Release of Guardian correspondent Rory Carroll welcomed

Reporters Without Borders expressed delight and relief today at the release of Guardian correspondent Rory Carroll, who was held for 36 hours by an armed group. The organisation voiced thanks to all those whose actions helped to get him freed, including the Irish, British and Iraqi authorities. Shortly after his release, Carroll phoned his parents to give them the good news, saying: “I'm safe and sound, in good shape and in one piece. I was in my cell and Iraqi government representatives came to get me. They had a government car waiting.” Aged 33 and an Irish citizen, Carroll has been in Baghdad for nine months working for the London-based Guardian newspaper. He was abducted by gunmen in a largely Shiite neighbourhood of Baghdad after interviewing someone who had suffered under Saddam Hussein. He was with an interpreter and two drivers at the time. One of the drivers was also kidnapped but was let go 20 minutes later. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19.10.2005 Deep concern about Guardian correspondent kidnapped in Baghdad Reporters Without Borders said it was “terribly disturbed” by the abduction today in Baghdad of Rory Carroll, the correspondent of the British daily The Guardian, and called for immediate action on his behalf. “Past experience with journalists being taken hostage in Iraq showed that a significant expression of support in the first few hours after the kidnapping was vital,” the press freedom organisation said. “Unfortunately, the safety of journalists is still far from being assured in Iraq and there are grounds for suspecting that tension linked to the start of Saddam Hussein's trial are having repercussions on the press,” the organisation added. Aged 33, Carroll has been in Iraq for the past nine months. He previously worked for The Guardian in Rome and South Africa. He has a full-page story on Saddam's trial in today's newspaper. The war in Iraq is the deadliest for the press since the end of World War II, with a total of 72 journalists and media assistants killed since the start of the war in March 2003, and a total of 25 killed since the start of this year. Two TV cameramen are also still missing in Iraq: Frédéric Nérac of Britain's ITV News, missing since 22 March 2003, and Isam Hadi Muhsin Al-Shumary of Germany's Suedostmedia, missing since 15 August 2004.