Reuters Cameraman Killed For Filming US
Graves By
Awad al-Ragoub IOL Correspondent 8-20-03
- AL-KHALIL, West Bank
(IslamOnline.net) -- The brother of Reuters cameraman Mazen Dana said he
was deliberately murdered for discovering mass graves of U.S. troops
killed in Iraqi resistance attacks.
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- "The U.S. troops killed my brother in cold blood,"
Nazmi Dana told IslamOnline.net in exclusive statements.
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- "The U.S. occupation troops shot dead my brother on
purpose, although he was wearing his press badge, which was also
emblazoned on the car he was driving," he said.
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- He also recalled that his brother had obtained a prior
permit from the U.S. occupation authorities in Iraq to film in the
site.
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- On Sunday, August 17 , U.S. troops shot dead the
award-winning Reuters cameraman while he was filming near the U.S.-run
Abu Gharib prison in Baghdad.
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- His last pictures show a U.S. tank driving toward him
outside the prison walls, several shots ring out from the tank and the
camera falls to the ground.
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- Mass Grave
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- "Mazen told me by phone few days before his death that
he discovered a mass grave dug by U.S. troops to conceal the bodies of
their fellow comrades killed in Iraqi resistance attacks," Nazmi
said.
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- "He also told me that he found U.S. troops covered in
plastic bags in remote desert areas and he filmed them for a TV program.
We are pretty sure that the American forces had killed Mazen knowingly
to prevent him from airing his finding."
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- Nazmi said that the U.S. occupation troops were
slowing down the transfer of his brother,s body to his hometown city of
Al-Khalil (Hebron) in the West Bank.
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- "At the very beginning, the Americans refused to
transfer his body outside Iraq. After Reuters intervened they offered to
allow us to take the body to Jordan by road but we refused because of
the state of insecurity in Iraq," he said.
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- "Thanks to Reuters international and diplomatic
contacts, the U.S. troops reluctantly agreed to transfer the body on an
army plane to Kuwait. From there, the body will be flown to Jordan and
finally Palestine to be laid to rest," added the grieved brother.
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- Last Mission
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- Mazen's wife, Umm Hamza, did not rule out that the
U.S. troops targeted her husband personally, noting they had agreed to
give him a permit to film Abu Gharib prison and then he was directly
shot dead by two U.S. tanks.
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- Resolved as she was, Umm Hamza said the death of her
husband came as a bombshell, especially that she expected him to be
killed while covering the developments in Palestine for his bravery and
rare heroism.
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- "Filming Abu Gharib was his last mission; he was
scheduled to leave Baghdad after getting the job done.
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- "I lost the dearest man to my heart, he was caring and
was loved by all his friends and relatives," she lamented.
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- Settlers' Enemy
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- Mazen's camera was the Israeli settlers' archenemy,
given that he exposed to the entire world their terrorism against the
Palestinians and their wildcat outposts sprawling in four Al-Khalil
posts.
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- His death cast a pall of sadness over the Palestinian
territories and reporters, who mourned him as "a matchless
colleague."
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- All international and local news agencies sent cables
of condolences to his family, lauding his patriotism and determination
to uncover the truth wherever it was.
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- The Palestinian information ministry and press
syndicate issued two separate statements, condemning the attack on Mazen
and the continued targeting of journalists.
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- The two statements demanded the U.S. to show some
respect for human beings, particularly reporters, pointing out that
Mazen was a distinguished journalist who did his best to serve his
country and cause.
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- The ministry further urged all Arab and international
press unions "to open a probe into this crime and expose to the entire
world the murderers who have blood on their hands and put them on
trial."
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- Colleagues Mourn
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- Furthermore, dozens of Palestinian journalists
protested on Tuesday morning in Al-Khalil at the killing of
Mazen.
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- The marchers put on a peaceful demonstration from the
House of the Palestinian Press established by the deceased and other
journalists.
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- In Bethlehem, journalists also held a mock funeral for
Mazen, denouncing the U.S. occupation of Iraq and displaying placards
condemning his "assassination."
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- A U.S. military inquiry has recently exonerated an
American tank crew for firing on a Baghdad hotel housing journalists,
killing two foreign reporters and wounded three others.
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reserved.
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- http://islamonline.net/English/News/2003-08/19/article08.shtml
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