Protests Sweep Across The Middle East

[Rodri]

Yesterday was a bad day as Mubarak tried everything he could to disrupt the protests. Even more disturbing is the fact that international journalists are also being targeted by the regime now. Here's a quote from an ABC news item:

Reporters attacked

Foreign reporters have been harassed, beaten up and even stabbed as they attempt to cover large-scale protests against Mr Mubarak.

ABC correspondent Mark Corcoran and a crew from the ABC's Foreign Correspondent program were punched and kicked by pro-government supporters during disturbances in Cairo this week and Middle East correspondent Ben Knight was also threatened.

One Australian journalist had his hotel room raided by six unidentified men, apparently looking to confiscate broadcasting equipment.

Swedish public broadcaster SVT said its reporter Bert Sundstroem has been operated on for knife injuries after being apparently arrested in central Cairo.
The reporter had earlier participated in a live broadcast, but when his producer called him for another report from Tahrir Square two hours later an Arabic speaker answered and said Mr Sundstroem was being held.
According to a Swedish translation posted on SVT's website, the voice said: "Your man is being held by the military. You sons of *****s, if you want him back you will have to come get him. Your man is held by the Egyptian government. He is alive and awake."

A correspondent with ABC America, Brian Hartman, said he was threatened with beheading after being stopped a checkpoint in Cairo.
In a Twitter update, Hartman wrote: "Just escaped after being carjacked at a checkpoint and driven to a compound where men surrounded the car and threatened to behead us."
"We thought we were goners," Hartman said later. "We absolutely thought we were doomed."

A Greek reporter was stabbed in the leg by Mubarak supporters and a photojournalist with him was beaten to the head, a Reuters witness said.

Reuters television said one of its crews was beaten up on Thursday close to Tahrir Square while filming a piece about shops and banks being forced to shut during the clashes.

CNN's Anderson Cooper said he and his crew were punched and kicked in Cairo by Mubarak supporters but escaped with just scratches.

Two reporters working for The New York Times were detained overnight Wednesday and released on Thursday, the newspaper said.

The Washington Post's Cairo bureau chief and a photographer were detained while covering Thursday's protests and were in the custody of the military police, the newspaper's foreign editor, Douglas Jehl, said.

You can read the full article here.