Journalists Come Under Siege At Rixos Hotel In Tripoli

Journalists Come Under Siege At Rixos Hotel In Tripoli

Journalists taking shelter at a hotel in Tripoli say they have come under siege on Wednesday, as fighting continues in areas of Tripoli following the storming of Colonel Gaddafi's personal compound.

Thirty-seven foreign journalists have not been able to leave the Rixos Hotel since August 21, Reporters Without Borders said, after they were forced to stay inside by pro-Gaddafi forces.

Latest reports say that due to the concentration of loyalist forces there the hotel has become a target for the rebels. It is now under heavy fire, and there are frequent cuts in power and water.

In an attempt to send a message to the attackers the journalists there have hung sheets outside the windows with the words "television, press, don’t shoot" written on them. All are wearing bullet-proof vests. Pictures of journalists holed up at the hotel have also emerged on the internet.

Reporters Without Borders said that the National Transitional Council "must do everything in its power to allow journalists to cover the fighting freely and safely".

The BBC's Matthew Price spoke to Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday, describing a "desperate situation" developing in the hotel.

"It became clear that we were unable to leave the hotel by our own free will," he told Today's Evan Davis.

Matthew Chance, a reporter for CNN, is also one of the journalists trapped in the hotel. Writing on Twitter he said that he is "hoping this nightmare will end in a fizzle - not a bang".

"Everyone frightened & concerned - doesn't feel like a 5 star hotel. Some water left but food at risk of ruin," he tweeted.

Chance added that Former US Congressman Walter Fauntroy is one of those trapped in the hotel.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this report suggested an ITN cameraman had been threatened at gunpoint in the Rixos hotel. ITN have checked these reports and have no reason to believe this was the case.

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