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New evidence suggests that a war crime may have taken place in Baghdad on April 8. That morning, Taras Protsyuk, a Ukraine-born cameraman employed by Reuters, was standing on the 15th-floor balcony of the Palestine Hotel. José Couso, an employee of the Spanish news company Telcinco, was filming from a balcony one floor below. Suddenly a U.S. tank less than a mile away fired a single round at the hotel, hitting the 15th-floor balcony. Protsyuk was found lying on his back, unconscious. Couso was hit by debris. Both died soon afterward. Now, Couso's relatives have asked a judge to extradite...

Report: Tank Captain Unaware of Baghdad Media HotelMon Apr 21,10:28 AM ETPARIS (Reuters) - The commander of a U.S. tank unit that hit a Baghdad hotel, killing two cameramen during the battle for the Iraqi capital, says he was unaware the building was packed with journalists, according to a French magazine. Reuters cameraman Taras Protsyuk and Jose Couso, a cameraman for Spanish channel Tele 5, were killed when a tank shell hit the 15th floor of the Palestine Hotel. Three other members of the Reuters team were wounded. Capt. Philip Wolford, who led the Abrams tanks defending a bridge near...

A US military investigation has concluded that the crew of a US tank acted properly when it fired on a Baghdad hotel filled with foreign journalists April 8, killing two television cameramen, US officials said.The investigation found that the tank fired at the Palestine Hotel because of reports a spotter was coordinating Iraqi fire from there, an official said.A Ukrainian cameraman for Reuters television, 35-year-old Taras Protsyuk, and a Spaniard working for the Spanish television network Telecinco, 37-year-old Jose Couso, were killed by the shell blast.Three other Reuters television journalists were wounded in the incident, which came amid heavy...

Press Clips by Cynthia CottsThey Shoot Journeys, Don't They? CPJ Calls Hotel Palestine Deaths Avoidable June 4 - 10, 2003 New evidence suggests that a war crime may have taken place in Baghdad on April 8. That morning, Taras Protsyuk, a Ukraine-born cameraman employed by Reuters, was standing on the 15th-floor balcony of the Palestine Hotel. José Couso, an employee of the Spanish news company Telcinco, was filming from a balcony one floor below. Suddenly a U.S. tank less than a mile away fired a single round at the hotel, hitting the 15th-floor balcony. Protsyuk was found lying on his...

KIEV (Reuters) - Family and friends of Reuters cameraman Taras Protsyuk gathered in Kiev on Thursday to mark a year since he was killed by U.S. troops in Baghdad amid calls on Washington to probe further the deaths of journalists in Iraq Protsyuk, a Ukrainian, and Jose Couso, a cameraman with Spanish television Telecinco, died when a U.S. tank fired a shell into the Palestine Hotel, where most foreign media were staying during the U.S.-led invasion. Couso's brother laid flowers in his memory in the Iraqi capital and demanded those responsible be brought to account. Tarek Ayoub, of Qatar-based Al...

American forces waged an aggressive assault on the symbols of Saddam Hussein's rule in Baghdad today, expanding their grip inside the city and pressing inward from the periphery with Army and Marine units. Bombs and rockets rained on government buildings in the heart of the Iraqi capital in daylight today, setting afire the Planning Ministry and the Information Ministry. Baath Party and Republican Guard headquarters in the city also came under attack as the growing American force moved to demolish the state's organs of control. Units of the First Marine Expeditionary Force attacked across the Diyala River southeast of the...

Dead Journalist's Family Sues U.S. Troops .c The Associated Press MADRID, Spain (AP) - The family of a Spanish journalist - killed by a U.S. shell fired at a Baghdad hotel during the war in Iraq - has sued three U.S. soldiers, accusing them of war crimes and murder, a National Court official said Wednesday. The suit, filed Tuesday, is to be considered by investigative magistrate Guillermo Ruiz de Polanco, the court official said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. Polanco will decide if there are sufficient grounds for a trial before any move is made to try to bring...