Missing Iraqi journalists return from Libya

The Iraqi Press Freedoms Observatory said the three Iraqi journalists who went missing in Libya on 16 November have returned safely to Erbil, northern Iraq.

In a statement published yesterday, the group praised Iraq’s Foreign Ministry and the Iraqi embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, for their efforts to secure the release of the four journalists who had disappeared near the city of Sirte.

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ahmad Jamal, told the observatory that Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari ordered urgent contact to be made with the Libyan authorities and the Iraqi Embassy in Tripoli to ensure the journalists’ safety.

The observatory had called on the Iraqi government to rescue the four journalists after losing contact with them for 24 hours.

The crew travelled to Libya to create a documentary series for the “Reporters without Borders” programme, which is about the current conflict in the country.