Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Pentagon: Shooting of Reuters journalist in Iraq justified

 Pentagon: Shooting of Reuters journalist in Iraq justified
By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer
The 2005 shooting death of a Reuters journalist in the midst of a
firefight in Baghdad was justified because U.S. soldiers believed the
camera protruding from an unmarked car was a rocket propelled grenade, the
Pentagon's internal watchdog has concluded.
In an 82-page report, the Defense Department's inspector general also said
that Reuters safety practices contributed to the death of sound technician
Waleed Khaled, and the wounding of cameraman Haider Kadhem.
While the report was critical of how the initial investigation was
conducted — saying the military unit's investigating officer did not
follow correct procedures — it nevertheless concluded that a
"preponderance of evidence establishes that the cameraman and driver took
actions during the incident that reasonably led U.S. soldiers to believe
they were confronting hostile intent."
Reuters Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger said he believes the inspector
general took the case seriously and came up with positive recommendations.
"We are never satisfied when a journalist is killed in the course of
covering a story," he said. "I welcome the recommendation that the
military and media engage together to better ensure the safety of
journalists on the front line."
He said Reuters will examine its safety procedures, and noted, "Better
training for journalists and for the military, clear rules of engagement
and a closer dialogue are essential in order to prevent further tragedies
occurring."
According to the report, U.S. soldiers responding to an ambush on Iraqi
police, saw the car with the Reuters journalists inside, and mistook
Kadhem's handheld camcorder and microphone for a weapon. The soldiers
fired warning shots at the car.
Following Reuters' safety procedures, the crew put the car in reverse and
began to back away — an action the military is trained to interpret as an
insurgent's combat tactics.
The soldiers fired shots to disable the car, killing and wounding the
journalists. A contributing factor, the inspector general said, was the
Reuters policy that allows journalists to work without wearing protective
equipment, and in unmarked cars.
"We understand Reuters' concern for employee safety, and their employees'
desire to reduce their visibility or profile in violent environments," the
report said, "but the actions of the Reuters journalists reduced the
soldiers' ability to distinguish them from combatants during a battle."
According to the report, the military unit's investigating officer did not
follow correct procedures — the officer didn't interview all personnel at
the scene, did not get written statements from the shooting team members,
and did not fully investigate the scene.
Later, the video of the incident, which was taped by Kadhem, was
accidentally lost when the investigating officer mistakenly took it home
to Louisiana with him. It was mailed back to Iraq, but never arrived there.
The report recommended that corrective action be taken against the
investigating officer for failing to preserve evidence, and that officers
receive additional training on how to conduct investigations. It also
recommended that the U.S. military in Iraq review procedures with the
media so they can safely respond in such encounters.
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  Pentagon: Shooting of Reuters journalist in Iraq justified
quindi le democrazie possono andare ad accoppare giornalisti in giro
per il mondo (l'Iraq da quando sono arrivati gli americani è
saldamente al primo posto ogni anno per giornalisti uccisi), a
differenza delle dittature, che sono tali perchè ammazzano giornalisti
solo all'interno dei propri confini. Chissà, se Putin facesse
accoppare un po' di giornalisti fuori dalla Russia diventerebbe un
sincero democratico.

 Intanto li fa accoppare in patria, 
il pedonazi brit fornisca le prove, grazie.
