The White House called on Libya to release a group of journalists — including an Atlantic freelancer — who were detained last week by government troops there. But the U.S. State Department admitted on Monday that it is "limited" in what it can do.
"We call for the release of any journalists detained, any human rights activists, anyone detained unlawfully or inappropriately, and in this case, specifically with those journalists in mind," White House press secretary Jay Carney said during Monday's press briefing. "We call on and demand their release," Carney said. "We're very aware of this issue, and I know the State Department is working very hard in order to do what it can to facilitate those journalists' release."
Carney added: "We take this very, very seriously, as we did when other journalists were detained."
Clare Morgana Gillis, the Atlantic freelancer, GlobalPost.com freelancer James Foley, Spanish photographer Manu Brabo and South African photographer Anton Hammerl were captured on Tuesday outside of government-controlled Brega.
Gillis, Foley and Brabo were seen in a government detention center in Tripoli last Thursday, according to the Atlantic.
The magazine has been working closely with the State Department to secure their release, but a spokesperson for the State Dept. admitted that with no U.S. diplomatic presence on the ground in Libya, their efforts are limited.
"It is difficult, frankly," Mark Toner, the spokesman, said at the briefing. "We are limited in what we can do in Libya right now, except to make public appeals, like I can do right now. But beyond that, we can work through our protecting power there and try to get better information about their whereabouts. But we are limited, unfortunately."
