H.E. Saud bin Abd al-Aziz Al Fahd
Prime Minister
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
c/o HRH Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz
Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the U.S.
Fax: (202) 337-4134
Your Excellency:
We write to express our shock and dismay at the June 6 attack on journalists in Saudi Arabia
that left BBC cameraman, Simon Cumbers, dead and BBC security correspondent and al-Queda expert, Frank Gardner, injured and in critical condition. Gunmen opened fire on the two BBC journalists and their Saudi information ministry “minder” as they were filming in a street in the
al-Suweidi district of Riyadh, a neighborhood seen as a militant stronghold.
According to reports, the British journalists were in your country in response to the open invitation issued by His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom, during a BBC Radio 4 interview. He assured listeners that Saudi Arabia is “essentially a peaceful and stable country.”
We agree with UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura, who condemned the attack “which targeted two media professionals carrying out their professional work.” As Mr. Matsuura added, “The freedom of journalists to carry out such work in reasonable conditions of safety is essential for democracy, which relies on the choices of a well-informed public.”
Our non-partisan organization has defended journalists and press freedom throughout the world for more than 65 years. We urge you to investigate this attack thoroughly and take all steps possible to assure the safety of journalists visiting Saudi Arabia, and to punish those who commit crimes against media representatives.
Respectfully yours,
Norman A. Schorr Kevin McDermott
Co-chairmen, Freedom of the Press Committee
cc: HRH Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz
Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the U.S.A.
Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Fax: (202) 337-4134
Ambassador Fawzi bin Abd al-Majid al-Shubukshi
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
to the United Nations
405 Lexington Avenue, 56th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Fax: (212) 983-4895
James C. Oberwetter
U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Embassy of the United States of America
P.O. Box 94309
Riyadh 11693
Saudi Arabia
Fax: (011.966.1) 488-7360