Police Arrest Journalists For Doing Their Job, Freedom of the Press Threatened

November 25, 2010 | The Intel Hub

Two Russia Today reporters were arrested outside the Fort Benning military base in Columbus, Georgia, U.S. for doing their job and covering a protest at the “School of Assassins.” Clearly the arrests were 100% illegal and all officers involved should be charged with violating the Constitutional rights of American citizens.

The journalists were arrested for no reason and were not given their rights or told what they did wrong for over four hours.

Notice how police physically grab the woman as if she is a terrorist and arrest her for doing her job.

U.S. nationals Kaelyn Forde and Jon Conway, who are employees of the Moscow-based Russia Today (RT) TV channel, were arrested on Saturday after covering a protest near Fort Benning Army Base in Columbus, Georgia, “despite complying with the police demand not to come close to the gates of the base,” the network said. The crew, which was filming an annual protest by human rights activists against a U.S. Defense Department training program for Latin American police, was released after posting $1,300 bail. Several International organizations protecting journalists and their rights condemned the arrest.’

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media has condemned the arrests as a threat to the freedom of the press.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, today condemned the detention and arrest over the weekend of several journalists covering demonstrations outside the Fort Benning military base in Columbus, Georgia, U.S.

A television crew from Russia Today, Kaelyn Forde and Jonathan R. Conway, on Monday were found guilty of violating city ordinances. Each paid a $290 fine.

“The fact that local police officers would detain, handcuff and arrest members of the press as they engaged in their duty to report on a public event is disturbing,” Mijatovic said.