# Has the plug been pulled on Al-Jazeera? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 26, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-plug-been-pulled-on-al-jazeera/164229 "2003-03-26T05:04:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![InLikeFlynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f19dbf/32.png) [@InLikeFlynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InLikeFlynn)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-plug-been-pulled-on-al-jazeera/164229/1 "2003-03-26T05:04:26Z")
I know the government is accusing the Islamic news network of committing Geneva Convention violations related to showing our dead war casualties in a morgue. I don’t quite understand how journalists can violate “Rules of War” but that’s another story. Anyway [www.aljazeera.com](http://www.aljazeera.com), [www.aljazeera.net](http://www.aljazeera.net) and all other links to any of their individual pages are suddenly inaccessible. The broadcasting company is located in the Middle East but is far outside Iraq so the war should not be a factor in any disruption of service. Can anyone else get in? Did the Gov. bitch slap them or is it just another one of those weird coincidences? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! PeaceOut! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-plug-been-pulled-on-al-jazeera/164229/2 "2003-03-26T05:23:28Z")
[Denial of Service Attacks](http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/security/story/0,2000024985,20273183,00.htm), looks like. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-plug-been-pulled-on-al-jazeera/164229/3 "2003-03-26T19:16:31Z")
Hmmmm… one of my favourite fonts of leftist propaganda, _The Washington Post_ seems to have been vapourized, too. I’m not going to panic until [_The New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/) goes 404, though. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-plug-been-pulled-on-al-jazeera/164229/4 "2003-03-26T21:04:32Z")
They got hacked. They broadcast controversial stuff, hence they are a target for such hacks. FYI they are located in Qatar, an island in the lower Gulf. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-plug-been-pulled-on-al-jazeera/164229/5 "2003-03-26T23:55:10Z")
The US complaint seems to be based on the “Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977”. > [@](#): > > Art 34. Remains of deceased > > 1. The remains of persons who have died for reasons related to occupation or in detention resulting from occupation or hostilities and those or persons not nationals of the country in which they have died as a result of hostilities shall be respected, and the gravesites of all such persons shall be respected, maintained and marked as provided for in Article 130 of the Fourth Convention, where their remains or gravesites would not receive more favourable consideration under the Conventions and this Protocol. It is somewhat misleading on the part of the US to complain that Al-Jazeera has violated the Geneva Convention, as it would appear to be Iraq, in allowing the filming for subsequent broadcast, which would be the actual violator. Unfortunately, Iraq never ratified this particular protocol (not surprising, given the date!) and neither has the US. AFIK, the Geneva Conventions are still considered to be a form of treaty, in that they only legally apply to actions between two signatory members. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-plug-been-pulled-on-al-jazeera/164229/6 "2003-03-26T23:58:00Z")
Yes Al-Jazeera cannot violate the Geneva Convention as it is not a state or a party in a conflict.