Four NYT Journalists Released by Libya; 13 Others Jailed or Missing

Libyan authorities have released four New York Times journalists who had been swept up by government forces March 15 while covering the continuing uprising against Moammar Gaddafi. But 13 other journalists remain missing or detained in Libya and conditions for all news professionals remain precarious.

Those still in government custody include a four-member Al Jazeera news team and six Libyan journalists who had been critical of the government. Still unaccounted for are two reporters from Agence France Presse and a photographer from Getty Images, Joe Pompeo reported on Yahoo News.  

The four Times staffers – Beirut Bureau Chief Anthony Shadid, photographers Tyler Hicks and Lindsay Addario and reporter/videographer Stephen Farrell – were leaving the front line of clashes between Ghadhafi loyalists and rebels near the city of Ajdabiya when they were detained at a government checkpoint, which then came under rebel fire, The Times reported. Two days later, the Libyan government informed the newspaper that the four were in custody and allowed them to call their families. After several days of negotiations between the newspaper and Libyan authorities, aided by diplomats from Turkey and the United Kingdom, the journalists were turned over to Turkish diplomats on Monday and crossed safely into Tunisia later in the day.

Later, the four shared details of their harrowing experience.

Meanwhile, conditions for journalists covering the conflict in Libya remain dangerous, as United Nations-backed airstrikes continue and fighting rages between rebels and forces loyal to the government. Since the conflict began last month, CPJ has documented more than 50 attacks on members of the press, two of which were fatal. CPJ's tally includes "more than 33 detentions, five assaults, two attacks on news facilities, numerous instances of equipment confiscation, three cases of obstruction, the jamming of at least two satellite news transmissions, and the interruption of Internet service."