Iraq sends in security to silence al-Jazeera

The raid followed a decision by Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi to close the station temporarily last month because of its apparent failure to support the US occupation. Officials said al-Jazeera had now been shut indefinitely because it had ignored the original ban.

Several armed police officers were posted outside and in the lobby of Baghdad's Swan Lake Hotel, where al-Jazeera has its offices.

"We have been told not to let anyone in; we are just following orders," Captain Abu Jibal told journalists. "If you take any photos, we'll arrest you," he said.

Robert Menard of Reporters Without Borders said the ban contradicted "Iraqi officials' statements on democracy."

Other media groups, including the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, criticized the earlier ban.

Al-Jazeera said the decision was "reminiscent of the way certain other regimes have behaved."

Last month Iraqi police seized around 60 journalists from a hotel in Najaf at gunpoint. Asked later whether he condemned the incident, Allawi refused to answer.

An al-Jazeera spokesman, Jihad Ballout, said his station had abided by the temporary ban and had used agency footage from Iraq, like other media groups.

The future of al-Jazeera's 100 reporters and other workers in Iraq was unclear, he said.

"We have never compromised our editorial values. We believe that what happens in Iraq is very important for the whole Arab world and needs to be covered comprehensively, objectively and in a balanced way," he said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2004/09/07/2003201931