Thursday, February 3, 2011

Egyptian army starts rounding up journalists, possibly for their own protection from attacks

CAIRO (AP) - The Egyptian military rounded up journalists on Thursday after they came under attack from supporters of President Hosni Mubarak who have been assaulting anti-government protesters.

The U.S. State Department condemned what it called a "concerted campaign to intimidate" foreign journalists in Egypt.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said via Twitter that the campaign against journalists is intended to interfere with their reporting, and "we condemn such actions."

The leaders of France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain said in a joint statement that the "attacks against journalists are completely unacceptable."

Foreign photographers reported a string of attacks by Mubarak supporters near Tahrir Square, the scene of battles between supporters of Mubarak and protesters demanding he step down after nearly 30 years in power.

The Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini said its correspondent in Cairo was hospitalized with a stab wound to the leg after being attacked by pro-Mubarak demonstrators in central Tahrir Square. He has been released. A Greek newspaper photographer was also beaten.

The injured journalist, Petros Papaconstantinou, said on Kathimerini's website that: "I was spotted by Mubarak supporters. They ... beat me with batons on the head and stabbed me lightly in the leg. Some soldiers intervened, but Mubarak's supporters took everything I had on me in front of the soldiers."



rest at http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D9L5CM2O0

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