09/17/06

Associated Press asks U.S. military to release or charge photographer held in Iraq

New York -- The Associated Press today asked the U.S. military in Iraq to release or charge an AP photographer it has held in custody for more than five months.

AP said it was making the request public because all other efforts to get photographer Bilal Hussein released have failed. Hussein, 35, was taken into U.S. military custody on April 12, in Ramadi. He has been detained since then as a security detainee. No charges have been brought against him.

“The Associated Press certainly appreciates the challenges facing the U.S. military in Iraq. For more than five months, we have tried to work with the military or its representatives,” said Tom Curley, president and CEO of The Associated Press. “Our review has convinced us that the matter is not about a crime or threat to American security. It’s about justice.”

“Bilal Hussein has been held in violation of Iraqi law and in disregard to the Geneva Conventions. He must be charged under the Iraqi system or released immediately.”

AP said its own examination had produced no evidence that Hussein had done anything to justify holding him.

AP’s concern is that Hussein be treated fairly and have appropriate access to justice, Curley said. AP has worked continuously with both the U.S. military in Iraq and the U.S. Embassy in Iraq to obtain his release or to have formal charges brought against him. The Iraqi Ministry of Justice has also filed a formal request that Hussein be released if there are no grounds for charges against him.

Hussein has worked as a photographer for The Associated Press since September 2004. He was one of an 11-member team awarded the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. A native of Fallujah, he has been based in Ramadi since early 2005.


Contact: Linda Wagner and Jack Stokes, AP Corporate Communications, 212.621.1720