Al Jazeera Network calls on ISAF for the immediate release of two of its cameramen arrested over the last 72 hours. Al Jazeera views this escalation as an attempt by ISAF leadership to suppress its comprehensive coverage of the Afghan war.

The latest arrest of Al Jazeera channel cameraman, Mr. Mohamed Nader, occurred in Kandahar at 4am (Afghanistan time) September 22nd. An account by his wife states that she was woken when ISAF troops raided their home during the night when they stormed the house; the troops then proceeded to arrest her husband, Mr. Nader, forcibly removing him from his bedroom, and continued to search the house, in addition to taking possession of their valuables. A press release issued by ISAF confirms that they were responsible for the arrest and terms Mr. Nader as a “Taliban facilitator”. Al Jazeera strongly opposes this claim and stands behind the innocence of Mr. Nader.

Just over two days ago, Mr. Rahmatullah Nekzad, a freelancer working for Al Jazeera channel and AP, was arrested in the same manner in the Ghazni province by ISAF forces. The ISAF press release alleges that Mr. Nekzad is a “suspected Taliban media and propaganda facilitator,” which Al Jazeera believes is an alarming and unusual classification used by ISAF to intimidate the press. Al Jazeera also strongly opposes Mr. Nekzad’s arrest and stands behind his innocence.

The arrests follow a recent pattern of escalation by ISAF and coalition forces to target Al Jazeera journalists in Afghanistan. Recently, Al Jazeera’s offices and bureau chief Samir Allawy in Afghanistan were also threatened and contacted on many occasions for Al Jazeera to change its editorial policy. The response from Al Jazeera is that it will continue to maintain its coverage on the basis of fair and impartial journalism in line with its Code of Ethics and will not bias its coverage in favor of any party or coalition despite pressures being imposed on it.

As part of their work cameramen and crew need to have contact with all sides of those involved in a particular issue, which in this case includes ISAF forces, the Afghanistan government as well as the Taliban. These contacts should not be seen as a criminal offence but rather as a necessary component of the work that journalists undertake.

Al Jazeera calls for the immediate release of both its cameramen as it sees these arrests as a curtailment of the freedom of expression that hinders the Al Jazeera Network from undertaking its newsgathering and journalistic work. It also calls upon officials from ISAF and the Afghanistan government to provide an immediate explanation for the arrests and holds them responsible for the safety of both of Al Jazeera’s cameramen.