Where's Raed's brother?
July 19, 2005 2:29 AM   Subscribe

Where's Raed's brother? Iraqi weblogger Khalid Jarrar has been abducted by the mukhabarat -- Iraq's secret police. Khalid Jarrar was seized at his college in Iraq shortly after his mother, Faiza, toured the U.S., calling for a timetable for U.S. withdrawl. So, why is it that arrests of Iranian webloggers made international news, but Iraqi webloggers from prominent families can be "disappeared" without a single major news organization reporting on it?
posted by insomnia_lj (15 comments total)
 
Do you want to know why?

• History of the USA and the Iranian Shah
• A history of the SAVAK secret police
posted by Rothko at 2:54 AM on July 19, 2005


Iraqi webloggers

There's more than one?
posted by Dagobert at 3:31 AM on July 19, 2005


Yeah, I can't fathom why this is not getting coverage. That Raed blog was huge news during the war, it isn't like this is Joe Schmo catblogger trying to get attention about his missing cat.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 3:53 AM on July 19, 2005


Easy, in the new totally free and democratic Iraq anyone arrested has to be up no good and in cahoots with the freedom haters. They're just a perp likely killing and maiming our guys and are'nt worth the trouble of media attention.
But in Iran, whose government has yet to feel the silky glove of freedom, arrested bloggers are regime baiting superstars who need all the instahelp they can get.
posted by Damienmce at 5:13 AM on July 19, 2005


I first learned about it this weekend here.
posted by alumshubby at 5:16 AM on July 19, 2005


Iraq is the new old Iran -- It's like 1953 all over again.
posted by chunking express at 6:34 AM on July 19, 2005


The hand that gives freedom, can take it away just as spuriously.
posted by clevershark at 7:05 AM on July 19, 2005


Iraq? Iran? Read some Billmon.
posted by wah at 7:23 AM on July 19, 2005


If they are willing to risk reporting from dangerous places, we that depend on reportage should support these behind-the-lines blog reporters.

No matter who's line they're behind.

We really need to make some noise on this one...any suggestions how to effectively rabble-rouse?
posted by Dunvegan at 7:53 AM on July 19, 2005


Your point, wah? It's been obvious to many that Bush is playing directly into Iran's politics. A shiite theocracy run by many Iranian ex-pats is probably the best the US can hope for now. Thank our president for this.
posted by bardic at 9:43 AM on July 19, 2005


It's been obvious to many that Bush is playing directly into Iran's politics.

Your point, wah?

Well, it should be obvious to many more now.

BTW, for those arguing for an immediate pullout of Iraq, this story should give you some pause. As it stands, and with a full(er) scale civil war going on, stories like this will become a lot more common, and bloggers will start being disapparated with alarming regularity.
posted by wah at 10:45 AM on July 19, 2005




Yeah, I can't fathom why this is not getting coverage. That Raed blog was huge news during the war, it isn't like this is Joe Schmo catblogger trying to get attention about his missing cat.

The canadian network CBC even ran a documentary featuring Khalid as a correspondent this weekend without mentioning anything about his abduction. I thought it was probably just the fault of the weekend staff but there's still nothing on their site about his abduction.
posted by bobo123 at 12:07 PM on July 19, 2005


So here's what I can understand from the writing.

He was taken into custody from Uni.

He was put in jail.

He was allowed a phone call.

He was not informed what he was charged with.

His family is thinking about pushing the case to court to find out what are the charges.


So my question is, why use such inflammitory word such as "abducted" (when it appears he was arrested) and "Iraqi webloggers" (when it appears form the article he was the only one.)

I am all in favour of outrage when it is warranted but this seems to be a exampole of a rather small situation that is being exploited for the sheer sense of outrage.
posted by Dagobert at 11:28 PM on July 19, 2005


Update, Khalid has been freed, details uncertain at this time.
posted by bobo123 at 11:25 AM on July 26, 2005


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