Mr. Waddah Khanfar
Managing Editor
Al-Jazeera
Qatar
Fax: (011.974) 488-5333
News Room
Al-Jazeera
Qatar
Fax: (011.974) 486-5288
Gentlemen:
The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) writes to express its thanks for your coverage of the disappearance of journalist, Micah Garen, last seen in Nasiriyah, Iraq, on Friday.
I know Mr.Garen personally and can vouch for his bona fides as a professional reporter, cameraman, and photographer of the highest standards. His freelance work has appeared in over a dozen publications and networks worldwide.
His main concern in Iraq is with archeology. He has been documenting the looting and is very much concerned with the preservation, in Iraq, of ancient Iraqi treasures. As a freelancer, he has been conducting his work on the smallest of budgets.
The OPC has impartially defended the rights of journalists world-wide for more than 65 years.
We have written strong letters to governments throughout the world to defend the lives and working conditions of journalists wherever we could. You might recall we complained strongly to the United States government on several occasions about its treatment of foreign journalists, and more recently have written to the provisional government of Iraq to protest actions taken against al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya. The OPC appreciates any efforts that might result in dissemination and widespread understanding of the fact that Mr. Garen is a working journalist, and deserves to be treated as a professional.
Thanking you in advance for any assistance, I am,
Sincerely yours,
Robert E. Sullivan Larry Martz
Freedom of the Press Committee
OP Micah Letter