A Good Decision Comes out of the Hague

In what amounts to good news a U.S. reporter wins his legal battle in the Hague Tribunal.

The ruling from the appeal chamber's five judges said: "If war correspondents were to be perceived as potential witnesses for the prosecution, two consequences would follow:

"First, they may have difficulties in gathering significant information because the interviewed person may talk less freely with them and deny them access to conflict zones.

"Second, war correspondents may shift from being observers of those committing human rights violations to being their targets, thereby putting their own lives at risk."

It's better to have the journalists in the area to cover what's going on to the best of their ability without having to worry anymore then they already do about their own safety. If the knowledge of what's going on gets out, that will make it less likely that these things won't get noticed and dealt with in an appropriate manner.

Posted by Chris Short at December 11, 2002 04:11 PM