September 16, 1999
His Excellency Ehud Barak
Prime Minister of the State of Israel
Office of the Prime Minister
3 Kaplan Street, Kiryat Ben-Gurion
Jerusalem, Israel
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to the defense of press freedom worldwide, is writing to express grave concern about the case of Cosette Elias Ibrahim, a Lebanese journalism student and freelance reporter who was abducted by Israeli forces in the town of Rumaish in Israeli-occupied south Lebanon.
On or about September 2, Ibrahim, a student at the Lebanese University who has also worked as a freelance reporter for several Lebanese newspapers including the daily Al-Liwaa, was taken by Israeli forces who stormed her family’s home in Rumaish. She had been in Rumaish to visit family, but also planned to report on the living conditions of people in occupied south Lebanon. Ibrahim was reportedly taken to Khiam Prison in the occupied zone.
According to Lebanese journalists and local human rights organizations, Ibrahim was detained for refusing to “collaborate” with Israeli forces, who often arrest residents of the occupied zone on these grounds. She is also accused of having provided information to the Lebanese army on Israeli military activities in the region.
We note with deep concern that Ibrahim is the third journalist detained by Israeli or South Lebanon Army (SLA) forces in south Lebanon in the past three years, according to CPJ’s research.
CPJ views the arrest of Cosette Elias Ibrahim as a dangerous threat to the internationally-recognized right of journalists to practice their profession freely. Given documented cases of torture and mistreatment of detainees in Khiam Prison, CPJ is also concerned that she may be at risk of such abuse.
We respectfully urge Your Excellency to ensure that Cossette Elias Ibrahim be released immediately, and that all journalists in southern Lebanon be allowed to practice their profession without interference from Israel or the SLA.
I thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
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His Excellency Ehud Barak
Prime Minister of the State of Israel
Office of the Prime Minister
3 Kaplan Street, Kiryat Ben-Gurion
Jerusalem, Israel