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Still Jailed: CBS Reporter Abdul Hussein

Arianna has an important post up about Abdul Amir Younes Hussein, a 25 year old CBS reporter who has been imprisoned without charges for five months in Iraq. CBS is not getting answers about his case.

For 25-year-old CBS cameraman Abdul Amir Younes Hussein, being shot and wounded by American forces in Iraq was just the beginning. On April 5, Mr. Hussein, a freelancer employed by the network in the northern city of Mosul, went to the scene of a car bombing to film the aftermath. He was standing near an armed insurgent when U.S. forces opened fire, killing the militant and wounding him lightly. The military released a statement that expressed regret about the incident and said it was under investigation.

Three days later, the military released a second statement saying that Mr. Hussein had been "detained for alleged insurgent activity" and there was probable cause to believe he posed "an imperative threat to coalition forces."

Ultimately, no charges were brought by the Iraqi authorities. Yet, Hussein still was not released. He was supposed to have a hearing yesterday, but it was canceled. Arianna reports,

But on September 12, CBS News was informed that the hearing had already been held -- without Hussein, his lawyer, or anyone from CBS News in attendance. Then, on Tuesday, came word that the CRRB had decided to keep Hussein in jail, with no review of his case for another six months.

It's an outrage. And not just for Abdul Hussein. Cases like his can't help but have a chilling effect on news coverage of Iraq. With Western reporters holed up away from the action, news organizations are relying on Iraqi personnel to get the story.

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