July 1977 Media Watch

Uncovered: A Monthly Media Watch

Published by the Human Rights Action Service

438 N. Skinker Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63130 Tel. and Fax: 314-721-2977,

e-mail slhras@igc.apc.org web site: www.hras.com/hras/

July 1997

Iraq: Papers Focus on Hidden Weapons While Shielding Readers from Reports on Sanctions' Human Toll

Turkey: Arrests and U.N. Human Rights Investigation Ignored by U.S. Press

On May 29, 1997 UNICEF released a report which documented that 27.5% of the children living in Iraq under five years of age surveyed through 87 primary health centers suffered extreme chronic malnutrition. The report was the subject of a May 29 Reuters wire service article entitled "Many Iraqis Suffer Malnutrition." (The text of this article is available from HRAS.) This wire service article was not carried by any paper in the U.S. Nor did any other story on the U. N. report appear in U.S. papers.

On June 8 the Jordan Times reported on the Gulf War veteran Erik Gustafson's return to Iraq with a Voices in Wilderness humanitarian delegation . (The text of this article is available from HRAS.) Not one national U.S. newspaper reported on the findings of Gustafson's delegation.

Two local papers carried short articles on the trip, but failed to mention U.S. responsibility for sanctions or the widespread malnutrition, the public health crisis or shortage of medical supplies that the delegation documented. The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin (Gustafson's hometown) ran an article on May 15 announcing his intentions to travel to take medicines to Iraq in violation of the sanctions. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a brief article based on a local tele-conference with Gustafson after his return.

An ironic note -- our computer word search of U.S. papers for the name "Erik Gustafson" actually produced seven articles. Two of them were the articles mentioned above on the delegation to Iraq. The other five were articles quoting stock analyst Erik Gustafson on the prospects of making profits in the market.

In June the U.N. Security Council faced decisions on whether to renew the "Oil for Food Agreement" and the Iraqi sanctions themselves. U.S. and U.N. agencies began to allege that Iraq was hiding the production of weapons of mass destruction. These allegations were the subject of 61 articles in U.S. papers. Editors appear to prefer hidden weapons over the children of Iraq whose suffering remains largely hidden from the U.S. public.

On June 8 Amnesty International (AI) released a statement expressing concern over the arrest of the President of the Turkish Human Rights Association's Ankara branch, and 48 trade unionists and members of political parties . They were taken into police custody (along with over 150 others who were later released) on June 7 while preparing to leave a black wreath at the American Embassy to protest international inaction over events in Northern Iraq.

In Turkey, people suspected of offenses under the Anti-Terror Law can now be held in police custody without access to family, friends or legal counsel for up to four days before being charged and formally arrested, or released. Unless objections to the formal arrest are upheld, which only rarely happens, the prisoners will be held at the very least for one or two months, until the first hearing of their trial.

The United States and Turkey are allies within NATO. The U.S. provides Turkey with military assistance, arms sales, and military training programs. The U.S. has not condemned Turkey's latest incursions and occupations in northern Iraq.

On June 11 AI issued a statement welcoming the Turkish government's decision to invite the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to visit the country in 1997 and 1998. The statement also urged the government to cooperate fully with them and to implement their recommendations and said, "The visits by UN experts will give an opportunity to uncover the factors which have contributed to the persistence of torture and the proliferation of disappearances in Turkey, and to make concrete recommendations to end them."

The arrests of human rights, labor and opposition leaders on June 7 and AI's call for the release of those still being held were not covered by one U.S. paper. The Turkish government's acceptance of the U.N. human rights monitors was also not mentioned in the U.S. press.

Research note: HRAS surveys are based on a computer archive of U.S. papers. Some local papers are not a part of the archives. Occasionally articles in papers that are archived do not appear in the archive. If subscribers see articles not mentioned in HRAS surveys, please send copies to HRAS.


		Uncovered: A Monthly Media Watch Published by the Human Rights Action Service 438 N. Skinker Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63130 Tel. and Fax: 314-721-2977, e-mail slhras@igc.apc.org web site: www.hras.com/hras/ July 1997

		Iraq: Papers Focus on Hidden Weapons While Shielding Readers from Reports on Sanctions' Human Toll		Turkey: Arrests and U.N. Human Rights Investigation Ignored by U.S. Press
		On May 29, 1997 UNICEF released a report which documented that 27.5% of the children living in Iraq under five years of age surveyed through 87 primary health centers suffered extreme chronic malnutrition. The report was the subject of a May 29 Reuters wire service article entitled "Many Iraqis Suffer Malnutrition." (The text of this article is available from HRAS.) This wire service article was not carried by any paper in the U.S. Nor did any other story on the U. N. report appear in U.S. papers. On June 8 the Jordan Times reported on the Gulf War veteran Erik Gustafson's return to Iraq with a Voices in Wilderness humanitarian delegation . (The text of this article is available from HRAS.) Not one national U.S. newspaper reported on the findings of Gustafson's delegation. Two local papers carried short articles on the trip, but failed to mention U.S. responsibility for sanctions or the widespread malnutrition, the public health crisis or shortage of medical supplies that the delegation documented. The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin (Gustafson's hometown) ran an article on May 15 announcing his intentions to travel to take medicines to Iraq in violation of the sanctions. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a brief article based on a local tele-conference with Gustafson after his return. An ironic note -- our computer word search of U.S. papers for the name "Erik Gustafson" actually produced seven articles. Two of them were the articles mentioned above on the delegation to Iraq. The other five were articles quoting stock analyst Erik Gustafson on the prospects of making profits in the market. In June the U.N. Security Council faced decisions on whether to renew the "Oil for Food Agreement" and the Iraqi sanctions themselves. U.S. and U.N. agencies began to allege that Iraq was hiding the production of weapons of mass destruction. These allegations were the subject of 61 articles in U.S. papers. Editors appear to prefer hidden weapons over the children of Iraq whose suffering remains largely hidden from the U.S. public.		On June 8 Amnesty International (AI) released a statement expressing concern over the arrest of the President of the Turkish Human Rights Association's Ankara branch, and 48 trade unionists and members of political parties . They were taken into police custody (along with over 150 others who were later released) on June 7 while preparing to leave a black wreath at the American Embassy to protest international inaction over events in Northern Iraq. In Turkey, people suspected of offenses under the Anti-Terror Law can now be held in police custody without access to family, friends or legal counsel for up to four days before being charged and formally arrested, or released. Unless objections to the formal arrest are upheld, which only rarely happens, the prisoners will be held at the very least for one or two months, until the first hearing of their trial. The United States and Turkey are allies within NATO. The U.S. provides Turkey with military assistance, arms sales, and military training programs. The U.S. has not condemned Turkey's latest incursions and occupations in northern Iraq. On June 11 AI issued a statement welcoming the Turkish government's decision to invite the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to visit the country in 1997 and 1998. The statement also urged the government to cooperate fully with them and to implement their recommendations and said, "The visits by UN experts will give an opportunity to uncover the factors which have contributed to the persistence of torture and the proliferation of disappearances in Turkey, and to make concrete recommendations to end them." The arrests of human rights, labor and opposition leaders on June 7 and AI's call for the release of those still being held were not covered by one U.S. paper. The Turkish government's acceptance of the U.N. human rights monitors was also not mentioned in the U.S. press.

		Research note: HRAS surveys are based on a computer archive of U.S. papers. Some local papers are not a part of the archives. Occasionally articles in papers that are archived do not appear in the archive. If subscribers see articles not mentioned in HRAS surveys, please send copies to HRAS.