The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
USA
Fax: +1-703-697 83 39
Vienna, 28 March 2003
Dear Mr. Secretary,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, is deeply concerned at the recent bombing of the main Iraqi television station by the United States and the United Kingdom.
According to the information provided to IPI, on 26 March the allied forces launched air and missile strikes against the main television station in Iraq’s capital Baghdad. As a result of the attacks, the station was forced to stop broadcasting, but it was later able to return to normal programming.
Replying to questions by reporters about the attacks, military officials apparently claimed that the attack had been instigated because the television station was part of a “command and control center.” Indeed, IPI notes that a 27 March Reuters report quotes military officials as saying that the television station was housed in “a key telecommunications vault” for satellite communications.
Although IPI has no information as to whether these assertions by the United States military are true or not, it strongly believes that, irrespective of these claims, the attacks on Iraqi television were an unwarranted violation of Article 52 of the Geneva Convention which states that “Attacks shall be limited strictly to military objectives.” Furthermore, IPI believes the attacks were in flagrant breach of Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states it is the right of everyone to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
In the opinion of IPI, the inevitable result of these attacks is to blur the distinction between civilian and military activities during conflict, thus making it more likely that in the future the destruction of a country’s news-making facilities will become a central military aim in any conflict. If this were to happen, the media would face deliberate targeting from either side and the risks to journalists would be greatly increased.
By acting in this manner, the United States and the United Kingdom are in grave danger of bringing this day closer.
IPI also wholeheartedly supports the statement of UNESCO Director General Koďchiro Matsuura who said, “In a war that also includes a fierce media battle, the task of seeking independent information is especially vital if world public opinion is to avoid being the target of manipulation and propaganda.”
In order to understand the current conflict, the public need a plurality of views and this must include reporting from the Iraqi media.
With the above in mind, IPI calls on both the United States and the United Kingdom to respect both the Geneva Convention and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and allow the media to report freely and without fear of being targeted.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
