'Boston Globe' Reporter Expelled From Iraq

By: Joe Strupp A reporter for The Boston Globe has been expelled from Baghdad after he broke Iraqi restrictions on when journalists may file stories electronically. David Filipov, 40, who had been in Iraq's capital since March 4, was ordered to leave the country Thursday after he filed a story using a satellite phone in his room at the Al-Rashid Hotel, according to Globe Foreign Editor James Smith. Iraqi regulations for journalists allow them to send stories through satellite phones only from within the hotel's press center, Smith said. They also limit the hours within which stories can be filed.

"David was doing his job, trying to tell what was happening in Baghdad," Smith told E&P. "It's a shame the Iraqis have chosen not to let him continue doing his job."

Filipov, who drove out of Iraq and into Jordan Friday, had been one of several journalists invited by Iraqi officials on Thursday to inspect one of the drone weapons that U.S. officials claim to be dangerous, chemical-carrying aircraft. The Iraqis sought to dispel the U.S. contention that the drones were able to carry chemical or biological weapons. Initially, the Globe planned to run a wire story about the event, but decided later in the day to have Filipov file a story.

Because of the later assignment, Filipov did not complete the story until 2 a.m. Baghdad time, well after the hours set by Iraqi officials for stories to be filed. Globe Editor Martin Baron said Filipov went to the press center, retrieved his SAT phone, and filed the story from his room. Later Thursday, when he returned to the press center, he was told to leave the country. "He was not harmed, but they confiscated his SAT phone," said Smith. "We received the story, which ran in Thursday's paper."

Filipov, who has been at the Globe since 1996 and normally works out of the Moscow bureau, held a visa due to expire March 18, Smith said. The foreign editor said he had not determined if the paper wanted Filipov to remain in Baghdad beyond the visa deadline, citing safety concerns. He is returning to Moscow Friday night, but will likely be assigned to another Middle East location. Smith said he did not expect the paper to assign anyone else to Baghdad at the moment.

"We're disappointed that this was done by the Iraqi government," Baron said, "especially since he was writing a story the Iraqis had invited reporters to cover."

Filipov's expulsion comes just days after a Los Angeles Times photographer was expelled from Turkey for attempting to cross the Turkish-Iraqi border illegally. Times photographer Don Bartletti and Alan Weeks, a freelance cameraman for ABC News, were held by Turkish police on March 10. The two were interrogated and held overnight in military barracks. A court fined them $50 and ordered their release, Bartletti said.