hello all,

i would like to forward a message from a collegue, Victor Caivano, who has started a site to free Bilal from jail in Baghdad, who has been with out charges more than a year. the message below contains more information.

www.freebilal.org

thanks
tomas

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Dear all,

I’m writing to ask for your help in the fight to free photographer Bilal Hussein, of the Associated Press (AP), who has been in jail in Baghdad without charges for over a year.

A group of photographers have set up a site ( www.freebilal.org ) where you can find out what’s going on. But to make it simple Bilal was put in jail for taking pictures that were bothering the military. Bilal was one of the very few photographers who was able to photograph the Iraqi insurgency. Several lawyers and editors of the AP have reviewed Bilal’s work and the military’s allegations and found no basis to accuse Bilal of anything but of doing committed journalism. AP president and CEO Tom Curley said it clearly: “But this is not about Bilal Hussein. He is an innocent victim. It is about the Associated Press. We are the target. Freedom of the press is the target.”

I’m asking you to please take a moment to look at the site and if you agree with this fight to add your name to the “undersigners” list. The site hasn’t been officially released yet and the idea is to gather signatures from around the world to make it a truly global effort before sending the release of the site to newspapers and photojournalism sites.

Best,

Victor