cooperate.
Conservative pundit Michelle Malkin broke the story of Hussein's arrest on her blog. On April 12, 2006 she wrote, "[a]ccording to my tipster Hussein was captured earlier today by American forces in a building in Ramadi, Iraq, with a cache of weapons."Malkin later added Hussein was arrestedwith "Hamid Hamad Motib, an alleged leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq" and that he tested "positive for bomb-making materials."
Malkin did not respond to interview requests.
New York attorney and member of the Iraqi Bar Association, Scott Horton, dismissed these claims, stating that Hussein was not arrested in a sting on insurgents. Instead, Horton said that American soldiers, "had been sent out on a mission to get him and that the instructions had come way, way, way up the chain of command, in fact, the implication being that it hadn't been decided in Baghdad, it had been decided in the Pentagon and Washington."
Pentagon Spokesperson Bryan Whitman defended Hussein's imprisonment, "All indications that I have received are that Hussein's detainment indicates that he has strong ties with known insurgents and that he was doing things, involved in activities, that were well outside the scope of what you would expect a journalist to be doing."
The AP did not comment on Hussein's arrest until September of 2006. Due to their silence, Malkin accused the AP of attempting to cover-up Hussein's arrest.
In a September 17, 2006 AP article, AP president and CEO Tom Curley broke the organization's silence, stating, "We want the rule of law to prevail. He either needs to be charged or released. Indefinite detention is not acceptable…We've come to the conclusion that this is unacceptable under Iraqi law, or Geneva Conventions, or any military procedure."
The AP has since published 22 stories, 10 releases, and 1 flash animation concerning Hussein.
In an April lecture at the Museum of Television and Radio, Curley said, "this is not about Bilal Hussein. He is an innocent victim. It is about the Associated Press. We are the target. Freedom of the press is the target…When Bilal Hussein gets out of jail he will continue to work for The Associated Press. We have reviewed everything about him, we stand by him – and his work speaks for itself."
Following Hussein's arrest, a group of his friends and peers formed Freebilal.org. The site contains information concerning Hussein's detention, links to articles, and a petition for Hussein's release with 1480 signatures from journalists worldwide.
The detainment of Bilal Hussein raises questions about the changing role of the journalist. What differentiates coverage from propaganda? How can journalists tell both sides of the story if balanced reporting might put them behind bars? In recent conflicts, the foreign press has become a perceived enemy(Sylvester and Huffman 180-181).The detainment of Bilal Hussein forces journalists working for the American press to wonder whether they too are considered enemies.
Slyvester, Judith, and Suzanne Huffman. Reporting from theFront: The Media andthe Military. 1st ed. New York:Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005.
On April 12th, 2006, United States forces in Iraq detained Associated Press
photographer Bilal Hussein. A year and a half later, Hussein remains in custody in Iraq, uncharged.
Hussein, a native of Fallujah, became involved in journalism as a "helper" for the AP early in the Iraq War. He picked up photography and began to freelance for the AP in November 2004, capturing difficult to obtain images of insurgents as well as photographs of the devastation of war.
As early as 2004, Hussein came under the scrutiny of the conservative blogger Rusty Shackleford for taking photographs of members of the Iraqi insurgency that Shackleford considered propagandistic. In a November 14 entry on his blog, The Jawa Report, Shackleford wrote, "Mr. Bilal became APs 'embed' to those forces trying to kill Americans all over Iraq. By hiring a photographer to follow our enemies and to distribute their propaganda, the AP has betrayed our country." Shackleford did not respond to interview requests.
One of Hussein's photographs was part of a series of Iraq War images that won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. His photograph depicted insurgents in combat, including one figure holding a rifle and another who just launched a mortar.
Bilal Hussein's Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of insurgent forces in Iraq.
(Bilal Hussein, Associated Press, originally posted at Pulitzer.org)
Following Hussein's award, Shackleford titled an April 4, 2005 entry, "Pulitzer Prize Given to Terrorists," and argued in an April 6, 2005 piece that Hussein's photograph "has no other explanation than that of the AP photographer being privy to the highest ranks of the insurgency." On October 5, 2005, Shackleford prophetically suggested that Hussein be interrogated for his sources and imprisoned if he refused to cooperate.
Conservative pundit Michelle Malkin broke the story of Hussein's arrest on her blog. On April 12, 2006 she wrote, "[a]ccording to my tipster Hussein was captured earlier today by American forces in a building in Ramadi, Iraq, with a cache of weapons."Malkin later added Hussein was arrestedwith "Hamid Hamad Motib, an alleged leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq" and that he tested "positive for bomb-making materials."
Malkin did not respond to interview requests.
New York attorney and member of the Iraqi Bar Association, Scott Horton, dismissed these claims, stating that Hussein was not arrested in a sting on insurgents. Instead, Horton said that American soldiers, "had been sent out on a mission to get him and that the instructions had come way, way, way up the chain of command, in fact, the implication being that it hadn't been decided in Baghdad, it had been decided in the Pentagon and Washington."
Pentagon Spokesperson Bryan Whitman defended Hussein's imprisonment, "All indications that I have received are that Hussein's detainment indicates that he has strong ties with known insurgents and that he was doing things, involved in activities, that were well outside the scope of what you would expect a journalist to be doing."
The AP did not comment on Hussein's arrest until September of 2006. Due to their silence, Malkin accused the AP of attempting to cover-up Hussein's arrest.
In a September 17, 2006 AP article, AP president and CEO Tom Curley broke the organization's silence, stating, "We want the rule of law to prevail. He either needs to be charged or released. Indefinite detention is not acceptable…We've come to the conclusion that this is unacceptable under Iraqi law, or Geneva Conventions, or any military procedure."
The AP has since published 22 stories, 10 releases, and 1 flash animation concerning Hussein.
In an April lecture at the Museum of Television and Radio, Curley said, "this is not about Bilal Hussein. He is an innocent victim. It is about the Associated Press. We are the target. Freedom of the press is the target…When Bilal Hussein gets out of jail he will continue to work for The Associated Press. We have reviewed everything about him, we stand by him – and his work speaks for itself."
Following Hussein's arrest, a group of his friends and peers formed Freebilal.org. The site contains information concerning Hussein's detention, links to articles, and a petition for Hussein's release with 1480 signatures from journalists worldwide.
"War reporting is never easy," said Victor Caivano of the organization Free Bilal. "Covering the war in Iraq has proven to be one of the most dangerous assignments of all times (sic). In that context, Bilal's arrest is just one example of the dangers that journalists face will covering the news objectively from all sides."
The detainment of Bilal Hussein raises questions about the changing role of the journalist. What differentiates coverage from propaganda? How can journalists tell both sides of the story if balanced reporting might put them behind bars? In recent conflicts, the foreign press has become a perceived enemy(Sylvester and Huffman 180-181).The detainment of Bilal Hussein forces journalists working for the American press to wonder whether they too are considered enemies.
Latest page update: made by brm237
, Oct 24 2007, 8:37 PM EDT
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added quote from Victor Caivano
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added quote from Victor Caivano
- brm237
54 words added
14 words deleted
view changes
- complete history)
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