An attempt to rescue two Western journalists wounded in a rocket attack in Syria failed over the weekend, while efforts were apparently underway to secure the release of two Welsh journalists detained in Libya.

According to news reports, Sunday Times (U.K.) photographer Paul Conroy and Le Figaro correspondent Edith Bouvier declined to be evacuated on Friday from Homs by a team from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.  The two reportedly feared the evacuation was a trick and that they would instead be arrested.

In separate videos released on YouTube last Thursday, Conroy and Bouvier made a plea for their evacuation and described the extent of their injuries.  Conroy revealed severe shrapnel wounds in the leg while Bouvier said she was suffering from multiple leg fractures and required an immediate operation.

Last Wednesday’s rocket blast that wounded the pair also claimed the lives of American war correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik.  A third journalist, William Daniels, a photographer working for Le Figaro and Time, appeared in Bouvier’s video but appeared to be himself unharmed.

Daniels explained in the video that while he, Conroy, and Bouvier were being well cared for by a team of local doctors and activists, the lack of electricity and food—in addition to the threat posed by the Syrian government’s constant shelling of the city—added to the urgency of the need for an evacuation.

According to the Telegraph (U.K.), Conroy and Bouvier had requested to be rescued by a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) along with a British or French diplomat.

The ICRC, however, has reportedly been barred from entering the district of Homs in which the journalists are holed up.  The Syrian government on Friday, moreover, was said to have denied permission to the French ambassador to accompany the evacuation team, the Telegraph’s report explained.

Confirming Friday’s failed rescue attempt to the Guardian, a spokesman for the ICRC underscored what he termed “real communications challenges in Syria.”  In response to Conroy and Bouvier’s concerns, he added, “We have heard reports of instances of misuse of the Red Cross/Red Crescent emblems.”

International Press Institute (IPI) Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills said, “We urge the Syrian government to ensure that these journalists can be evacuated safely and as a matter of the utmost urgency.  It is an outrage that nearly a week after being wounded they have not been able to leave the country under the requested escort to get badly needed medical care.”

The ICRC has vowed to make another rescue attempt as soon as possible.  A spokesman for the British Foreign Office, however, has ruled the involvement of a diplomat therein as “unhelpful” and “unfeasible.”

Meanwhile, Iranian English-language broadcaster Press TV announced on Friday that two of its correspondents, reporter Nicholas Davies and cameraman Gareth Montgomery-Johnson, had been arrested in Tripoli on Tuesday.

According to the BBC, the two journalists were taking photographs late at night in the capital when they were detained by members of a militia group comprised of former rebel fighters.  The militia’s commander was said to have based the arrests on the journalists’ alleged lack of proper immigration documents.

It was unclear what, if any, charges the two men were to face.  A spokesman for Human Rights Watch (HRW) told media outlets its representatives had been denied access to the pair and was quoted as saying of the militia: “They must turn over their detainees to the government. They are undermining the future of Libya as a country ruled by law.”

Mills added, “We are deeply concerned that, one year after the beginning of a revolution that was to bring democracy and transparency to Libya, journalists apparently continue to be arbitrarily detained.  If these two journalists have committed an immigration offence, this should be handled by the proper Libyan authorities; otherwise, they should be released immediately.”

Umar Khan, a freelance journalist in Libya who was one of the last to see the Welsh pair, told the Western Mail (Wales) that the journalists had been arrested while allegedly filming near a prison facility without permission.

Khan added, “They are under more suspicion because of their affiliation with the Press TV, an Iranian state-owned channel. Libya doesn’t regard Iran very highly and thus anybody related to their outfits naturally seem suspicious to the authorities here.”

Montgomery-Johnson’s sister told the BBC she was in constant contact with the British Foreign Office.  The BBC also reported that officials from the British Embassy in Libya were providing consular assistance and that the two men were said to be in good health.

It was unclear from news reports, however, what specific steps the Foreign Office was taking to secure the pair’s release.