Watchdog urges release of journalists arrested over cartoons

A leading media watchdog today urged the release of six journalists held in Algeria and Yemen for reprinting caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that have provoked violent protests in the Muslim world.

“Whatever one thinks of the cartoons or whether they should be published, it is absolutely unjustified to jail or prosecute journalists, threaten them with death or shut down newspapers for this reason,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.