Associated Press Letter to
U.S. Col. Victor Petrenko
Protesting Deletion of Photos
of Dead Afghan Civilians
Dear Col. Petrenko,
I am writing to you in reference to an incident that occurred at Barikaw in Nangahar Province on Sunday, March 4, 2007, in which U.S. soldiers forced a freelance photographer and video cameraman working for The Associated Press to erase still photos and video footage from their cameras. Both are accredited journalists.
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The photographer and cameraman, both Afghans, were taking pictures about 100 meters from the site of a suicide bombing on an American military convoy. They were photographing and filming a civilian car on a public highway in which people had been shot to death during gunfire that broke out in the aftermath of the bombing. Two U.S. soldiers with a translator came up to our photographer and told him he did not have permission to take photos. One of the soldiers made him delete his photos in front of him.
The photographer and the cameraman then came
across another U.S.
service member who appeared to be an officer. They showed their journalist
identification cards, and the officer agreed that they could take pictures, but
told them not to go any closer to the site of the bombing. They acceded to that
request and started taking pictures again.
However, the original soldier who had deleted their footage before then returned, and in an angry and threatening manner, made them delete their pictures again. The soldier warned them that he did not want to see any AP photos published anywhere. He also raised his fist in anger as if he was going to hit the photographer but did not strike.
According to the cameraman, the U.S. soldier and translator "ordered us not to move." They made him delete any footage that included American soldiers and also part of an interview with an Afghan civilian from a demonstration that had broken out after the bombing and shooting.
The soldier who erased the footage offered no
justification or explanation of why this action was necessary. We understand the
U.S.
will occasionally claim the right to prevent media coverage because of
operational security issues, but it's difficult to see how the images of a
civilian car on a public highway would have been a security concern.
Other Afghan journalists at the scene also had their footage deleted and corroborated what happened to the AP photographer and cameraman.
While we appreciate there is degree of confusion in the aftermath of a violent incident and tempers can fray, The Associated Press is deeply concerned that U.S. service members have in this incident prevented journalists from doing their job. It is particularly worrying that the soldier in question felt at liberty to erase material that should be part of the public record.
In this regard, American soldiers also attempted to stop AP journalists from covering the aftermath of a U.S. military helicopter crash in Shahjoi district, Zabul province, on February 18, 2007, close to the main Kabul-Kandahar highway. The troops spent about 25 minutes searching the journalists and their car for any footage that they had taken.
If this is a trend, it is clearly a worrying one and does little to promote the free media in Afghanistan. Our journalists are properly accredited and make every effort to cooperate with the U.S. military and other foreign forces to ensure we give fair coverage. It is also essential for our journalists’ own safety to coordinate with troops on the ground when covering the aftermath of bombings and other violent incidents. For example, in Kandahar, local reporters for AP and other news networks have met with officers for NATO forces there to establish a protocol for covering bombings -- largely for their own safety after at least two incidents last summer in which NATO troops opened fire on the ground close to journalists in the aftermath of suicide attacks.
We strive for a cooperative relationship with the U.S. military, and appreciate the help you extend us in letting us embed with U.S. forces in Afghanistan on a regular basis. But we are deeply concerned over any attempt to control our journalistic coverage. It is for this reason I hope you take due and serious note of these concerns and take steps to prevent a repeat.
With best regards.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Pennington
Associated Press
Bureau Chief Pakistan/Afghanistan
