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NEWS RELEASE: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Reporters Committee objects to Seattle reporter's arrest

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Dec. 02, 1999

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gregg P. Leslie, (703) 807-2100

(To remove your address from this list,

reply with "remove" in the subject line.)

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press protested the

Seattle police department's decision to arrest a journalist during

protests centered around the World Trade Organization conference

held in that city, and encouraged the mayor to take steps to

ensure similar arrests do not occur as protests continue.

"Credentialed journalists covering what is clearly a matter of

great public interest should not be subject to arrest and

detainment," according to the letter sent to Seattle Mayor Paul

Schell by Gregg Leslie, Acting Executive Director of the

Reporters Committee.

"These journalists are providing a great public service, and even

when they report news that may not place authorities in a

flattering light, they are engaged in a constitutionally

protected activity. The citizens of Seattle, and indeed the

world, have a right to know what is happening on the streets

around the trade conference, and a free, unrestrained news media

is essential to that process," according to the letter.

According to reports from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Kery

Murakami, a reporter for that newspaper, was arrested Tuesday,

the first day of protests that led to violence on the part of

some protesters, and held overnight.

The Reporters Committee asked that the mayor and city police

officials develop procedures to ensure that more journalists

are not arrested, but if they are, to make sure those without

access to an attorney know they can call the Reporters

Committee's toll-free 24-hour hotline to obtain assistance.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is a voluntary,

unincorporated association of reporters and news editors dedicated

to protecting the First Amendment interests of the news media. It

has provided research, guidance and representation in major press

cases in state and federal courts for 30 years.

A copy of the letter is available on the Web at http://www.rcfp.org/news/documents/seattlemayor.html