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Missing photojournalist's family 'frantic'

Molly Bingham in this July 31, 2000 photo
Molly Bingham in this July 31, 2000 photo

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The family of freelance photojournalist Molly Bingham -- last seen six days ago in Iraq -- is growing "frantic" with no word on her whereabouts, her cousin told CNN Sunday.

"Her parents have been in touch with the State Department, the [Department of Defense], the Red Cross, and I don't think they've gotten assurances from anybody that they'll be able to help," Clara Bingham told CNN.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based non-profit group, reported last week that Iraqi officials had taken Bingham and two journalists from the newspaper Newsday from the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, telling them they were being expelled from the country allegedly because of visa problems.

Some journalists in Baghdad reported they were put on buses headed for Damascus, Syria, while others said the bus was headed to Amman, Jordan.

"We've been speaking to people in Baghdad, tracking down rumors from Syria, Jordan, but we've come up with nothing," said Joel Campagna, the CPJ's Middle East program coordinator.

He said the CPJ is working with the United Nations as well to try to find Bingham, who was on assignment for World Picture News and Esquire Magazine. A Danish freelance photographer, Johan Rydeng Spanner, is also missing after being taken from his room at the Palestine Hotel, Campagna said.

Clara Bingham said her cousin was in Iraq on a tourist visa, though Molly Bingham was "working very seriously" on her professional assignments. She said Iraqi authorities had detained Molly a few times because of visa problems before her disappearance from the hotel.

She said she does not believe her cousin has been expelled from the country, which is what Iraq ordered for several of her colleagues, including CNN's staff in Baghdad.

McAllester, right, and Saman
McAllester, right, and Saman

Newsday said Saturday it believes the Iraqi government may have detained its two staff members -- reporter Matt McAllester and photographer Moises Saman -- based on information other journalists have given to the paper.

Clara Bingham said she is especially concerned because her cousin was the former official photographer for U.S. Vice President Al Gore; she said she has heard Iraqi officials found Molly's address book with White House phone numbers.

"Maybe, for some reason, that made her seem suspicious to them," Bingham said.

Campagna said he was aware of that possibility.

"Hopefully that's not an issue here," he said. "We know she's a bona fide journalist who's been covering Mideast stories for a while."


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