Home > Blogs > Post Content

USA TODAY JOURNALIST CAPTURED IN LIBYA (2006 hits)

Forces loyal to Col. Moammar Gadhafi have captured four journalists, two of whom are U.S. citizens.

One of the reporters, Clare Morgana Gillis, has reported for USA TODAY, TheAtlantic.com and TheChristian Science Monitor. The other U.S. citizen arrested is James Foley, a journalist for GlobalPost.

Human Rights Watch stated Thursday that witnesses said that the four reporters were in a car Tuesday a few miles outside of Brega, the scene of intense fighting recently, when they were stopped by pro-government forces and taken away. The driver was released, and the car destroyed.

Rebels who witnessed the arrest reported what they saw to The New York Times, which alerted Human Rights Watch. The other two journalists taken are Manu Brabo, a Spanish photographer, and Anton Hammerl, a South African photographer. The location of the journalists is not known.

Last month, four journalists for the Times were captured and released after six days. Gillis, of New Haven, Conn., is a graduate of Harvard University.

The State Department, Human Rights Watch and the Libyan foreign media office have been informed of the situation and asked to intervene on behalf of the journalists.

“Clare Morgana Gillis has provided excellent coverage of the conflict in Libya as a journalist working for numerous American publications including USA TODAY,” Editor John Hillkirk said. “We ask Libyan authorities to ensure her safety and release her immediately, along with the three journalists who are with her.”