The release of Alan Johnston
Irish Times
Published: Jul 05, 2007

The release of the BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston is very
welcome, despite the propaganda it served for Hamas in freeing him.
He’d been held for 114 days in conditions he described as "like being
buried alive" by the Army of Islam group, the heavily armed Doghmush
family clan which is both linked to Al Qaeda and criminality.

Mr Johnston was released into the hands of Hamas leader and former
Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh (still PM in his
organisation’s eyes), in what was designed as a public demonstration of
the group’s authority in Gaza following its recent routing of the Fatah
forces of President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas is determined to show that its
writ runs in the beleaguered territory, and, just as importantly, as a
spokesman insisted, that it "is serious in imposing security and
stability". The group also suggested the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit,
kidnapped by Hamas-allied militants last year, could be freed next,
although, true to form, adding that Israel must release hundreds more
Palestinian prisoners. Some good sign, although Hamas has made clear it
has no intention of disarming the Army of Islam. Hamas will have to do
much more to convince of its bona fides as a partner in peace.

Mr Johnston’s kidnap has raised once again the issue of the
vulnerability of journalists in conflict zones and in states where
democratic values remain precarious. Often they are easy targets
because they guarantee international media attention. The NGO Frontline
records some of the attacks in the last month alone: on June 22nd,
investigative journalist Iren Karman was brutally attacked on the
outskirts of Budapest; on June 20th in Yemen’s capital Sana’a,
journalist Abdul-Karim al-Khaiwani was arrested and beaten for
oppositional activities.

In Istanbul the trial opened on Tuesday of those accused of murdering
Hrant Dink, editor of Agos, killed because he was prepared to challenge
Turkish silence on the Armenian genocide. Yet, ironically, as it
prosecutes his alleged killers, the Turkish state has also initiated
the prosecution of his son, Arat Dink, and three other Argos
journalists for "insulting Turkish identity" under article 301 of the
criminal code.

In Iraq two journalists from a Sunni TV station have been killed in the
last four weeks. According to the International News Safety Institute,
since the US invasion, at least 82 journalists have been kidnapped in
Iraq. Of those, 28 have been killed and six are still being held. Some
47 journalists have been freed and the condition of one is unknown. At
least 29 journalists are being held by kidnappers worldwide. In all
1,000 news media personnel around the world have been killed trying to
report the news over the past 10 years.

Last year the UN Security Council (Resolution 1738), required states to
regard journalists as civilian non-combatants and protect them
accordingly. A worthy gesture, but it would be unwise to rely on it.