SHRC CONDEMNS KIDNAPPING OF AMERICAN JOURNALIST BY 'MILITIAS LOYAL TO REGIME'

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06712773
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2018
• Case Number: F-2018-00161
• Publication Date: December 20, 2012

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CITE OSC RESTON VA 998843
WARNING: TOPIC: CRIME, DOMESTIC POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, MEDIA
SERIAL: GMP20121220711001
BODY
COUNTRY: SYRIA, TURKEY, UNITED STATES
SUBJ: (U) SHRC CONDEMNS KIDNAPPING OF AMERICAN JOURNALIST BY
'MILITIAS LOYAL TO REGIME'
SOURCE: LONDON SYRIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE IN ENGLISH
19 DEC 12
(U)
TEXT:
(U) Statement issued by the SHRC on the kidnapping of Journalist
Richard Engel
Internet
OSC Transcribed Text
(U) This product may contain copyrighted material; authorized use
is for national security purposes of the United States Government
only. Any reproduction, dissemination, or use is subject to the
OSC usage policy and the original copyright.
Opposition groups in Syria have managed to free one of the most
prominent American journalists (TV Journalist Richard Engel)
after he had disappeared for five days and after he had left the
Turkish lands for Syria last Thursday, according to NBC news
network, for whom Richard Engel works.
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The news network mentioned in its press release that, "following
his kidnapping and detainment for five days by an unknown group,
NBC's chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel and his
production team were released with no harm." The news network
also added, "We are happy to announce that they have left the
country safely."
In further details of the kidnapping, it was said that Engel and
his team were put into a truck and taken to an unknown place,
thought to be close to the city of Ma'arat Masreen. They were
blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs, although
they were not harmed. When the kidnappers attempted to
transported them to another area at a late time on Monday evening,
they drove into a checkpoint belonging to an opposition group
called "Liberators of Shaam". This led to clashes between the two
sides, in which two of the kidnappers were killed whilst the rest
escaped. Engel and his group were not harmed, and were freed.
They left the country on Tuesday morning.
After being freed, Engel commented that his kidnappers were
militias loyal to the Syrian regime known as the "Shabiha", and
that they had threatened him and his crew more than once. He said
they were not hurt physically but subjected to "psychological
torture," including threats that one or all of them would be
killed.
"They made us choose which one of us would be shot first, and when
we refused, there were mock shootings. They pretended to shoot
Ghazi several times," Engel said, referring to Balkiz. "When
you're blindfolded and then they fire the gun up in the air, it
can be a very traumatic experience."
The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) condemns the kidnapping
of journalists in Syria and demands that they are given
protection in order to be able to provide a more neutral picture
of what is happening on the ground. Since the beginning of the
events in Syria, a number of journalists have been killed,
including foreign journalists, and many have gone missing due to
their reporting of events. Under article 79 of the Additional
Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 "journalists engaged
in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict
shall be considered as civilians."
Thus, all international humanitarian law applicable to civilians
also applies to journalists, yet the way journalists are treated
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in Syria, is once again, another daily violation of human rights
which takes place in the country. SHRC calls for the release of
all journalists and media activists who were arrested during
their covering of the events, and that their whereabouts are
revealed immediately.
Signed Syrian Human Rights Committee
Dated 18/12/12
Description of Source: Syrian Human Rights Committee in English
-- Official website of the London-based SHRC, the Syrian Human
Rights Committee; URL: http://www.shrc.org.uk
(U) This product may contain copyrighted material; authorized use
is for national security purposes of the United States Government
only. Any reproduction, dissemination, or use is subject to the
OSC usage policy and the original copyright.
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MEDIA
Syrian Human Rights Committee
Internet
London
United Kingdom
19 Dec 12
19 Dec 12
English
GMP20121220711001
Translation/Transcription
OSC Transcribed Text
Priority
Syria, Turkey, United States
Middle East, Europe, Americas
Middle East, South Europe, North Americas
CRIME, DOMESTIC POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS,
CAELETYPE: FBISEMS ACP 1.0.
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