Voltaire Network, Thursday, 25 August 25, 2011, 3:25 p.m. - The journalists who had been trapped inside the hotel Rixos in Tripoli since Sunday were evacuated yesterday, 24 August 2011, at 5 p.m, by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The four members of the Voltaire Network team - journalists Thierry Meyssan, Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, Mathieu Ozanon and Julien Teil - were among them.
However, after their release, the rebels tried to detain Thierry Meyssan, well known for his articles exposing the crimes of NATO. The ICRC intervened to prevent his arrest.
The journalists were taken to another hotel, where they are no longer under ICRC protection.
The journalists have thus far been unable to reach the ship chartered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is supposed to have already docked in Tripoli.
Voltaire Network is extremely concerned about the attitude showed by the NATO-sponsored "rebels" towards its journalists. It is hereby launching an international appeal to the international community urging for the protection of its journalists and for their safe departure from Libya.
