Nicholas Davies, Gareth Montgomery-Johnson detained in Libya

GlobalPost

The BBC reported on Friday that two British journalists who work for Iranian television have been arrested and detained in Libya.

Nicholas Davies, a reporter, and Gareth Montgomery-Johnson, a cameraman, worked for Press TV, Iran’s state-owned television channel, and were reportedly detained by the Misrata Brigade on Tuesday and are being held in Tripoli. The British Foreign Office has confirmed their detention, said the BBC.

The news comes just days after the violence in Syria claimed the lives of veteran journalist Marie Colvin and photojournalist Remi Ochlik.

It was just a year ago this month that the uprising to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi began in Libya, and the first elections after his overthrow were held only days ago on Feb. 20, in the rebel city of Misrata, according to Reuters.

More on GlobalPost: Misrata: a rebel city holds the first-post Gaddafi elections in Libya

The Committee to Protect Journalists said that five journalists were killed in the months of fighting between Gaddafi’s loyalist forces and the rebels, including acclaimed British photojournalist Tim Hetherington.

At least 50 journalists were also detained by Libyan forces during the eight-month conflict, including reporters from The New York Times, Al-Jazeera and the BBC, according to the CPJ.

In August 2011, desperate Gaddafi loyalists held nearly three dozen foreign journalists for five days in Tripoli’s Rixos Hotel, as rebel forces took over the city, according to CNN. The journalists were released unharmed when the guards holding them realized that the Gaddafi government was collapsing.

More on GlobalPost: Arab Spring: Journalist deaths during uprisings

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