‘2 Murders and A Lie’

PARIS – US authorities bear a “criminal” responsibility in the deaths of two reporters killed when a tank fired at a Baghdad hotel because troops had not been told that the building housed journalists.

Reporters Without Borders, in a report titled ‘Two Murders and A Lie’, demanded that the deaths of cameramen Jose Couso, of Spanish network Telecinco, and Taras Protsyuk, with Reuters, be investigated again. They were killed on April 8 when a US tank fired on the Palestine Hotel, which housed correspondents covering the US invasion of Iraq.The US military absolved American forces of wrongdoing, saying they fired in self-defense.But Reporters Without Borders said it was “in this case criminal” that US military commanders did not tell tank units that reporters were in the hotel.”The question is whether this information was withheld deliberately, because of misunderstanding or by criminal negligence,” the Paris-based group said.The deaths could have been avoided because troops “would never have fired” had they known reporters were there, the group said.”The firing of a tank shell at the hotel was not therefore a deliberate attack on journalists or the media,” it added.But it charged that the troops’ commanders in the 3rd Infantry Division bear “a heavy responsibility for not providing the necessary information that would prevented the death of the journalists”.- Nampa-APThey were killed on April 8 when a US tank fired on the Palestine Hotel, which housed correspondents covering the US invasion of Iraq. The US military absolved American forces of wrongdoing, saying they fired in self-defense. But Reporters Without Borders said it was “in this case criminal” that US military commanders did not tell tank units that reporters were in the hotel. “The question is whether this information was withheld deliberately, because of misunderstanding or by criminal negligence,” the Paris-based group said. The deaths could have been avoided because troops “would never have fired” had they known reporters were there, the group said. “The firing of a tank shell at the hotel was not therefore a deliberate attack on journalists or the media,” it added. But it charged that the troops’ commanders in the 3rd Infantry Division bear “a heavy responsibility for not providing the necessary information that would prevented the death of the journalists”. – Nampa-AP