91Èȱ¬

Three members of the 91Èȱ¬ Arabic team in Tripoli were detained and beaten while reporting on the situation in Libya. They were arrested on Monday (7 March) and taken to various barracks where they suffered repeated assaults, were masked and handcuffed, and were subjected to a mock execution.

Liliane Landor (Controller Languages, 91Èȱ¬ Global News) said: "The 91Èȱ¬ strongly condemns this abusive treatment of our journalists and calls on the Libyan government to ensure all media are able to report freely and are protected from persecution.

"The safety of our staff is our primary concern especially when they are working in such difficult circumstances and it is essential that journalists working for the 91Èȱ¬, or any media organisation, are allowed to report on the situation in Libya without fear of attack.

"Despite these attacks, the 91Èȱ¬ will continue to cover the evolving story in Libya for our audiences both inside and outside the country."

PC