Anti-Gaddafi Forces Distrustful of Western Reporters (Time.com)

As the push to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi has stalled, journalists have increasingly borne the brunt of the frustrations of Libya's rebels. Although the foreign press was eagerly welcomed just months ago, reporters in rebel-controlled areas have recently been harassed and intimidated. Officials of the rebel-led National Transitional Council (NTC) have steadily begun to treat correspondents as hostile elements: some have been prohibited from filming bomb scenes; others have been accused of being spies.

In several incidents in the months following the February uprising against Gaddafi, rebels have prevented journalists from recording events they consider embarrassing. For example, when a skirmish erupted in March after one fighter ordered another to stop firing an antiaircraft gun outside the town of Brega, which is about 130 miles (210 km) west of the rebel capital, Benghazi, other rebels kept correspondents from filming the incident. On another occasion, journalists were prevented from photographing a rebel who accidentally shot himself in April near Ajdabiyah, approximately 95 miles (155 km) west of Benghazi. (See TIME's video "Colonel Gaddafi's Camera-Ready Victory Celebrations.")

In Benghazi, reporters face similar restrictions. In April, a man barged into a press conference featuring the rebels' military chief of staff, Abd al-Fattah Yunis, and accused the former Gaddafi loyalist of persecuting the Libyan people for 40 years. After the intruder was rushed from the conference hall, journalists were barred from following him and were forced to remain in the room. In June, rebels prevented reporters from filming a car that exploded in a hotel parking lot in Benghazi.

In recent weeks the NTC has intensified pressure on journalists, with most of the intimidation occurring in the rebel enclave of Misratah, 117 miles (188 km) from Tripoli, the capital. Officials there accused reporters of being "spies" and working for "outside powers." They prevented journalists from traveling to the front and began vetting them, even though the reporters had already registered with the NTC Media Center in Benghazi and had been approved to work in all rebel-controlled areas of Libya. Suspicion has fallen particularly heavily on those correspondents from non-English-speaking countries, because Misratah's officials cannot read their foreign-language articles on the Internet. A Polish correspondent was accused of not being a "real" journalist because he took a number of pictures and no one there could understand his published pieces.

Officials in Misratah have stipulated that foreign correspondents can use only "approved" translators, a condition the NTC has not imposed in other areas under its control. In addition, journalists are being hassled about the subject of their articles. In June, one correspondent asked a media official to help arrange meetings with prisoners captured from Gaddafi's forces; the official chastised him and suggested that he instead visit civilian amputees wounded by Gaddafi fighters. When asked why he was muzzling coverage, the official responded, "I am the new Gaddafi! I control everything here!" Another writer was accused of being a spy because his questions had vexed a Misratah official. (See TIME's photo-essay "Scenes from the Battle for Libya.")

Some NTC officials sought to discount events in Misratah by blaming battlefield conditions. "There is paranoia in Misratah because Gaddafi is making a serious push lately," explains Jalal al-Galal, the council's media-committee spokesman. "When Misratis become agitated, they lash out at the first target they find, and that is foreigners."

Privately, NTC officials concede that the actions of their counterparts in Misratah are somewhat justified. "We can't discount that Gaddafi has spies operating in our midst," says a military official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We have an open environment where people come and go. And being a journalist affords the best cover to provide information." The rebels have already apprehended foreigners they believe were working for Gaddafi. In May they detained a group of French security contractors, claiming they were relaying military information to Gaddafi's forces in Tripoli.

Others, however, believe the problem lies with Libyans' unfamiliarity with Western journalistic standards. "Many here just don't understand how journalists behave," says Salah al-Senoussi, a professor of political science. "We never had a free media. For the last 40 years, the papers and television have been telling us how great our political system was, and no journalists ever challenged this farce. This is the legacy of Gaddafi. When journalists challenge the politicians, they believe there is some hidden agenda. Journalists are seen as enemies because they want information politicians don't want to give up."

And with Western reporters eager to learn why the rebels are faltering at the front and how they plan to resolve the dilemma, the NTC's frustrations with journalists are not likely to subside anytime soon.

(See TIME's photo-essay "The Libyan Conflict.")

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Syria escorts reporters to protests

Syrian anti-government protesters march during a demonstration in the town of Kafr Nabel on Friday.NEW: Six people died in Homs and three were killed in Damascus suburbsState TV says "armed men" killed two peopleGovernment escorts reporters to anti-government protestsPresident Bashar al-Assad must engage in meaningful dialogue, Clinton says

Barzeh, Syria (CNN) -- At least nine people were killed in an angry day of protests across Syria on Friday, six in the restive western city of Homs and three others in the outskirts of the capital Damascus.

Demonstrators also massed in Aleppo, Hama, and other locations, according to activists and videos surfacing on the Internet, and they come on what has been a weekly rite: Countrywide anti-government protests after Muslim prayers every Friday since the country's unrest began more than three months ago.

Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told CNN that along with the six dead in Homs, two were killed in al-Qadam and another in Daraya -- both Damascus suburbs. Abdulrahman said the death toll since mid-March is more than 1,360 civilians and more than 340 army and security personnel.

State TV reported that "armed men" in al-Qadam shot at anti-riot forces and citizens, killing a civilian. Footage showed people with their faces covered throwing rocks. The report said armed men shooting at police and civilians in Homs killed a police officer and attackers assaulted the labor union headquarters and wounded one person.

It is unclear whether those fatalities are among the six reported by the human rights group.

Human rights activists have said that Syrian security forces have been launching violent crackdowns on peaceful protesters since mid-March. World powers have denounced the regime for its fierce clampdown on protests. Syria, however, has disputed the criticism and has blamed the bloodshed on "armed groups."

But the Syrian regime has made significant gestures amid the mounting criticism. Earlier this week, it allowed opposition activists to hold a gathering, and on Friday, the government escorted international reporters, including CNN's Arwa Damon, to anti-government protests.

She witnessed a protest of a few hundred people in the Damascus suburb of Barzeh, hearing people chant for freedom and call for the downfall of the regime. Protesters changed "peaceful, peaceful" around a massive Syrian flag.

Despite warnings from government minders of danger, Damon and a CNN crew broke away to look around and talk to others.

Last week in Barzeh there had been violence, with at least five people killed, and bullet holes in a number of buildings illustrated the violent aftermath.

CNN journalists met a man who said his 27-year-old son was killed weeks ago, and others showed spots where other casualties occurred.

Damon spoke to a man who said he was a doctor and worked in a tiny room that served field hospital to treat injured demonstrators. He said people were afraid they'd be arrested if they went government hospitals and chose to be treated there. Some bled to death, the doctor said.

People on the street in Barzeh told Damon that there haven't been armed elements among protesters. But many of them covered their faces with scarves for fear of being identified and then detained by security forces. Despite the risks, they said, they believe their movement has the resilience to succeed.

While anti-government demonstrators insisted that Syria can't exist as long as President Bashar al-Assad is in power, the sentiment was different elsewhere in the area.

In the heart of Damascus, there was a demonstration in support of al-Assad. It was a festive-like atmosphere with people extolling the president.

"God, Syria and only Bashar," they said.

Security personnel were out in force in Aleppo preventing demonstrators from gathering in the neighborhood of Seif el Dawla, where a protest was planned, said a human rights activist communicating with CNN from Aleppo via text message.

"I tried to go to Seif el Dawla but they stopped the taxi and checked my ID," said the activist, who for fear of reprisals from the government, only gave his first name "Sanharib." "If your address shows that you aren't a resident, you can't even get in," he said.

In the rural northwestern region of Jabal Zawiya, crowds of protesters could be heard over the phone denouncing the government of al-Assad, a day after Syrian tanks and helicopters launched deadly raids through villages in the surrounding area.

"They killed a young woman named Fatoum Hallaq," said a resident named Mohammad Ismail in a phone call with CNN, as protesters chanted anti-government slogans in the background. It is unclear whether she died on Thursday or Friday.

"She was hiding among ruins. There was a pyramid next to her. They bombed the old pyramid and she died there."

The region of Jabal Zawiya is home to the ruins of several ancient Byzantine "dead cities" which activists claimed Syrian security forces shelled on Thursday.

A video uploaded to YouTube on Friday, purportedly filmed in the western city of Homs, showed men carrying a man whose white shirt was drenched blood, through the streets of the city.

State TV also reported that two security forces were wounded when "armed men" opened fire at security personnel and citizens in Homs.

Thousands are protesting in the western city of Hama, according to a state TV report, and videos purportedly from that western city showed mass gatherings.

Videos purportedly from Qamishli in the Kurdish region, Abu Kamal in the east, and the coastal city of Latakia have surfaced on the Web.

CNN is not able to independently verify the reports.

This comes as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday condemned attacks by Syrian forces on protesters, saying time was running out for al-Assad to begin a meaningful political dialogue with anti-government demonstrators.

Clinton's remarks followed reports a day earlier that busloads of what an activist called "government thugs" were brought into Aleppo, one of Syria's largest cities, to break up a demonstration. The activist did not want to be named for security reasons.

"I'm just hurt by recent reports of continuing violence on the border and in Aleppo, where demonstrators have been beaten, attacked with knives by government-organized groups and security forces," Clinton said during a news conference with Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaite in Vilnius.

"It is absolutely clear that the Syrian government is running out of time. There isn't any question about that."

Clinton said al-Assad's government must allow "a serious political process that will include peaceful protests to take place throughout Syria and engage in a productive dialogue with members of the opposition and civil society, or they are going to see increasingly organized resistance."

"We regret the loss of life and we regret the violence, but this choice is up to the Syrian government. And right now we're looking for actions not words, and we haven't seen enough of that," she said.

CNN's Ivan Watson, Rasha Qass Yousef, Yousuf Basil, Nada Husseini, Jomana Karadsheh, Arwa Damon, Hala Gorani, Yesim Comert and journalist Vaidotas Beniusis contributed to this report.

CNN

Israel backs away from threat to flotilla reporters (Reuters)

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel backtracked on Monday on a threat to bar foreign journalists from entering the country for 10 years if they board a new international aid flotilla that plans to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an official statement said, instructed authorities to exempt foreign reporters from "the usual policy applied to infiltrators and those who enter illegally."

In an email to foreign news organisations on Sunday, the Government Press Office (GPO) said journalists' participation in the flotilla would be "an intentional violation" of Israeli law that could result in a 10-year entry ban to Israel and confiscation of their equipment.

The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem had described the GPO's warning as a "chilling message" that raised questions about Israel's commitment to freedom of the press. Several Israeli legislators also condemned the GPO's move.

Israel says it will prevent the convoy from reaching Gaza, a territory run by Hamas Islamists, and proposes the ships planning to set sail from European ports this week dock in Israel or Egypt and transfer cargo overland to the enclave.

In Athens, a group of 400 pro-Palestinian activists called on the Greek government to let them depart in "The Freedom Flotilla II." Cyprus, used as a launch pad for earlier voyages, has banned them from sailing from its ports.

A year ago, nine Turkish activists, including one with dual U.S.-Turkish nationality, were killed by Israeli soldiers who raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and were confronted by passengers wielding clubs and knives.

OVERRULING

Israeli officials said the GPO warning referred to the likelihood that reporters, along with activists, would be expelled if the ships docked in Israel and that deportation stamps in their passports would disqualify them for up to 10 years from visiting the country.

Netanyahu, the officials said, overruled what they described as a staff-level decision, and lifted the deportation threat for journalists whose credentials are recognized by Israel.

In its announcement, the Prime Minister's Office said Israeli and foreign reporters would be invited aboard Israeli navy ships sent to intercept the flotilla, to ensure "transparency and accurate coverage."

Israel says its blockade is aimed at stopping weaponry from reaching Hamas, which is shunned by the West because of its refusal to recognize the Jewish state, renounce violence and accept existing peace deals.

Palestinians say the edict is illegal and is helping to strangle Gaza's underdeveloped economy.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged governments on Monday not to assist the flotilla and said he had ordered the army to stop the vessels. The United States has supported the naval blockade and warned activists last week the voyage would be irresponsible and dangerous.

"If there is any friction or violence it will be the organizers and participants of the flotilla who bare the responsibility," Barak said in public remarks.

The activists -- who include European MPs, a former CIA analyst and a 75-year Holocaust survivor, professors and authors -- rejected the warnings and said they would not give up.

"If they physically stop us -- we know and they know -- we will come again and again until this siege is lifted completely and permanently," said Dror Feiler, one of the activists.

(Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou in Athens; editing by Mark Heinrich)

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Libyans attack bus carrying foreign reporters (AP)

TRIPOLI, Libya – Libyans angered by fuel shortages have attacked a bus carrying foreign reporters, slashing its tires and smashing a door. The journalists escaped unharmed.

Chinese correspondent Yigun Zhou says she, a British BBC technician and a British Reuters producer were in a minibus that stalled in a fuel line in the town of Zawiya while heading to the Tunisian border.

She says men smashed the bus door and brandished knives. Others slashed the tires to prevent their escape.

Zhou says a gunman trying to help the reporters sprayed gunfire into the air to disperse the crowds.

Such attacks on foreign reporters covering the Libyan conflict have been rare.

Libyans have had to cope with shortages of fuel, long gas lines and rising food prices.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — NATO warplanes bombed command centers near Tripoli and in Libya's southwest as part of a continuing effort to cut communications links between Moammar Gadhafi and his units on the battlefields, the military alliance said Saturday.

The raids targeted a facility near the capital on Friday and a command and control node near Sebha, a Gadhafi stronghold deep in Libya's southwestern desert, a NATO statement said. Three surface-to-air missile launchers were hit near the government-held town of Sirte, and three rocket launchers near the rebel-held town of Zintan in the mountains south of Tripoli.

The alliance said its aircraft has flown more than 7,500 sorties since it took command of the aerial offensive, including nearly 3,000 strike missions.

With the bombing campaign entering its third month, NATO has come under increasing criticism that it is overstepping the U.N. Security Council's mandate, which provides for the protection of the civilian population but not for wider aerial attacks. Regional support for the daily bombings also appeared to be wavering.

This week, the South Africa-based Pan African Parliament, the legislative body of the African Union, condemned "the military aggression of NATO forces" and called for an urgent session of the U.N. General Assembly to consider the situation. The legislature reiterated its support for the AU peace plan that called for an immediate cease-fire and dialogue between the government and the rebels. The rebels have rejected that plan.

The Pan African Parliament also criticized NATO attacks on "public facilities, infrastructure and residential sites and the targeted assassination of (Libyan) leaders."

The African Union will hold an emergency session next week to discuss the crisis.

On Thursday, NATO warplanes bombed eight Libyan naval vessels in three ports, leaving ships partially sunken and charred and showering docks with debris in the military alliance's broadest attack on Moammar Gadhafi's navy.

The two frigates, a Soviet-built Koni class anti-submarine boat and a French-built Combattante class missile craft, were moored at the dock when they were hit with laser-guided bombs. It was not immediately clear whether their crews were aboard when they were struck.

NATO spokesman Wing Cmdr. Mike Bracken said the vessels were "legitimate and legal targets" because the Libyan navy had tried to mine the harbor at the rebel-held port of Misrata and had attempted to carry out attacks on shipping there.

Bracken declined to say whether the targeted frigates had actually been used in any naval operations since the start of the conflict.

But Commandant Omran al-Forjani, head of Libya's coast guard, said the ships had been deliberately left tied to their docks since a NATO warning in March that they would be considered targets if they left port.

"We were told if the boats moved, they would be hit," al-Forjani told a news conference Friday.

Al-Forjani said the targeted ships were used to patrol Libyan waters for boats carrying African migrants trying to make the dangerous sea crossing to Europe and for search-and-rescue operations.

In addition to about 200 aircraft enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya and carrying out attacks on pro-regime forces, there are also 21 warships under NATO command patrolling the central Mediterranean.

The task force has also boarded 47 vessels — including one on Friday — and seven ships suspected of carrying arms have been diverted since the naval operation started in mid-March.

The latest vessel to be boarded was identified as the MV Jupiter, NATO said Saturday. The tanker, whose registration remained unclear, was found to be carrying gasoline and was instructed not to continue to Libya "because we had reason to believe it was intended for military purposes", a NATO official said.

"It's clear to NATO that Gadhafi's regime is diverting fuel to its war machine," said the official who could not be identified under standing rules.

___

Lekic reported from Brussels.

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