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Libya frees 4 journalists originally sentenced to 1 year in jail

From Jomana Karadsheh, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Four journalists covering the Libyan conflict were captured by that country's military
  • A judge releases them after they paid a fine
  • A journalist group has counted more than 80 attacks on the news media in Libya

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Four journalists are free weeks after they were captured by the Libyan military despite originally being sentenced to jail for a year, a Libyan government spokesman said Wednesday.

The journalists are Clare Morgana Gillis of The Atlantic, James Foley of GlobalPost, Spanish photographer Manu Brabo and Nigel Chandler of the United Kingdom, the spokesman said.

Libyan government spokesman Musa Ibrahim said a judge released the four journalists after ordering them to pay a fine for entering the country illegally.

Since violence erupted in Libya in February, the Committee to Protect Journalists has tallied more than 80 attacks on members of the news media, including four deaths and 49 detentions.

Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists have called upon the Libyan government to account for missing journalists covering the conflict there.