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American Morning

'Newsday' Journalists Released from Iraq

Aired April 02, 2003 - 08:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A group of journalists held for a bit more than a week by Iraqi authorities inside of a jail in the central part of Baghdad are now free, released and driven to the border west in Jordan. I talked with the two men, Moises Saman and Matthew Mcallester, both work for "Newsday," about their experience, what happened, and how they're out now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Matthew, it was a bit more than a week ago when the Iraqi officials came into your hotel room in Baghdad. Why do you believe they came to your room and the room of Moises as well?

MATTHEW MCALLESTER, "NEWSDAY" REPORTER: I think there is a large degree of randomness and the five of us who were taken, apart from Moises and I, had very little connection with each other. We were -- Moises and were on one kind of visa. Moises the other three were on another kind of visa. Four of us were journalists, one was a piece activists. We were from different countries. We had been in the country for different times. They never explained to us, not only why they were taking us. They never explained to us what their charging us with. They never charged with us anything. So these were questions I would like to know the answers to myself, as would all of us.

HEMMER: Moises, you guys were interrogated, I understand, for about seven or eight days. What did the Iraqis ask you? What did they want to know?

MOISES SAMAN, "NEWSDAY" PHOTOGRAPHER: Well, they asked me a whole set of different questions, you know, about the kind of pictures that I was taking, also if I was involved with any kind of intelligence service, American and from other countries, and, you know, basically just what was the purpose of me being in Baghdad at such a time.

HEMMER: Matthew, I understand you were held in a prison in Baghdad. At any point, did you feel that this was the end? Did you fear for your life?

MCALLESTER: Yes, every second, actually. From the minute that we turned in there, well probably before then, until we crossed the border last night, it was always a possibility, I think. And it was very draining to live with that. If it had been a, look, you know, you're here for seven days and, you know, you've broken rules and this is your punishment, it would have been quite different. But the strain on us all, I think, was the possibility that we could be killed at any stage.

HEMMER: Moises, conditions in that prison, what were they? Were you treated well? Were you treated harshly? Did you have proper food, proper drink?

SAMAN: They, for the most part, they treat us fairly and, you know, in a humane way, and as far as the conditions of the cell itself, you know, we were in single kind of holding cells, extremely small, and not being allowed to leave the cell, only for toilet runs, and pretty much just with a couple of blankets and just, you know, just sit there all day. You know, they did feed us three meals a day. Not much food, but, you know, enough to, you know, I mean, we weren't going hungry, by any means. And they did allow us to keep -- we actually brought in some bottled water, and they did allow us to have the water in our cells.

HEMMER: Matthew, what explains why you're in Jordan now? Why did they drive you to the border?

MCALLESTER: I'm convinced that we're here because of the untiring efforts, as we found out, since we got to Jordan, of hundreds of friends and hundreds, if not thousands of people we've never met, from people that know and will ever have heard of really quite famous people, I think. And our gratitude for the people that "Newsday" and beyond who worked tirelessly. I mean, our editors stopped editing, some of the foreign editors, stop editing the newspaper, at a time in which being a foreign editor is crucial, and his job became 24 hours a day to get us out. And many other people -- you know, you can't begin to name names did that. So that's why we're here, and we owe them our freedom and maybe our lives.

HEMMER: Wow. What a great day it is for both of you and your families as well. Matthew, we had your sister Becky on a couple of days ago in London. She was worried, but never lost hope, never lost faith that she'd see you again.

Moises Saman and Matthew Mcallester from "Newsday," now safe in Amman, Jordan. Thanks for your time today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: And There were a few others in that group, too, Molly Bingham, a freelance photographer. She is now safe as well, so, too, is a Danish photographer and a piece activist, Paula. All five now in Amman, Jordan, safe and sound and free today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired April 2, 2003 - 08:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A group of journalists held for a bit more than a week by Iraqi authorities inside of a jail in the central part of Baghdad are now free, released and driven to the border west in Jordan. I talked with the two men, Moises Saman and Matthew Mcallester, both work for "Newsday," about their experience, what happened, and how they're out now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Matthew, it was a bit more than a week ago when the Iraqi officials came into your hotel room in Baghdad. Why do you believe they came to your room and the room of Moises as well?

MATTHEW MCALLESTER, "NEWSDAY" REPORTER: I think there is a large degree of randomness and the five of us who were taken, apart from Moises and I, had very little connection with each other. We were -- Moises and were on one kind of visa. Moises the other three were on another kind of visa. Four of us were journalists, one was a piece activists. We were from different countries. We had been in the country for different times. They never explained to us, not only why they were taking us. They never explained to us what their charging us with. They never charged with us anything. So these were questions I would like to know the answers to myself, as would all of us.

HEMMER: Moises, you guys were interrogated, I understand, for about seven or eight days. What did the Iraqis ask you? What did they want to know?

MOISES SAMAN, "NEWSDAY" PHOTOGRAPHER: Well, they asked me a whole set of different questions, you know, about the kind of pictures that I was taking, also if I was involved with any kind of intelligence service, American and from other countries, and, you know, basically just what was the purpose of me being in Baghdad at such a time.

HEMMER: Matthew, I understand you were held in a prison in Baghdad. At any point, did you feel that this was the end? Did you fear for your life?

MCALLESTER: Yes, every second, actually. From the minute that we turned in there, well probably before then, until we crossed the border last night, it was always a possibility, I think. And it was very draining to live with that. If it had been a, look, you know, you're here for seven days and, you know, you've broken rules and this is your punishment, it would have been quite different. But the strain on us all, I think, was the possibility that we could be killed at any stage.

HEMMER: Moises, conditions in that prison, what were they? Were you treated well? Were you treated harshly? Did you have proper food, proper drink?

SAMAN: They, for the most part, they treat us fairly and, you know, in a humane way, and as far as the conditions of the cell itself, you know, we were in single kind of holding cells, extremely small, and not being allowed to leave the cell, only for toilet runs, and pretty much just with a couple of blankets and just, you know, just sit there all day. You know, they did feed us three meals a day. Not much food, but, you know, enough to, you know, I mean, we weren't going hungry, by any means. And they did allow us to keep -- we actually brought in some bottled water, and they did allow us to have the water in our cells.

HEMMER: Matthew, what explains why you're in Jordan now? Why did they drive you to the border?

MCALLESTER: I'm convinced that we're here because of the untiring efforts, as we found out, since we got to Jordan, of hundreds of friends and hundreds, if not thousands of people we've never met, from people that know and will ever have heard of really quite famous people, I think. And our gratitude for the people that "Newsday" and beyond who worked tirelessly. I mean, our editors stopped editing, some of the foreign editors, stop editing the newspaper, at a time in which being a foreign editor is crucial, and his job became 24 hours a day to get us out. And many other people -- you know, you can't begin to name names did that. So that's why we're here, and we owe them our freedom and maybe our lives.

HEMMER: Wow. What a great day it is for both of you and your families as well. Matthew, we had your sister Becky on a couple of days ago in London. She was worried, but never lost hope, never lost faith that she'd see you again.

Moises Saman and Matthew Mcallester from "Newsday," now safe in Amman, Jordan. Thanks for your time today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: And There were a few others in that group, too, Molly Bingham, a freelance photographer. She is now safe as well, so, too, is a Danish photographer and a piece activist, Paula. All five now in Amman, Jordan, safe and sound and free today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com