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Alert

Three grenades left on windshield of journalist's car

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned an attempt to intimidate journalist Ali Hashisho, after he found grenades left on the windshield of his car parked outside his home.

RSF is concerned about this threat of physical harm to the journalist, which it says was "obviously intended to silence him and prevent him from carrying out his work under normal conditions." The organisation called on police to conduct a "swift and thorough" investigation to find and arrest those responsible.

Hashisho, a correspondent for Lebanese satellite television station New TV (NTV) in Saida, southern Lebanon, and for Reuters news agency, found three grenades on his car windshield as he was about to get into the vehicle on the morning of 28 July 2004. The car had been parked in front of his home.

The grenades were accompanied by a letter ordering Hashisho to stop writing or broadcasting news about the situation in Saida. The letter said the journalist lacked credibility and that the grenades could be used against him if he failed to obey the writers' demands.

The journalist immediately reported the incident to the local police, who began an investigation at the scene. An explosives expert later discovered a fourth grenade concealed under the vehicle's back tire.

Saida Mayor Abdelrahman al-Bizri released a statement condemning the incident. It is still unclear who may have been responsible for the threat and the journalist himself declined to name anyone, saying it was too soon to be sure without further proof. NTV, which was also contacted by RSF, has declined comment.

The satellite television station is known for its fierce opposition to Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. NTV owner Tahsin Khayat was arrested and held for 24 hours in December 2003 over alleged links to Israel. A few days later, Lebanese authorities issued a 48-hour ban on the station's political programming after it broadcast a report critical of the head of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon.

Over the last year, RSF expressed concern a number of times that media outlets and journalists were again being targeted, censored and occasionally falling victim to attacks. On 8 July 2004, three photojournalists on assignment in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, were accosted and beaten. Their equipment was temporarily confiscated.