UN experts urge the Honduran Government to take urgent action to protect journalists
GENEVA, A group of United Nations human rights experts called upon the Honduran Government to take urgent action to address the increasing vulnerability faced by journalists operating in the country.
In the past six weeks, seven journalists have been killed, and several others have been threatened, reportedly for their activities in defence of human rights in the country.
The UN experts: Frank la Rue, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the rights to freedom of opinion and expression; Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on summary, extrajudicial or arbitrary executions; and Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders urged, the Government to take all necessary measures to thoroughly investigate these killings and threats, prosecute those responsible, and ensure the physical and psychological integrity of all journalists under threats.
“In particular, we call upon the Government to establish an independent inquiry aimed at shedding lights on these issues, as well as at identifying measures that could be taken to better protect journalists and prevent the occurrence of such acts in the future,” said the experts.
Journalists José Bayardo Mairena Ramírez, Manuel Juárez, Nahun Palacios Arteaga, David Meza Motesinos, Joseph Hernández Ochoa, Luis Antonio Chévez Hernández and Jorge Orellana “recently lost their lives while exercising their legitimate right to freedom of opinion and expression”, stressed the United Nations Special Rapporteurs.
Several journalists continue to receive death threats, despite precautionary measures ordered by the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights to protect journalists in Honduras.
“Journalists play a critical role in strengthening human rights through their work”, the independent experts said. “Silencing them not only curtails freedom of opinion and expression, but also jeopardizes the enjoyment of all rights and freedoms of society as a whole.”
The UN experts called upon the Honduran authorities to take all necessary steps to protect the right to life and secure the right to freedom of opinion and expression of all persons, including journalists and human rights activists, in accordance with articles 6 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“The international community will closely scrutinize the response of the Government to this tragic situation,” said the experts.
10 May 2010
Wikileaks silent on how it broke encryption
NOAM COHEN AND BRIAN STELTER
April 8, 2010 - 3:03PM
Shining a light in murky places ... Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Photo: Esther Dyson / Flickr
WikiLeaks was somehow able to find the assistance it needed in de-encrypting the video, which it released this week. It has since been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube, and has been replayed hundreds of times in television news reports.
The release of the Iraq video is drawing attention to the once-fringe website, which aims to bring to light hidden information about governments and multinational corporations.
With the Iraq attack video, the clearing house for sensitive documents is edging closer towards a form of investigative journalism and to advocacy.
"That's arguably what spy agencies do - high-tech investigative journalism," Julian Assange, one of the site's founders, said in an interview following the video's release. "It's time that the media upgraded its capabilities along those lines."
Assange, an Australian activist and journalist, founded the site three years ago along with a group of like-minded activists and computer experts. Since then, WikiLeaks has published documents about toxic dumping in Africa, protocols from Guantanamo Bay, emails from Sarah Palin's personal account and September 11 pager messages.
Today there is a core group of five full-time volunteers, said Daniel Schmitt, a site spokesman, and there are 800 to 1000 people on whom the group can call for expertise on topics such as encryption, programming and writing news releases.
Assange said he considered himself both a journalist and an advocate; if he had to choose one he would choose advocate.
WikiLeaks did not merely post the 38-minute video, it labelled it "Collateral Murder" and said it depicted "indiscriminate" and "unprovoked" slaying.
It also posted a 17-minute edited version, which proved to be much more widely viewed on YouTube than the full version. Critics contended that the shorter video was misleading because it did not make clear that the attacks took place amid clashes in the neighbourhood and that one man was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade.
Assange said "research institutions" offered to help decrypt the army video, but he declined to detail how they went about it. After decrypting the attack video, WikiLeaks in concert with an Icelandic television channel sent two people to Baghdad last weekend to gather information about the killings, at a cost of $US50,000 ($54,000), the site said.
Reuters had spent 2½ years without success trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act.
WikiLeaks publishes its material on its own site, which is housed on a few dozen servers around the world, including places such as Sweden, Belgium and the US that it considers friendly to journalists and document leakers. By being everywhere yet in no exact place, it hopes it is, in effect, beyond the reach of any institution or government that hopes to silence it.
Because it relies on donations, however, WikiLeaks says it struggles to keep its servers online.
On Tuesday, WikiLeaks said it had another encrypted video, allegedly showing a US air strike in Afghanistan that killed 97 civilians last year, and used the opportunity to ask for donations.
Please go to the following link to view the reaction of Julian Assange to CNN:
Adopted by the "Freedom of the Internet in Bahrain" wich under the Bahrrain Human Rights Watch Society(BHRWS) and Human Rights Defenders Representatives from Bahrain assembled at the 1st Bahrain Round Tabel for Human Rights, March 30, 2010.
For details go to Inetrnet Freedoms
Egyptian Ambassador Hisham Badr. Deputy Ambassador of Egypt Ahmed Ihab Gamaleldin, who chaired the informals, Bangladesh deputy Ambassador Mustafizur Rahman and Mexican diplomat Salvador Tinajero Esquivel
Egypt spearheads successful efforts for a panel discussion on the protection of journalists
Statement by Egypt presenting draft resolution on a Human Rights Council Panel Discussion to Protect Journalists in Armed Conflict delivered by Ambassador Hisham Badr. The resolution was adopted without a vote
Mr President
I have the honor to introduce draft resolution L.12 entitled ‘The Protection of Journalists in Situations of Armed Conflicts’ on behalf of the delegations of Bangladesh, Mexico and Egypt.
This cross-regional initiative to convene a panel discussion on this important topic during the 14th session of the Council in June comes in a response to a call by many journalists worldwide including the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), which was strongly supported by Reporters Without Borders, and welcomed by the International Federation of Journalists, and the International News Safety Institute, and Article 19, all of which are organizations representing journalists and documenting the hardships and heroic sacrifices they make in the implementation of their duties. This resolution is a tribute to the commitment and hard work of journalists all over the world and to those who have fallen in the line of duty. It is also a reflection of the commitment of this Council to uphold and expand the freedom of the press and the freedom of opinion and expression.
We believe that this Council is unanimous on the need to protect journalists who are informing the world about events and documenting grave violations of human rights wherever they occur. We recognize that in doing so, many journalists have made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives. According to the Press Emblem Campaign, the number of journalists killed while carrying out their duties from January 2006 to date amounts to at least 446.
The suggested panel will be organized by OHCHR in collaboration with all interested delegations, relevant UN bodies and agencies such as UNESCO, as well as the ICRC, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, the Press Emblem Campaign, and various other stakeholders from all regions of the world. The convening of this panel does not come in a vacuum, hence while elaborating its concept paper, the co-sponsors are committed to an inclusive and transparent approach and to bear in mind relevant resolutions of UN bodies in particular Security Council resolution 1378 of 2006 and Human Rights Council resolution 12/6 on Freedom of Opinion and Expression adopted last September.
It is our hope that through the panel, this Council would have shown responsiveness to the call by journalists for protection, drawing the attention of the international community to the dangers they incur and the sacrifices they make to keep us informed. We believe that this panel will be a useful first step in the development of appropriate response by the Council. We believe that ultimately, initiatives such as this one do contribute in making more people outside of this chamber feel ownership of the agenda of the Council, thereby reinforcing its credibility and relevance in addressing in a united manner new and emerging challenges.
In closing, on behalf of the three delegations of Bangladesh, Mexico and Egypt, I would like to invite the Council to adopt this resolution without a vote.
I thank you
The resolution adopted by the Council which was introduced by Bangladesh, Egypt and Mexico, reads as follows
The Human Rights Council
Reaffirming the vital role played by the press in situations of armed conflict
Alarmed at the large and increasing number of deaths and injuries among members of the press in armed conflict,
Bearing in mind relevant resolutions of UN bodies in particular the Security Council Resolution 1738/2006 of 23 December 2006, and Human Rights Council Resolution 12/16 of 2 October 2009
1-Decides to convene, within the existing resources, a panel discussion at its fourteenth session on the issue of the protection of journalists in armed conflict,
2-Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to liaise with the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the International Committee of the Red Cross and all concerned parties and stakeholders, including relevant press organizations and associations and United Nations bodies and agencies, with a view to ensuring their participation in the panel discussion,
3-Also requests the OHCRC to prepare a report on the outcome of the panel discussion in the form of a summary.
26 March 2010
Abdel Nabi commnets: the only words to describe this important development is thank you, thank you, and thank you to the sponsors of the resolution and the co-sponsors. As President of the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the Coordinator of the ICPJ I would say while looking to the future that this development is a unifying one that will bring all stakeholders to the first ever joint process. And express hope that the Panel Discussion on the Protection of Journalists in Armed Conflict in June will result in the promotion of guidelines to protect journalists in armed conflicts and will thus open the door to formal consultations on the implementation of those guidelines. 27 March 2010
160,000 Blogs in Egypt says Mofid Shehab
Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils Dr. Mofid Shehab told the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Egypt’s report on its implementation of human rights that currently there are 160,000 blogs in Egypt, 20 percent of which have a political outlook.
Shehab who was presenting the report of Egypt noted that the Blogs are facilitated by the free service of the Internet.
160,000 Blogs in Egypt says Mofid Shehab
Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils Dr. Mofid Shehab told the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Egypt’s report on its implementation of human rights that currently there are 160,000 blogs in Egypt, 20 percent of which have a political outlook.
Shehab who was presenting the report of Egypt noted that the Blogs are facilitated by the free service of the Internet.
Venue: Human Rights Council Room 20 Palais des Nations 17 February 2010
BRAVO QATAR
Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud said quote unquote:
The Emir issued a Sovereign Decree in December 2007 reaffirming the role of the media by approving the establishment of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom, as a private institution of public interest.
Based on the strategic principles of freedom, credibility, independence, responsibility and transparency, the Centre’s objectives are to protect the public information system in accordance with international standards, conduct research and build a database to serve the different media.
The Centre will erect an international memorial to symbolic figures, pioneers and victims in the cause of freedom of information, and will provide assistance to journalists mistreated in the course of their professional duty, in particular during crises.
The pronouncements of the State of Qatar during the Working Group of the Universal Periodic Review share the basic views of the ICPJ and the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) in regard to the memorial day of fallen journalists which was celebrated for the first time on 4 June 2009 where the PEC made of it a remembrance day for the journalists fallen in the line of duty and presented an award for an individual or institution that has worked actively in this field.
In addition the Sovereign Decree of HH the Emir of Qatar is also in line with the ICPJ and PEC objectives of protecting freedom of opinion and expression through an enhanced protection of journalists in conflict zones and elsewhere. 15 February 2010
Kazakhstan approved 8000 media outlets 85 percent privately owned
Following the delivery of Kazakhstan’s national report to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group mechanism of the Human Rights Council, Nawaf Naman of the State of Kuwait said that Kazakhstan has consolidated freedom of opinion and expressions whereby it has allowed for 8000 media outlets 85 percent privately owned to operate in the country. Naman described this achievement as a great leap forward concerning freedom of the press.
Council session on UPR review of Kazakhstan
12 February 2010
Join the campaign to say "this is too much":
Bulgarian journalist hit with hammer against head
Vienna, 11 February 2010 - The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the recent physical attack on 23-year-old journalist Dimitar Varbanov, from bTV program Master of Broadcastingin Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.
Varbanov has been working as a journalist for bTV for four years.
On 10 February 2010, Varbanov intended to have an interview with a construction entrepreneur after the bTV programme Master of Broadcasting received alerts from families living in Veliko Tarnovo who had contracts with the construction entrepreneur for new flats that they have never received even after payment was made. After the construction entrepreneur introduced himself as a common builder, he hit Varbanov with a hammer against the head.
After the hammer attack, Varbanov was directly taken to the local hospital. An ambulance and three police cars arrived soon after they got alerted by the cameraman. The alleged perpetrator was arrested and taken into police custody.
SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said, “SEEMO strongly condemns the physical attack on Varbanov."
As President of the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the coordinator of the International Covenent for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) I call upon the community of journalists to say this is too much.
Hedayat Abdel Nabi
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) congratulates the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) for the positive decision by the New York UN based NGO Committee to recommend the PEC for ECOSOC Consultative Status at the United Nations
GENEVA – The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) congratulates the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and strongly welcomes the positive decision of the UN New York based NGO Committee to recommend the PEC for consultative status to the ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL (ECOSOC) subject to approval by ECOSOC in its next session.
This is a tribute to the fallen journalists in conflict zones and is an important development for the PEC and its work.
The establishment of the PEC on 4 June 2004 was triggered by the strong reaction and response by current PEC President Hedayat Abdel Nabi to the killing of top Reuters TV reporter Mazen Dana in front of Abu Gharib prison in Iraq in August 2003 when combat forces mistook his camera for a rocket launcher.
This sad development led to the Emblem movement which is today more outreaching and does not restrict itself to the Emblem.
It was started within a committee meeting of the Association of Correspondents Accredited to the United Nations (ACANU) by Abdel Nabi, during her presidential term of ACANU: 2003-2005, and as previously stated was a strong response for the killing of Dana.
Abel Nabi on 19th April 2004 launched the movement for a protective media emblem in a side event at the United Nations facilitated by Amnesty International.
The movement was joined by current PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen, who became the co-founder of the PEC, with other journalists at the UN in Geneva and Switzerland: Reto Brieter, Daniel Favre (current Vice-President of the PEC), Mohamed Cherif of Swissinfo, Gordon Lennox and IMPRESSUM (the Swiss journalists association).
Mary Simon, PEC VICE PRESIDENT
Today the PEC’s board includes 14 journalists from the UN in Geneva and Switzerland: Mary Simon Rodriguez (Vice President), Alexander Curchod (Vice-President), Kyra Nunez-Johnsson, Luis Vasquez, Pia Drezewinski, Angelica Roget, Tamer Aboalenin, Robert James Parsons, Fawzia Assaad and Blaise, Reto, Daniel, Cherif and Abdel Nabi.
Mohamed Cherif
During the past five years and a half the PEC flourished with members from all over the world and founding media syndicate members notably: the United Arab Emirates Syndicate of Journalists, the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists, the Somali National Union of Somali Journalists and the Palestinian Syndicate of journalists and others followed.
Angleica Roget
Fawzia Assaad
Alexander Curchod
Lempen brought to the PEC an added value of a mixture of a legal expert, writer-author and a journalist, and has developed the idea of a convention to protect journalists to support the emblem movement, an endeavor which was and still is strongly supported by Abdel Nabi. The Convention project was laid down by legal experts, then further developed jointly by Lempen and Abdel Nabi. They both brought to the PEC many initiatives which will flourish with the involvement of the PEC board.
Among some of the important PEC initiatives: the informal consultations with UN member states on the protection of journalists and the PEC Award which was handed for the first time on 4 June 2009. The moderator of the PEC Award ceremony is PEC board member Kyra Nunez-Johnsson.
First PEC - ICPJ conultation meeting with UN member states November 2008
The ICPJ joins hands as usual with the PEC in all of its endeavors to promote the issue of the protection of journalists across the globe and considers ECOSOC, the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council the launching pad for the crucial issue of the protection of journalists which is a humanitarian and noble cause. 6 February 2009
ARTICLE 19:
International Special Rapporteurs For Free Expression Highlight Critical Ten Challenges
The four international special rapporteurs on freedom of expression have released their tenth annual Joint Declaration on Ten Key Challenges to Freedom of Expression in the Next Decade. Brought together by ARTICLE 19 and the Centre for Law and Democracy in February 2010, the special rapporteurs have issued a Joint Declaration each year since 1999.
The 2010 Joint Declaration, which reaffirms all the previous declarations, acknowledges important advances made for free expression over the past decade, especially regarding the enormous potential of the Internet as a tool for realising the rights to freedom of expression and information. At the same time, the Joint Declaration notes both the long-standing and emerging challenges to the full realisation of freedom of expression and identifies ten key threats as follows:
1. Increasing government control over the media through a range of mechanisms, including political influence over public media, punitive registration and licensing requirements, political ownership, and the use of antiquated rules. 2. Criminal and civil laws on defamation, slander and insult, which penalise statements which are factual or opinions, or which protect the reputations of symbols, state institutions or religions, or allow for overly harsh penalties. 3. Violence against journalists and the failure to prevent and investigate such attacks, and bring those responsible to justice. 4. The failure by a majority of states to adopt laws guaranteeing the right of access to information, and the weak implementation of such laws in many states which have. 5. Discrimination against historically disadvantaged groups who struggle to exercise their right to freedom of expression. 6. Commercial pressures, including a growing concentration of media ownership and the risk that public broadcasters will lose out during processes of digital switchover in many countries. 7. Challenges to the public funding support for public service and community broadcasters. 8. National security interests being used to justify unduly broad limitations on freedom of expression. 9. Government restrictions on the Internet, through the imposition of firewalls and filters, or the blocking of websites and web domains. 10. The limited access to the Internet by vulnerable people, such as the poor, and rural or elderly populations.
“These Joint Declarations elaborate on the meaning of freedom of expression according to different thematic areas,” says Dr Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director.“Collectively, the Declarations provide important guidance to those wishing to understand international human rights standards on freedom of expression.”
The four special mandates on freedom of expression are Frank La Rue, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression; Miklos Haraszti, the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe; Catalina Botero, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression for the Organisation of American States; and Pansy Tlakula, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information for the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.
The four special mandates on freedom of expression were brought together by ARTICLE 19 and the Centre for Law and Democracy. ARTICLE 19 first brought the special mandates on freedom of expression together in 1999 and they have issued a Joint Declaration every year since then. 5 February 2010
Yemeni journalists win a stunning victory, issue of protection continues
The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) has reached with the authorities a successful agreement which will see a dramatic change in working conditions for journalists in the state-owned media.The long-awaited agreement, a major breakthrough, comes into force immediately.
In early 2009, the government agreed to the pay rises and improved contracts following negotiations with the YJS, which ended a partial strike of journalists working in the four government-owned media, the Saba News agency, the El Tharwa, the Al Jumhureya and the 14 October newspaper.
The deal was due to be implemented this year but was left out of the general budget for 2010 sparking a strike earlier this month involving up to 1500 journalists.
"This is a stunning victory for Yemeni colleagues, we congratulate them," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. " It shows that when journalists are united and fight together they can win. This landmark agreement should set the benchmark for journalists' unions leading the fight to improve working conditions for their members across the region."
While the battle for decent work was being won, the crisis of news protection continues with two journalists shot in the southern Yemeni city of Ad Dali on 17 January, by unknown gunmen. AbdulRahman Almohamadi and Mohammed Mohsin are in hospital with injuries to their limbs and the IFJ and the YJS have called on the Yemeni government to investigate the incident where the two were shot in a restaurant, while at lunch with two others.
"We fully condemn such acts of violence. Yemeni authorities remain unwilling to protect journalists. There is an increasingly vicious pattern of violence against Yemeni journalists who face an almost daily risk of being targeted and gunned down by the enemies of press freedom. We demand an urgent investigation that will see those responsible brought to justice," said Boumelha.
The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalsits (ICPJ) join Mr. Boumelha in congratulating the Yemeni journalists and voice again the issue of the protection of Journalists not only in Yemen but worldwide.
SOURCE: IFJ 27 January 2009
IFJ says revoke the deportation order of Jared Malsin
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on Israeli authorities to revoke the deportation order served on American journalist and chief English editor of Ma'an news agency, Jared Malsin, who has been held at Tel Aviv International airport since Tuesday after he was denied entry in the country. ِAccording to Ma'an news agency, a Palestinian independent media outfit, Jared was arrested At Tel Aviv as he was returning from vacation in Prague. He was reportedly questioned by security officials about articles he wrote critical of the Israeli government and was refused entry and detained at the airport. The agency says his deportation was scheduled for Thursday but was postponed following protests by American diplomats in Israel. A hearing into his challenge to the order is planned for Sunday. Jared has worked for Ma'an news agency for the last two years, covering the West Bank where he had regular contacts with Israeli officials in the region, reports say. The IFJ says the treatment meted out to Jared is unacceptable and suggests Israeli officials are seeking to control independent media and undermine impartial news reporting. The Federation criticised the ban on foreign media to Gaza before and during the last military offensive between December 2008 and mid January 2009.
15 January 2010
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemned detention of Jared Malsin, chief English editor Ma'an News Agency, by Israel authority and its intention to deport him According to Ma'an press release Malsin is scheduled appear at a Tel Aviv hearing set at the Tel Aviv District Court today, 14 January 2010, that will determine whether or not Israeli Authorities will continue deportation proceedings against him, a verdict is expected at noon. Malsin, an American citizen, was originally detained upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport at 4pm on Tuesday, 12 January 2009. MADA condemns this act, which is serious violation of freedom of expression, and demand the international community to pressure the Israeli government to release Malson and to stop his deportation process.
14 January 2010
Journalists killed since the begining of 2010, first half of January 2010
Togolese sports journalist, Stanislas Ocloo covering the African Nations Cup in Angola, was gunned down in the attack on Togo's national soccer team's bus in the northwestern Angolan enclave of Cabinda.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a regional organisation of editors, media executives, owners of media and leading journalists from South East and Central Europe, and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), strongly condemned the murder of Andis Hadjicostis, CEO of the family-controlled Dias media group and Sigma TV in Nicosia, Cyprus.
Information obtained by SEEMO indicated that Hadjicostis was killed on Monday, 11 January 2009, in the evening, in Nicosia's diplomatic neighbourhood of Engom, as he was leaving his home.
Another journalist, Rupert Hamer, the defence correspondent of the Sunday Mirror, died of his wounds at the scene of the blast north-west of Nawa in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
Journalist Boris Nikolov Tsankov who was gunned down the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Reports say that Tsankov was going to meet with his lawyer in Sofia, accompanied with his two bodyguards when the gunmen struck, shooting him in the heart. He died on the spot and his bodyguards were injured in the attack. The gunmen managed to escape.
Compiled by the ICPJ
UPDATE: Philippines media massacre: 30 bodies recovered, one missing, 3 journalists decided not to follow the convoy
Philippines, December 1 – According to the Center for Media Freedoms and Responsibility 34 journalists signed up to cover the filing of candidacy.
As of today the Center said 30 bodies have been recovered and identified and only one is left missing.
30 journalists killed in a massacre in the Philippines, steps up the global figure to 108
The tragic massacre of journalists en masse in the Philippines steps up the figure of journalists killed in this horrific massacre to 30 journalists.
According to the website GROUND REPORT: a radio announcer in the Philippines said that up to 34 journalists and broadcasters were traveling in the convoy and presumed dead.
This horrific worst massacre in the history of journalism took place on Monday 23 November 2009 when a convoy of 36 persons including journalists was ambushed and slaughtered by gunmen in the Maguindanao province of Southern Philippines. The convoy was attacked by 100 armed men. The journalists traveling in the convoy were on their way to cover a political event.
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) warns that if this pattern continues it will turn those new types of threats against into the possibility of mutating into a pattern of genocide-like acts.
The ICPJ has repeatedly urged the Human Rights Council to respond, this massacre, deserves a timely response from the Council, it is the moment to act.
The Geneva based Covenant condemns this heinous crime that brings a new dimension to the issue of protection.
The current tally steps up the number of journalists killed this year so far to 108.
Source: Center for Media Freedoms and Responsibility, Philippines
28 November 2009
ICPJ and the PEC salute Annan, Kellenberger, the Swiss Presidency at Conventions' 60
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) salutes Annan for flagging the protection issue of journalists, Kellenberger for stressing the need for developing the Geneva Conventions and the Swiss Presidency for being open to a discussion on the Protection of Journalists. The ICPJ joins the PEC in welcoming statements by Annan, Kellenberger and the Swiss Presidency at the 60 years of the Geneva Conventions, the ICPJ salutes Annan for flagging the protection issue of journalists, Kellenberger for stressing the need for developing the Conventions and the Swiss Presidency for being open to a discussion on the Protection of Journalists. The ICPJ joins the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) in welcoming statements made on the issue of the protection of journalists at the International Conference on "60 years of the Geneva Conventions and the decades to come" held on Monday and Tuesday 9-10 November 2009.
The mayor of Geneva at the podium in defense of the victims of armed conflicts
In a conference organized by Switzerland in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Federal Councilor Micheline Calmy-Rey, ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger and the former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan attended the opening ceremony. The ICPJ as well as the PEC welcomed in particular the condemnation by Kofi Annan of "the culture of denial". "Let us be clear. It is not the rules that are to blame for the callous disregard for civilian life we see. It is the rulers who disregard them, or allow or encourage those under their command to do so", said Kofi Annan. Annan firmly stated that "we have to ask ourselves why they take these decisions to flout internationally-agreed rules and standards”. “They do so because they calculate they have little to fear and little to lose from their defiance. Our challenge is to alter the balance of the calculation they make," added Annan. Annan expressed his belief that those in charge are able to ignore the rules, in large part because they, and their supporters, can deflect charges that war crimes are being committed. “They manufacture, or rely on, a culture of denial. In many cases, leaders, their allies and whole populations deny even the most documented abuse,” said Annan. He added that “we can't expect, of course, those with so little regard for human suffering to readily accept responsibility for their conduct”. Annan clearly took a position in defense of journalists when he said: “indeed, the murder of journalists and human rights defenders exposes their brutal determination to hide the truth. We urgently need to build the legitimacy of the factual record to undermine the culture of denial and force acknowledgement of crimes.” The ICPJ and the PEC call on all concerned parties in the arena of international humanitarian law to replicate this vigorous call by the former Secretary-General of the United Nations.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Swiss presidency, represented by Ambassador Paul Seger, director of the legal department at the Foreign Affairs department in Bern said, in response to a question by the President of the PEC: "We would be ready to have a meeting on the Protection of Journalists. We do not deny the situation of journalists in conflict zones".
Philip Spoerry, director of IHL at ICRC confirmed that the question of media was discussed at the conference. However, no concrete initiative has been launched on this occasion.
The ICPJ as well as the PEC call on the participants to give the highest priority to this question. Journalists must, said the ICPJ and the PEC, must be protected in order to fight against "the culture of denial" and ensure greater respect for International Humanitarian Law. It is not a matter of training or manuals, said the PEC President Hedayat Abdel Nabi and ICPJ coordinator, it is a matter of law when it comes to the issue of the protection of journalists. The ICPJ as well as the PEC stresses and agrees that today IHL is confronted by developments and challenges that were scarcely heard of when the Geneva Conventions were adopted in 1949, including those of threats against journalists in conflict zones. Conventional wars between sovereign states have to a great extent given way to internal conflicts; combat zones are the domain of non-state actors, and a new panoply of military technology undreamed of in 1949 raises questions as to its conformity with IHL. The experts have also discussed the question of existing instruments for the implementation of IHL and their adaptation to the reality and challenges of today.
ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger spoke about the urgent need for effective mechanisms capable of ensuring greater respect for International Humanitarian Law, in view of the increasing complexity of armed conflicts. Kellenberger, in a realistic assessment of the situation in the field and the suffering of civilians, recognized the need to clarify and develop the existing Conventions, notably with regard to non-international armed conflicts. 13 November 2009
Threats against a Pakistani journalist from a contracting company
ISLAMABAD - A Peshawar-based journalist Syed Fawad Ali Shah has alleged that he has received life threats from Blackwater (BW) officials and if something happens to him or his family US Ambassador to Pakistan and Consular General of US Consulate in Peshawar will be responsible.
He said that he carried out a report about activities of Black Water in Pakistan in his newspaper and after that he was constantly receiving threats from BW officials and some Pakistani officials, who were working for them.
Talking to The Nation, Fawad alleged that US anti-terrorism experts were overseeing the BW activities in Pakistan. In this regard, he claimed, they have acquired services of several retired armed forces officials.
"They have also acquired some residential units in the posh areas of the city by giving huge amounts in advance," he said. "They are also paying heavy packages to their local drivers. James Bill William, Copper, Steven Cash, Roderick Christopher and Alisha Cambel are looking after the activities of Black Water in Peshawar," he claimed.
Earlier, Fawad Ali Shah held a press conference at National Press Club, Islamabad. He denied reports that by doing so he was trying to get a US visa. He appealed to the government and journalist community to provide protection to him and his family.India 'ready' for talks with Pak.
Source: Pakistani media
30 October 2009
MADA strongly condemns attacks on journalists in Jerusalem
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns the Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists in Jerusalem.
The Israeli occupation forces attacked yesterday (25 October): the reporter and photographer of “Alquds Net” Dyala Jwayhan, the correspondent of Palestinian News Network (PNN) MaisAbu-Ghazaleh, AP photographer Mahfouz Abu Turk.
“Yediot Aharonot” newspaper photographer, Atta Ewissat was injured by Palestinian youth who's hurled a stone on him, during coverage the events in the vicinity of Al Aqsa Mosque.
Jwayhan said that the Israeli police attacked her after taking a picture of an Israeli police officer assaulted an elderly man, so one of the soldiers beat her and pressed his leg on her foot strongly and ripped her T-shirt, and this attacks led to her suffering from severe bruises in the neck and back, and tearing a muscle in her foot.
Abu Turk said that he was beaten severely by Israeli special guards, when he was in the old city. As the guards pushed him into a corner and beat him with batons, hands and feet, causing him severe pain in the left foot and right knee, and bruises on his back.
According to “Abu-Ghazaleh” while she was trying to enter Al-Aqsa mosque, one of the soldiers closed the metal barrier on her right leg, which led to a slight injury, bruises and swelling.
Abu-Ghazaleh said she also saw a foreign journalist who was beaten and some of her teeth were broken, but she couldn’t identify her name.
On the other hand “atta Ewissat” said that he was wounded in his left leg by a stone thrown at him by a Palestinian youth, while he was trying to convince a number of young men, that the foreign journalists who were accompanying him are not soldiers disguised in journalists dress, that because the Israeli occupation forces disguise as photojournalists, in the neighborhood of Ras al-Amud on (8-9 October).
MADA center demands the international community to pressure Israel’s government to stop its attacks on journalists, particularly in Jerusalem, where a number of them had been arrested, detained and prevented from covering during the last few months.
26 October 2009 SOURCE: MADA
AMERICA and EGYPT hail the constructive partnership for freedom of expression
The governments of the United States and the Arab Republic of Egypt take this opportunity to underscore the constructive partnership between our two nations in sponsoring the landmark resolution on the freedom of expression passed October 2 by the UN Human Rights Council.
The United States and Egypt further note that this important resolution, the first of its kind in many years, enjoyed the co-sponsorship of49 nations from around the world.
The resolution, through which consensus was restored in the Human Rights Council on an issue marred by controversy in recent years, is a reflection of an open and genuine dialogue on freedom of expression. It unequivocally supports free speech and recognizes the central role open debate plays in combating racism, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance.
In adopting this resolution, the Human Rights Council gives clear voice to a shared international understanding of the responsibilities of governments to condemn and address hate speech and to promote respect and tolerance. 6 October 2009 Source: US mission-Geneva
Press credentials denied by Israel for Swedish journalists
Israel on Sunday withheld the press credentials of a Swedish newspaper in retaliation for a controversial piece that suggested the Israeli army kidnapped and killed young Palestinians to harvest their organs.
The journalists need the credentials to report from Gaza.
"We have no duty to supply them with press cards immediately; (we) have 90 days to decide about their status," said Danny Siman, the head of the Israeli government press office.
The article, "Our sons are being stripped of their organs," appeared Tuesday in Aftonbladet and was an opinion piece written by freelance journalist Donald Bostrom.
Bostrom told CNN he had no proof that Israeli soldiers were stealing organs, and that the purpose of his piece was to call for an investigation into numerous claims in the 1990s that such activity was going on in the West Bank and Gaza.
Even though the Swedish embassy distanced itself from the report, the country's foreign ministry refused to condemn it -- saying Sweden has a "free press."
The refusal has rankled Israel, which said it will submit an official complaint.
"This is an anti-Semitic blood libel against the Jewish people and the Jewish state. The Swedish government cannot remain apathetic," said Israel's Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz.
"We know the origins of these claims. In medieval times, there were claims that the Jews use the blood of Christians to bake their Matzas for Passover. The modern version now is that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers use organs of Palestinians to make money."
He continued: "It makes no difference whether this comes from a neo-Nazi organization or from an honorable newspaper. The Swedish government must renounce itself from this anti-Semitic publication."
The article centers around the case of Bilal Ahmed Ghanem, a 19-year-old Palestinian man who was shot and killed in 1992, allegedly by Israeli forces, in the West Bank village of Imatin.
Bostrom, who witnessed the man's killing, said Ghanem was taken away by Israeli forces while he was still mortally wounded. His body was returned five days later with a cut in his midsection that had been stitched up.
Ghanem's family said they believed that his organs had been removed.
After that incident, at least 20 Palestinian families told Bostrom that they suspected the Israeli military had taken the organs of their sons after they had been killed by Israeli forces and their bodies taken away -- presumably for routine autopsies.
Bostrom said he balanced those claims in his article by including a reaction from an Israeli military spokesman who told him that the Israel Defense Forces routinely carries out autopsies on Palestinians killed by their troops.
But, as he stated in his article, Bostrom said he has doubts about the necessity of the procedures if it is clear how the person died.
Last week Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman compared the Swedish Foreign Ministry's hands-off position to the country's neutrality during World War II.
"It's a shame that the Swedish Foreign Ministry fails to intervene in a case of blood libels against Jews," Lieberman told Sweden's ambassador to Israel on Thursday evening. "This is reminiscent of Sweden's stand during World War II, when [it] had failed to intervene as well."
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel placed curbs on Swedish journalists on Sunday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Sweden's government to condemn a newspaper article that Israeli officials say recalled historic hatred of Jews in Europe.
Israel's foreign minister compared it to the Dreyfus Affair -- the trial of a Jewish officer in the French army a century ago, which drew attention to anti-Semitism across the continent and inspired Zionists to promote Jewish emigration to Palestine.
Sweden has said press freedom means it cannot intervene in a dispute over the tabloid Aftonbladet's reprinting last Monday of long-standing Palestinian allegations that the Israeli army may have taken organs for transplants from men who died in custody.
"The statements in the Swedish press were outrageous," Netanyahu was quoted telling his cabinet, in his first comment on the issue. "We are not expecting an apology from the Swedish government...We are expecting condemnation."
The official quoting him said the premier, who will be in Europe this week visiting London and Berlin, echoed colleagues in comparing the article to medieval "blood libels," which alleged Jews used the blood of Christian babies in religious rites.
A spokesman for Israel's Interior Ministry said it was "freezing" the issue of entry visas to Swedish journalists, though those already working in the country would not be affected for now. The Government Press Office said it would take more time to review applications for accreditation from Swedes.
The dispute has soured relations with the country that holds the rotating presidency of the European Union just as Israel is defending its treatment of the Palestinians against criticism in Europe of January's war in Gaza and settlement in the West Bank.
PRESS FREEDOM
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said last week his country opposed anti-Semitism but would not muzzle the media.
A ministry spokeswoman declined comment on a report that Sweden's ambassador to Israel was reprimanded for issuing a statement condemning the Aftonbladet article as "appalling." The statement was no longer on the embassy's Web site on Sunday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of a right-wing coalition party whose outspoken criticisms of Arabs have prompted accusations of racism, praised the ambassador and compared her to Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who acted on his own initiative to save Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust.
Dismissing Sweden's argument about press freedom as a "fig leaf" for inaction, Lieberman told Army Radio: "What angers us is that the Swedish government didn't condemn it but hastened to reprimand the ambassador who did find it right to condemn this blood libel, which recalls the Dreyfus Affair."
He also compared the article to "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," an anti-Semitic tract purporting to show a global Jewish conspiracy which was widely cited by Hitler among others.
Israeli officials say Europeans often favor Palestinians at their expense and Netanyahu's government is trying to counter that. Lieberman has told Israeli diplomats to circulate a 1941 photograph of a Palestinian leader meeting Hitler as part of a campaign to stem opposition to Jewish West Bank settlements.
23 August 2009
Family of Canadian journalist breaks silence one year after kidnappingBy Lisa Arrowsmith (CP) – 23 August 2009
EDMONTON — A year after Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout was kidnapped in Somalia, her family members have given a rare glimpse into their ordeal.
In a statement, the families of Lindhout and Australian photographer Nigel Brennan, said they're working tirelessly for the release of their loved ones.
"With little outside support, the families -who have been united as one throughout this horrendous ordeal - continue to do everything and anything to gain the earliest possible release for their loved ones Amanda and Nigel," the statement said.
It wasn't immediately clear if the statement's reference to "little outside support" was criticism aimed at the Canadian and Australian governments.
None of Lindhout's family members could immediately be reached for comment.
Rodney Moore, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs in Canada, said in an interview Saturday that the federal government continues to pursue all "appropriate channels" to seek further information about the welfare of both journalists.
"We will not comment or release any information which may compromise these efforts and jeopardize the safety of a Canadian or other citizen," he said from Ottawa.
"Good judgement and caution are called for in reporting on a situation where lives may be at risk," he said.
Lindhout, 28, a freelance journalist from Sylvan Lake, Alta., was kidnapped along with Brennan near Mogadishu on Aug. 23, 2008.
In a phone call to Canada's OMNI TV earlier this month, a woman claiming to be Lindhout appealed to the Canadian government to do everything possible to obtain her release.
Last month, Brennan's mother, Heather, confronted Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd over how long it's taking to negotiate her son's release, but Lindhout's family has repeatedly declined to speak publicly about her kidnapping.
Lindhout's family has remained silent since her capture. As late as last weekend, Lindhout's father, Jon Lindhout, sent a message to The Canadian Press asking that stories on the anniversary of her capture not be done for fear it would make the situation worse, but issued the statement late Friday.
Dennis Trudeau, a vice-president with Reporters Without Borders Canada, suggested the situation is a delicate one.
"Usually in Somalia, these things have not gone on so long, although we're a bit mystified as to why this has gone on so long," he said in an interview from Montreal.
He said the organization does what it can to support the families of the two kidnapped journalists, and supports what the Canadian and other governments may be doing to negotiate an end to this situation.
"It's a very tough place to operate, Somalia. They're one of the most chaotic and disorganized states in the world, if not the most chaotic, so it's a very tough situation," Trudeau said.
But all parties must still tread carefully when it comes to public comments that are made about Lindhout and Brennan, Trudeau suggested.
"I don't think anyone thinks negotiating in the media is a good idea," he said.
UNESCO chief condemns slaying of journalist in Russia Argentina Star Friday 21st August, 2009
The head of the UN agency mandated with protecting press freedom has condemned the killing of a Dagestani journalist in Russia, calling on authorities to bring those behind the murder to justice.
Malik Akhmedilov, a sub-editor for the local Avar-language newspaper Khakikat, was found dead last week in Makhachkala, the capital of the Russian republic of Dagestan.
“Enabling journalists to carry out their work in reasonable conditions of safety and letting them contribute to public debate are two essential conditions to improve peace and stability in the Caucasus,” Matsuura, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was quoted as saying.
Akhmedilov’s murder is the latest in a series of killings of journalists in Dagestan in recent years. Abdoullah Alichaïev, of the local television channel TV-Chirkei, was shot dead in September last year, six months after the killing of his colleague Gadji Abachilov. Magomedzagid Varisov, a reporter for the weekly Novoye Delo, was killed in June 2005.
The ICPJ joins MADA welcoming cancelation of suspension of Al-Jazeera
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) joins the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) in welcoming decision of Dr. Salam Fayyad's Government to cancel the suspension of the work of Al-Jazeera TV, last night.
19 July 2009
PA closes AlJazeera in the West Bank
Curbing freedom of opinion and expression, obstructs objective journalism
The Palestinian Authority ordered the closure of Al-Jazeera television in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday for airing "false" information, the government said in a statement.
The move came a day after the channel aired a story in which senior PLO official Faruq Kaddumi accused president Mahmud Abbas of collaborating with Israel to kill veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2004.
The story was aired less than a month before the Fatah movement, today headed by Abbas, is due to hold a general congress on August 4 for the first time in 20 years to renew its leadership.
In a statement released at its Doha headquarters, Al-Jazeera said it was "stunned" that it had been sanctioned for the story, which had also been aired by several other media.
In Ramallah, the channel's local director Walid al-Omary said: "We firmly reject the accusations... We regret this decision, which harms the freedom of expression and the press in this country."
The information ministry said that it was taking the Qatar-based satellite channel to court over a report that it aired the previous day and that its operations in the West Bank would be suspended in the meantime.
The statement said that the pan-Arab channel "has been devoting significant segments of its broadcasts to incitement against the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority".
Sources: News Agencies 15 July 2009
ICPJ: condemns the closure of the AlJazeera office in the West Bank, this is a clear breach of freedom of opinion and expression and objective journalism.
IRAN VIOLATIONS
The current unrest in Iran following the contested presidential elections has led to gross human rights violations of the peoples of Iran.
However, a number of facts must remain clear. Observers beleive that the margin of 30 percent victory for the incumbent president is a difficult gap to bridge. But the people of Iran have the right to express their opposition peacefully to the results.
The current situation in Iran led to reports that more than 400 people were arrested among them journalists, thus breaching the fundemntal right of freedom of opinion and expression.
Unfortunately the crackdown in Iran, which has shown the power of the second generation of the revolution of the high tech technology, and through Facebook, Twitter and Utube, has turned the winner of the presidential election into a looser through the gross violations the world is watching on CNN.
Neda, slain in her blood, is the symbol of the subjugation of the peoples to gross human rights violations, naturally first and foremost the right to life.
Democray, human rights, freedom of opinion and expression are intertwined and hence the view that opponents to the elected President should have conceeded defeat and not spearheaded their country into this violent turbulence. On the other hand, the peoples any people have the right to assemble, peacefyully demonstarte and express their resentmnet peacefully.
Related to this issue is that the outside world should stand neutral when the result of any elections is not to their liking.
The elected Iranian President, no doubt, has an overwhelming base of support among the masses and the rural community, therefore partly the negative reaction of the international community to his election is in part a reason for encouraging the Iranian unrest.
The Inetrnational Community must accept the choice of the peoples of the world even if it is not to their liking.
23 June 2009
KOSOVO: aggressive campaign against journalists
By Besiana Lushaj, Human Right Student-6 June 2009
The aggressive campaign that several news media have been waging in the past few days against “Life in Kosovo,” an investigative program broadcast by public TV service RTK, and the program’s presenter, Jeta Xharra, is becoming more sinister and threatening.
The campaign started after a Life in Kosovo report about alleged atrocities by the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) during the 1998-99 Kosovo War.
A Life in Kosovo crew was also expelled from the municipality of Skenderaj (in the central Drenica region) while preparing a report there.
The smear campaign intensified after a program about press freedom in Kosovo on 28 May that described how the government used its advertising to influence the media. Xharra also referred to recent dismissals of journalists regarded as critical of the authorities.
The campaign is being led by the tabloid newspaper Infopress, which accuses Life in Kosovo of denigrating Drenica, claims that Xharra is a Serbian spy and is demanding the program’s withdrawal. The newspaper has also repeatedly published threatening letters from readers, thereby endorsing their content. “Jeta is exposing herself to the possibility of a short life,” an Infopress journalist wrote on 4 June.
A petition call from Kosovo NGO-s and different medias in Kosovo and Albania is already being signed requesting the Kosovo Assembly to undertake steps to protect freedom of expression in Kosovo, independent media and democracy in Kosovo.
Please react to stop this verbal violence against fair journalism and spiritual corruption that Kosovo officials are demonstrating. Sign the petition and send it to this contact: eli.gashi@gmail.com or besiana.lushaj@gmail.com
Center for Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Studies Zmaja od Bosne 8, 71000 Sarajevo web: www.cps.edu.ba e-mail: besiana.lushaj@gmail.com phone/fax: +387 33 668 683 mobile: +38762735287
PEC AWARDS
The first ever awards for the Protection of Journalists were handed to their recipients the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) headquartered in Ramallah for its role in exposing media violations during the Gaza war 27 December 2008 -18 January 2009 by all sides.
The award was split with Mexican Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Luis Alfonso de Alba, first President of the Human Rights Council, for his efforts to highlight the issue on the level of the HRC and the diplomatic community in Geneva.
The event was sponsored by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, Kuwaiti magazine Al Yaqatha spearheaded by Ahmad Yusuf Behbehani, the Swiss ress Club and the PEC.
4 June 2009
ARAB MEDIA AWARDS
During the month of May Dubai celebrated its annual prestiguous event the Arab Media Forum which concludes with handing out the Arab media awards.
The whole event is a result of the egagemnet, support and encourgement of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, says the ICPJ.
Magda Abu-Fadil, who brings years of experience as a foreign correspondent, currently director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut (AUB) quoted Seymour Hersh who aaddressed the forum.
Hersh praised Dubai for being at the cutting edge and urged Arab journalists to push for good governance but said an investigative journalist was like a dead rat brought to a party.
"Nobody likes us, but if you don't do what you do, you can't change things," he said, adding that the Internet had changed the face of journalism.
The Web's increasing dominance and print media's accelerating demise in the West, don't seem to have adversely affected newspapers in the Arab World where growth is still key, experts said.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have seen more newspapers come onto the print scene in parallel with the rapid increase of online media and portals drawing ever more readers and advertisers in the region.
With the emergence of a knowledge society, new media and platforms are increasingly contributing to user-generated content and providing average citizens with vehicles to supplement traditional media reports.
Abu-Fadil added that Later a very heated discussion erupted between the news heads of Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera channels who argued over Israel's war on Gaza and their respective linguistic differences over coverage of that conflict.
"Martyr is a religious term, I cannot issue a judgment on the dead person because I am not God," said Al Arabiya's Nabil Khatib during the Gaza session, to the dismay of Ahmad Al Sheikh of Al Jazeera who said his station's hyped coverage aimed to halt conflicts and victims' suffering.
Khatib said he must consider his audience despite the old adage that what bleeds leads, and that a lot of news reaching newsrooms during conflicts was misleading.
Other sessions dealt with the worldwide financial crisis and the media's handling, or mishandling, thereof.
The harsh reality of online media taking over worldwide means funders' mentality has to change and advertisers will seek "fast fooders," participants heard experts say.
A key question raised at the forum was whether industry was willing to invest in new content and delivery systems. Conferees agreed on the need for extensive training to upgrade and update journalists' skills.
The two-day forum organized by the Dubai Press Club (www.dpc.org.ae) drew over 600 people from the Arab world and beyond.
photos used in this report are a copyright of Magda Abu-Fadil
The Internationall Covenenat for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) believes that the Arab Media Forum, organized by the Dubai Press Club, is a vivid example of modernity and enlightment.
By hosting the Forum and the Awards the DPC is playing a vital role in moving ahead into a new age of Arab media renaissance, says the ICPJ.
In addition it is a meeting point for many outstanding Arab media players who spend 2-days in an atmosphere of free exchange and open debates.
The whole event is a result of the egagemnet, support and encourgement of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, says the ICPJ.
May 2009
The ICPJ supports the PEC for Remembrance Day
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) joins the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) in honoring the victims of violence, wars, civil unrest among journalists who were killed during those events only because they are journalists.
The ICPJ expresses hope that all Press Associations around the world, and NGOs defending media freedoms will join the two organizations on that day to honor our colleagues, who have fell in the line of duty.
Mauritania: hearty congratulations to the SJM
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) welcomes the newly born syndicate of Mauritanian journalists (SJM).
A hearty congratulations to all the journalists in Mauritania, please contact the ICPJ coordinator Hedayat Abdel Nabi through her personal email hedayat.abdelnabi@gmail.com, and at press@mediacovenant.org
Another hearty congratulations to its’ Secretary-General Ahmed Salem OULD MOCTAR SALEM Source Mohamed Salem, member of the ICPJ board 5 May 2009
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton onWorld Press Freedom Day
The United States is proud to join the international community incelebrating World Press Freedom Day and the contributions that journalists maketo advancing human dignity, liberty, and prosperity. We live in a world wherethe free flow of information and ideas is a powerful force for progress.
Independent print, broadcast, and online media outlets are more than sources ofnews and opinion. They also expose abuses of power, fight corruption,challenge assumptions, and provide constructive outlets for new ideas anddissent. Freedom of the press isprotected by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is ahallmark of every free society.
Wherever media freedom is in jeopardy,all other human rights are also under threat. A free media is essentialto democracy and it fosters transparency and accountability, both of which areprerequisites for sustained economic development.
Those who seek to abusepower and spread corruption view media freedom as a threat. Instead ofsupporting an open press, they attempt to control or silence independentvoices.
The methods they use against news organizations and journalists rangefrom restrictive laws and regulations to censorship, violence, imprisonment,and even murder.
Such tactics are not new, and cannot gounanswered. We are especiallyconcerned about the citizens from our own country currently under detentionabroad: individuals such as Roxana Saberi in Iran, and Euna Lee and Laura Ling in North Korea.
On behalf of PresidentObama, I want to affirm the United States’ strong commitment to media freedomworldwide. We will champion this cause through our diplomatic efforts andthrough our exchange and assistance programs.
We will work in partnershipwith non-governmental organizations and directly with members of themedia. And we will stand with those courageous men and women who facepersecution for exercising and defending the right of media freedom.
3 May 2009
Norwegian Ambassador says her country sponsors a conference for media work in Somalia
Norwegian Ambassador Bente Angel Hansen announced that Norway has decided to sponsor a conference in the Horn of Africa region on "Media Ethics and Journalism in Somalia".
The Norwegian Ambassador explained that this three-day conference is organized by the National Union of Somali Journalists, in which both representatives of the Somali media, as well as of the government will participate.
She added that freedom of expression is essential in a country like Somalia.
"Media has a very important role to play to protect human rights. But Somali journalists are working under immense difficulties," she added.
The Norwegian Ambassador expressed hope that the forthcoming conference may lead to a better working climate and possibly also to the reconstitution of the National Media council in Somalia.
Somali casualties among the media make it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. The Ambassador of Norway made this intervention during the interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Somalia in the Human Rights Council. 25 March 2009
Columbia read to the Human Rights Council by Fawzia Assaad, PEN International Representative at the UN in Geneva
International PEN, the world association of writers, and the World Press Freedom Committee, an umbrella organization of 45 press freedom organizations on five continents, welcome the commitments the Colombian State has made in relation to journalists. These include: improving guarantees of their rights; encouraging investigations of crimes against them; and fostering a culture in which it is easier for journalists to carry out their work. PEN and the WPFC also note with satisfaction that there were no deadly attacks on print journalists in Colombia in 2008, unlike the preceding two years.
However, we are alarmed by the high numbers of print journalists in Colombia who continue to be threatened and intimidated in relation to their work. In 2008, PEN recorded a total of 14 attacks against print journalists: five were threatened with death, four were otherwise threatened and harassed, three were on trial for criminal defamation, one was physically attacked and another kidnapped.
PEN and the WPFC ask that that Colombian State provide journalists who are threatened and attacked in this way with adequate guarantees of their safety. In particular we urge the government to take measures to ensure that such journalists are not further endangered by comments made by public officials that could exacerbate threats and violence against them.
In order to ensure that these crimes against journalists do not remain unpunished, PEN and the WPFC note that the Colombian State must not only encourage investigations but ensure that they take place, and that these investigations must be prompt, independent, thorough and impartial. We call on the pertinent institutions in Colombia to speed up outstanding investigations and thus bring to justice all those who have committed crimes against journalists. 20 March 2009
OIPC Secretary-General supports call for Council panel discussion
Secretary-General of the International Civil Defense Organization (OIPC) Nawaf Al Sleibi announced that he supports the call for a panel discussion on the protection of journalists in the Human Rights Council.
He added that journalists pay the price while covering natural disasters and during conflict and hence the importance of standing by the call.
Al Sleibi stressed that journalists desreve the same protection like workers of the Red Cross and Crescents, Civil defense and others.
More than 60 countries are members of the OIPC.
OIPC Secretary-General hands the Silver medal of his organization to Hedayat Abdel Nabi, PEC President and ICPJ coordinator for her dedication to human rights causes and her integrity as a journalist.
18 March 2009
Call for releasing journalists
16 March 2009 from the interactive debate in the Human Rights Council
GEORGE GORDON LENNOX, of Reporters without Borders - called for the immediate release of Perwiz Kambakhsh, a young Afghan journalist who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison, his sole crime having been to download an article about women in Islam. that Reporters Without Borders requested the Council and the Special Rapporteurs to intervene in favour of Perwiz to obtain a presidential pardon from Hamid Karzai. Other calls for intervention were made on behalf of Tamil journalists Tissainayagam and Vithyatharan Tissainayagam from the Sunday Times, who were detained for writing about the war going in the country; and the case of journalists and bloggers detained in Iran, especially Mohammad Sadegh Kabovand, the editor of a Kurdish weekly, who was detained in prison despite his poor health.
IFJ condemns court decision against Muntadhar Al=Zeidi
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has protested over the disproportionate decision of an Iraqi court which sentenced television journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi to three years in jail for throwing his shoes at former American president George W. Bush in December last year.
"This sentence is hugely out of proportion," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "The journalist made a serious mistake, but it was something that should have been properly dealt with internally and not brought before the courts at all. The Iraqi response is regrettable and we urge that there is clemency and his sentence is reduced on appeal."
According to media reports from Baghdad, the judge ordered the jail sentence after finding the journalist guilty of assault on a foreign leader. The defence had argued that the charge was inadmissible since Bush was not on an official visit when the journalist hurled his shoes. Their application for reducing the charge to insult also failed.
Muntadhar al-Zeidi, aged 30, a correspondent for the Iraqi-owned al-Baghdadiya TV television station based in Cairo, Egypt, shot to fame in Iraq after he removed his shoes and threw them at President Bush during a press conference in Baghdad with the country's Prime Minister Al-Maliki on 14 December. He has been in detention since he was detained by American security staff and later handed over to Iraqi security services.
The IFJ has called for his release, saying his action was a desperate act to protest over injustice suffered by Iraqi citizens, including journalists, since the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation by the coalition forces. The Federation hopes al-Zeidi will be freed as soon as possible. 12 March 2009
UNGA President supports measures for journalist's security
The President of the UN General Assembly Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann supported the call for tackling the global protection problem confronting journalists in zones of conflict and elsewhere.
"Absolutely, I am also a journalist, I know the importance of the mission of journalists, and that measures must be taken to grant the security of journalists all over the world," he stressed.
The President of the General Assembly was responding to a question from Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on whether an in depth discussion should take place on the level of the GA and the Human Rights Council on the protection of journalists.
Source: press conference-UN Geneva-5 March 2009
Freedom of Speech and Press: Israel
“The government prohibited Israeli journalistsfrom entering the Gaza Strip, and those who did were subject to legal penaltiessuch as fines and restraining orders. In early November the government alsostarted preventing foreign journalists from entering the Gaza Strip. OnNovember 24, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel filed a petition tothe High Court requesting that it overturn the ban on foreign journalistsentering the Gaza Strip. On December 31, the High Court ruled in favor of theFPA petition. The government had not complied at year's end.”
State Department Report on Human Rights-February 2009
Iraq:Testimony of an American journalist
Dahr Jamail is an American journalist who is best known as oneof the few unembedded journalists to report extensively from Iraq during theIraq war, and in an interview with DIVA International, a Geneva based publication, he said that there were security concerns in Iraq, which was and is achallenge, “but I decided that my best security was no security”.
What I mean by that isthat I felt it would draw attention to me if I went around with a securitycontingent. Thus, by doing what I could to blend in with Iraqis, I felt I wasbeing safer.
Q : You seem to have a disaffecton from themainstream media ? Why ?
As I mentioned above, rather than behaving as journalists andasking members of the Bush administration to prove their allegations aboutWMD’s in Iraq,in the U.S. weinstead had a press corps that were lapdogs of the state, cheerleaders for war.To me, that was simultaneously repulsive and sickening. This trend continuedinto the invasion, and then of course with the occupation.Let me give you an example. I was in Iraqin January 2004 when I came across the story of a man who was detained by the U.S.military, and held for one month. He was tortured horrifically by theAmericans-and I had photographs and video to prove it. They cleared showed theback of his had bashed in, electrical burn marks on the bottoms of his feet andgenitals, bruises and lash marks up and down his body. The Americans droppedhim off, comatose, in a hospital in Tikrit with a medical report by an Armydoctor stating the man had had a heart attack, which was their excuse for whyhe was comatose.I sent the story to 150 news outlets across the U.S.-includingevery major TV, radio, and print publication. Not one, not one foreign editoreven replied to the email, which was simply urging them to cover the torture,as it was that widespread. It wasn’t until the end of that April whenjournalist Seymor Hersh forced 60 minutes to run those pictures, otherwise hewould have scooped them.That’s but one example. The embedded corporate media are useless,beyond furthering the agenda of the state. That they call themselvesjournalists is laughable.
Between 2003 and 2005 Dahr Jamail spent eight months inIraq and presented his stories on his website, entitled Dahr Jamail’s Mid-EastDispatches (www.dahrjamailiraq.com).
In 2008 he was the recipient of The Martha Gellhorn Prizefor Journalism and has won many other international prizes.
An overview of the situation confronting journalists in SWAT, Pakistan, tragedy of fallen members of GEO TV
By: Mohammad Nasir, Senior Editor
GEO TV CONDEMNS THE BRUTAL KILLING OF OUR TEAM GEO MEMBER, MUSA KHANKHEL,A COURAGEOUS AND FEARLESS JOURNALIST, BY FORCES INIMICAL TO THE FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND EXPRESSION. HE WAS MURDERED WHILE PERFORMING HIS DUTIES IN SWAT AND HIS STORIES HELPED US TO MAKE SENSE OF THE CONVOLUTED AND VIOLENT SITUATION IN THE VALLEY.
GEO TV CALLS ON THE GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE HIS MURDER AND UNVEIL THE PERPETRATORS WHO SEEM TO CARRY OUT THESE GRUESOME ACTS WITH IMPUNITY. WE HOPE THAT UNLIKE PREVIOUS CASES THE KILLERS WILL BE ARRESTED AND FACE JUSTICE.THIS WILL ENABLE JOURNALISTS TO FEARLESSLY REPORT IN CONFLICT ZONES AND WILL HELP ENSHRINE MUSA KHANKHELS MEMORY AMONGST THE MARTYRS OF PEACE.
WHILE THERE IS NO ADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR A PRICELESS LIFE GEO TV IS COMMITTED TO THE FAMILY OF THE SLAIN JOURNALIST. THEY WILL NOT BE ABANDONED. A SUM OF RS 10 LAKHS HAS BEEN SET ASIDE BY GEO AS A TOKEN OF GRATITUDE FOR OUR BRAVE TEAM MEMBER. HIS FAMILY WILL RECEIVE THIS AMOUNT IMMEDIATELY.
Central Communication Department Geo TV Network Karachi 19 February 2009
First journalist killed in February from Somalia For the second month in a row, a Somali journalist SaidTahlil Ahmed, Director of HornAfrik Radio in Mogadishu,becomes the first journalist assassinated worldwide in February following thekilling of Hassan Mayow Hassan of Radio Shabelle, who was the first journalist tobe killed on one January 2009.
4 February 2009
UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS NAVY PILLAY
The killing of the prominent newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge earlier this month was the latest blow to the freeexpression of dissent in Sri Lanka.
NAVY PILLAY
Lasantha Wickrematunge
"The searing article hewrote prophesying his own murder is an extraordinary indictment of asystem corrupted by more than two decades of bloody internal conflict," said Navy Pillay.
29 January 2009
ARTICLE19 calls on the BBC to reconsider its decision and to broadcast the DEC appeal
The Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal conforms to the humanitarian principles that reliefshould be distributed to civilians in need without partiality, asenshrined in Geneva Conventions common Article 3; Additional Protocol I Article 70; Additional Protocol II Article18(2); as well as the Statutes of the International Red Cross and RedCrescent Movement, the Guiding Principles on the Right to HumanitarianAssistance of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law andothers. Furthermore DEC members have confirmed they are able to workwithout hindrance from the Hamas controlled authorities both toidentify who are most in need of assistance and to channel assistanceto them directly, either through their own staff or well establishedlocal non governmental partners. The DEC appeal is solely concernedwith alleviating the suffering of the inhabitants of Gaza.
For more info go to ARTICLE 19
Article 19
ARTICLE 19 believes that attacks against journalists and media are far more commonin Brazil than is commonly thought and many cases, particularly thosefrom smaller towns and cities, are not widely reported.
For more info go to ARTICLE 19
OPEN LETTER TO THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
ICPJ STATEMENT ON THE INUGURATION OF BARACK OBAMA
GENEVE, ICPJ, JANUARY 26, The International Covenant for the Protection of journalists (ICPJ) congratulates the American people for the very welcome change in America.
The ICPJ would add that this occasion cannot be missed without congratulating the majority of the world who voted with their loud voices for Barack Obama, and though their vote do not count, but they represent the moral force and conscience of the world, which gives added importance to 20 January 2009.
Those committed to the rule of law, human rights and humanitarian and international law believe that President Obama s inauguration yesterday could represent a new dawn for the 21st century and a turning point in the relations of the United States with the peoples of the world, a very welcome development.
As the beacon of democracy, free speech and free press, the United States, in the coming months will take charge of many priorities across the globe.
It is the hope of the ICPJ, an NGO dedicated to the defence of media and based in Geneva, that the new administration spearheaded by the 44th President, and his new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will give attention to the global problem of the protection of journalists worldwide.
So far from one January 2009 till 26 January 14 journaists have been killed while carrying their work, among them four during the Gaza war.
Gaza, Georgia, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, are vivid examples of targeting journalists only because they are journalists, uncovering the truth as long as they are not shot at, witness and register, in their reporting, the most gross violations of human rights across the world, including their basic human right which is the right to life.
President Obama described, in his book: "The Audacity of Hope" the media as the third force.
Therefore, the ICPJ expresses its profound hope today that in the coming months a new chapter will open with the new America towards cementing the ideas of putting into place measures and legal provisions that would assist journalists in their important mission and to protect them in zones of conflict and other dangerous situations.
The United States, remains the glowing example of freedom of the press, and remains the country that has led media technology development among other matters, and in this context it is the hope of the ICPJ that the US would also lead when it concerns the global problem of the protection of journalists, who represent as President Obama mentioned THE THIRD FORCE.
PEC ICPJ condemn strongly shelling a building hosting media offices
GENEVA, January 16 (PEC-ICPJ) – The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) condemned today strongly the shelling of a building in Gaza hosting several media offices which resulted in the injury of two media workers.The two Geneva based organizations call upon the international community to act and to put an end to such military actions which are clear violations of international humanitarian law. Calls upon the Human Rights Council to quickly move to the stage of implementation of resolution (A/HRC/S-9/L.2) adopted last Monday, which, among other matters calls for safe corridors for media workers in Gaza and a free acces to do their work.
OPEN LETTER TO THE EGYPTIAN AND PALESTINIAN AMBASSADORS IN GENEVA FOR THEIR CONSTRUCTIVE AND POSITIVE ROLE IN INSERTING SAFE ACCESS TO MEDIA AND MEDIA CORRIDORS WITHIN THE RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE SPECIAL SESSION OF TH HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 12 January 2009 on the war in GAZA
GENEVA, January 14, 2009
His Excellency Hisham Badr,Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Dear Ambassador Badr,
On behalf of the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ), two based Geneva NGOs for the protection of journalists, I would like to extend the gratitude and thanks of the two campaigns representing more than 50,000 journalists, and the Palestinian and foreign journalists in particular covering the Gaza war for operative OP 6 included in resolution A/HRCS/S-9/L.1/REV.2.
Without your conviction of the importance of media work and your personal dedication to include safe access for media in Gaza and within media corridors this para would never have been realized.
Mr. Ambassador, your efforts will always be an important cornerstone in the cooperation of both organizations with Egypt towards working on further steps in the Human Rights Council for the protection of journalists in conflict zones.
In this respect, the two organizations hope that Egypt will participate with a strong presence in the next round of informal consultations on the issue with UN member states.
Excellency, please find attached reactions that were received by the two organizations following the adoption of the resolution and the release of the PEC-ICPJ statement welcoming the resolution.
Hedayat Abdel Nabi PEC President ICPJ Coordinator
GENEVA, January 14, 2009
His Excellency Ibrahim Khrichi, Ambassador of Palestine
Dear Ambassador Khrichi,
On behalf of the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ), two based Geneva NGOs for the protection of journalists, I would like to extend the gratitude and thanks of the two campaigns representing more than 50,000 journalists, and the Palestinian and foreign journalists in particular covering the Gaza war for operative OP 6 included in resolution A/HRCS/S-9/L.1/REV.2.
Without your conviction of the importance of media work and your personal dedication to include safe access for media in Gaza and within media corridors this Para would never have been realized.
In your speech to the Special Session on Friday 9 January 2009 you even specifically mentioned the tragedy of a Palestinian journalist who was killed due to the shelling he and his family.
Mr. Ambassador, your efforts will always be an important cornerstone in the cooperation of both organizations with Palestine towards working on further steps in the Human Rights Council for the protection of journalists in conflict zones.
In this respect, the two organizations hope that Palestine will participate with a strong presence in the next round of informal consultations on the issue with UN member states.
Hedayat Abdel Nabi PEC President ICPJ coordinator
PEC-ICPJ welcomes Human Rights Council's call for free access to media through media corridors
GENEVA, January 12 (PEC-ICPJ) – The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) welcome the Human Rights Council's (HRC) resolution (A/HRC/S-9/L.1) adopted Monday, which, among other matters calls for safe corridors for media workers in Gaza. Operative paragraph (OP) 6 calls for "including the immediate establishment of Humanitarian corridors and insuring free access of media to areas of conflict through Media corridors."
OP six is a historic turning point in the attention of the Human Rights Council to journalists and their work and should be highly commended for attending to the plight of media workers clearly flagged in Gaza", said PEC president and ICPJ coordinator Hedayat Abdel Nabi.
The situation in Gaza speaks for itself, bombardment and destruction of Al Aqsa TV, bombardment of Al Resala newspaper, shelling a building where journalists operate from, killing and wounding journalists as well as denying access to non-resident journalists to cover the war, another sort of blockade surrounding media work denying free access.
The PEC and the ICPJ commend the sponsors of the resolution for tabling OP 6 and its endorsement. The two organizations also thank other HRC member states who have voted for the resolution.
They also commend the High Commissioner for Human Rights for her speech to the special session of HRC. "The press and nongovernmental organizations should be allowed access into the affected areas in order to inform and assist the public (...) Indeed, it is in times of conflict that rights and freedoms must be kept in sharp focus", said the High Commissioner Navi Pillay on Friday.
OP 6 is an important reference for media organizations to build on towards development of legally binding guidelines.
The PEC and the ICPJ believe also that the adoption pf the resolution including OP 6 will be a good basis for fruitful results on the level of the informal consultations underway between UN member states in Geneva and the two organizations towards ways and means of improving the conditions of media work and the protection of journalists.
PEC ICPJ report the first media causality in Somalia for 2009 Condemns strongly the killing of the Radio journalist
GENEVA, 1-1-2009 (PEC-ICPJ) – The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of journalists (ICPJ) condemns the ongoing casualties among media workers, the first to fall on the first day of 2009 is a Somali Radio journalist
Fire was opened today on Hassan Mayow Hassan by a well known militiaman in Afgoye district who shot the journalist twice in the head.
Mayow worked for Radio Shabelle in Mogadishu as the Afgoye Correspondent.
Omar Faruk Osman, Secretary General of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) said that it is a depressing day for Somali journalists and the entire media fraternity since a bold and experienced journalist was killed while carrying out his journalistic duty of seeking to report in the public interest from the country’s conflict.
“The New Year starts with a outrageous news for journalists and instils fear and discontent in the hearts and minds of Somali journalists that they would be killed for the blood-spattered violence in their country as today’s hostility has claimed a journalist’s life,” added Osman.
He added that the killing of Hassan Mayow Hassan calls national and international attention to the dangers Somali journalists face in operating the country’s long-standing, bloodthirsty and brutal conflict, and the critical need to act swiftly to protect journalists.
The PEC and the ICPJ as they start a new year with good wishes to all, is again confronted with the rest of the media community with a new victim in conflict zones.
The media community closed the curtains of 2008 with ninety-eight killed in more than 30 countries. The 98 journalists paid with their lives for exercising their profession.
This latest figure has been updated since the PEC issued its annual report on 17 December 2008, with an increase of 3 more than the figure cited on 17 December which stood at 95.
The PEC and the ICPJ will continue in 2009 the process of consultations with UN member states started at the end of 2008 with the aim of reaching an agreement on a concerted effort to improve the conditions of work for media workers in conflict zones and other situations, and to reach legal guidelines as a first step in this regard along a long path towards the enforcement of existing legal instruments and work on filling the gaps in these instruments.
STATEMENT OF THE INTRENATIONAL COVENANT FOR THE PROTECTION OF JOURNALISTS TO THE SECOND INFORMAL CONSULTATION BETWEEN UN MEMBERSTATES, THE PEC AND THE ICPJ
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) takes the opportunity of this important dialogue between UN member states, the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) to put forthwith the call of the Iraqi Syndicate of journalists to convene a special event/session of the Human Rights Council to broaden the discussion of the protection of Journalists in zones of conflict.
President of the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists and Vice President of the ICPJ Moaid AlLamy informs this important meeting that the number of journalists who were killed amidst the climate of conflict since March 2003 has reached the figure of 292 journalists, a record number in any one country.
AlLamy tells the meeting that as a result more than 2000 people, encompassing family of the diseased journalists and journalists who have suffered life-time injuries, are among the many victims of the conflict in Iraq.
The Iraqi Syndicate of journalists believes that 2009 cannot pass without action on the level of the Human Rights Council. The action should take the form of a resolution in the March session towards the Special event/session in June.
The ICPJ, while sees clearly that the right to freedom of opinion and expression entails the right of every person to hold opinions without interference, as well as to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his/her choice.
It also sees that the issue of press freedom is one of the pillars of a democratic society, and journalists are a fundamental element towards ensuring such freedom.
In addition, the ICPJ believes that Journalists and media professionals require special, appropriate legal protection and security measures in order to adequately perform their work.
The ICPJ notes that no doubt the situation of media work and media casualties has become a global problem that transcends the set principles in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
As we start the 61st year of the UDHR, the ICPJ expresses a firm belief that if existing international law and humanitarian law is to be revised in order to deal with the evolving rights’ violations of journalists, then the first revision or addition, must deal with the core item in the UDHR, that is article 19.
This revision, says the ICPJ can take the form of new guidelines are to be negotiated between concerned parties and UN member states.
Furthermore, the ICPJ believes that then there is only one way forward and that it to adapt article 19 to the new conditions of media work in the 21st century.
15 December 2008
Article 19: Gaza: Blockade Continues as World Marks the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
In a week when the world marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Israel’s blockade on Gaza shows no sign of ending. The people of the Gaza strip continue to be deprived of basic human rights such as food and fuel, whilst restrictions on foreign media entering the strip reinforces their isolation
“This is an insidious abuse that seeks to suppress legitimate cries for help and depictions of suffering from reaching the rest of the world. The rights to information and expression are fundamental human rights. They underpin all human rights and are central to human development, peace and security. In the context of a conflict, fulfilling these rights takes on particular importance: information can not only ensure that assistance is effective and locally relevant, but it can also save lives and preserve human dignity,” says Dr Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19.
On 4 November 2008, the Israeli authorities extended their blockade of Gaza to prevent food, fuel and essential supplies from entering the territory. Furthermore, on 6 November, the authorities imposed a news blackout by preventing international media from accessing Gaza. The blockade was eased briefly on the 27 November to allow limited amount of essential supplies, including UN food aid for only the fourth time since the start of the blockade.
On 4 December, the Israeli government also lifted the ban on foreign media entering Gaza for the first time since the start of the month-long blockade. However the ban was reinstated the next day and remains in place.
An Israeli Defence Force spokesman stated that the opening of crossings into Gaza would be reviewed daily and would be subject to the cessation of rocket attacks against southern Israel.
However a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that the intermittent opening of these crossings would “have little impact unless they remained open on a regular daily basis”.
Speaking from Gaza, Ewa Jasiewicz, a Free Gaza organizer, journalist, and solidarity worker told ARTICLE 19 that “Israel was trying to hide the inhumane effects of the siege on the people in Gaza from the world.” Jasiewicz arrived on the Free Gaza movement ship “Dignity” which successfully broke through the Israeli blockade, arriving in the port of Gaza at 2:45pm on Tuesday 9 December. The ship was carrying essential medical supplies, high-protein baby formula, in addition to a delegation of international academics and humanitarian workers.
“I am delighted to be here in Gaza,” Jasiewicz also told the Democracy Now news program. “I was banned from Palestine by the Israeli authorities and, as a journalist, I think it is important that journalists report independently from the ground, being here with people.”
A severe shortage in fuel has further entrenched the isolation of Gaza as limited electricity supplies restrict access to communication channels such as the internet and satellite television.
ARTICLE 19, together with the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), calls for the complete lifting on the ban on foreign media entering Gaza and not just an intermittent cessation of the ban. The people of Gaza deserve to be heard and, as nations celebrate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR, the world has a right to hear of their worsening plight.
On 8 December, Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories emphasised in a statement that the UN “must implement the agreed norm of a responsibility to protect a civilian population being collectively punished by policies that amount to a crime against humanity”.
The UN Human Rights Council also issued a statement on the same day recommending the implementation of 99 measures to improve Israel’s human rights record. These include the “immediate cessation of Israel’s military operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the lifting of the closure imposed on the Gaza strip, the reopening of the passage to and from the Gaza Strip and to fully respect its human rights obligations in the country, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
ARTICLE 19 and MADA join the UN Human Rights Council in urging Israel to fully respect its human rights obligations by lifting the blockade and reopening the passage to and from Gaza. We especially call for the ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza to be immediately lifted.
PEC-ICPJ call upon the international community to pay attention to the global crisis of the Protection of Journalists as the world enters the 61st year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
GENEVA, December 10 (PEC-ICPJ) -- The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) call upon the international community to pay attention to a serious neglected global crisis of the protection of journalists in conflict zones and elsewhere.
As the world celebrates the end of the 60th year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ 60th year and goes into the 61st, the two NGOs based in Geneva call upon the democracies of the world to attend to this escalating crisis with more than 500 journalists killed since the war in Iraq in 2003.
Never before in the history of the profession have media workers been shattered by the injuries of war, hostile governments, non-state actors and bandits.
From Nepal to the Philippines, from India to Sri-lanka, from Iraq to the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Somalia, from Mexico to Columbia, from the Caucus to Croatia and Russia, journalists have been a target by regular armies, non-state actors, cartels and governments.
The targeting of journalists because of their profession has added danger to the media work and turned it to one of the few professions that warrant international protection under international law and international humanitarian law. Unfortunately, this unabated call by media organizations has been neglected since the calls have intensified during the past five years.
A crackdown of media work has been a feature of the conduct of many governments who silence the truth through the physical liquidation of journalists be it in military conflicts or on the national level.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights have set the standard for the protection of freedom of opinion and expression expressed in article 19.
Today at 60 the conditions of media work have surpassed the threats to only freedom of opinion and expression and have gone a long way further to infringe and violate all human rights of journalists including the most sacred, the right to life.
The PEC and the ICPJ call today upon the international community to take action and build upon existing international and humanitarian law to better the protection of journalists as they exercise their profession in conflict and non-conflict zones. International Media appealing for access to GAZA
International journalists based in Israel are appealing to the country's Supreme Court to overturn a government decision banning journalists from entering the Gaza Strip.
The Foreign Press Association filed the court petition after a letter signed by heads of the world's biggest news organizations and sent to Israel's premier failed to persuade the government to lift the ban.
Israel has long restricted movement across its border with Gaza, but after a recent upsurge in Palestinian rocket fire, it closed the strip off to all but the most vital supplies. The only people allowed in or out are urgent medical cases and a handful of humanitarian workers. Journalists have been barred since Nov. 5.
The court petition filed Monday asks for an urgent hearing over the case. Source: Associated Press (AP) 24 November 2008
BRAVO ANGELICA
Angelica Roget confronts some UN member states
During the first ICPJ/PEC consultation with UN member states on the way forward to protect journalists in conflict zones on Thursday 6 Noevmeber 2008, the courageous journalist Angelica Roget confronted member states who claim to be human rights defenders, as well as defenders of liberty, fraternity and equality and who say that the current existing laws are sufficient to protect journalists under the banner "Civilians", while journalists are being killed all over the globe in conflict zones and in other dangerous situations
President of the PEC and ICPJ coordinator, Abdel Nabi calls for a Special Event of the Human Rights Council for visibility to highlight the important global issue of the Protection of Journalists in conflict Zones
On November 6th, 2008, an informal meeting organized by the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) took place at the Palais de Nations in order to discuss ways and means for concrete measures to reinforce the protection of the journalists in conflict zones and under other dangerous situations.
Daniel Favre, the committed journalist, who brought with him the support of the Francophonie journlaists for the campain of the protection of journalists in congflict zones
Former President of the Human Rights Council, Mexican Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, lends his support for a fruitful dialogue for the protection of journalists
The meeting was attended by member States and some journalists who are PEC board members, UNOG-accredited journalists, was chaired by PEC President and ICPJ coordinator Hedayat Abdel Nabi, and by PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen.
In her opening statement, Abdel Nabi underlined the need for visibility of the situation faced by journalist and called attention to the advantage of being in Geneva where the Human Rights Council sits as an incentive to move forward the work of the UN related to the protection of journalists . Among other thoughts, she proposed the consideration of a new international instrument; suggested the establishment of a group to put together different ideas that could improve the human rights of journalists; recommended to value the work and input of the Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Expression, Mr. La Rue; and suggested the organization of an especial event within the framework of the Human Rights Council.
Lempen mentioned that the goal of the meeting was to enhance dialogue with the Governments since some countries have already expressed their interest on the subject. He expressed his desire for achieving a deeper respect and enforcement of the current international humanitarian law for those persons in charge of informing the public and thus, he asked if a new international instrument was required. He offered some facts about the present situation faced by journalists in different parts of the world and highlighted the need to developed concrete actions.
Several member States agreed that the existing international laws and norms address the protection of journalists and there was a need to improve their implementation and enforcement.
During the meeting it had been clearly stated that it was important to continue the dialogue for identifying concrete measures that could enhance a better application of the international humanitarian and human rights law for the protection of journalists. .
Another informal meeting will take place in December 2008, in a date and venue to be defined. Such meeting will be to discuss practical measures within the United Nations to make the issue of the protection of journalists more visible, as well as to discuss possible activities that will create greater awareness of this global problem among the international community. It is the hope of the PEC and the ICPJ that the informal working group can meet on a regular basis.
Seasoned former Egyptian diplomat Mounir Zahran lending his support to the campaign for the protection of journalists, stressing that there is a lacoon in international humanitarian law that should be fixed
Text of Abdel Nabi's* opening statement
The protection of journalists: the way forward
If I could decide alone I would urge you today to move a huge step forward and endorse the draft convention for the protection of journalists in zones of conflict and other dangerous situations which was presented on 7 December 2007 and sent out to UN member states by mail.
But this is a process where member states have to reflect liaise with their governments and probably take the step by step approach.
However, I do urge today member states who responded positively to the draft and who have no reservations on it to endorse it as soon as possible so we can have a meaningful start in 2009.
Given the realities of an all inclusive convention process build up I would understand that our process could take some months ahead, but in our case here in Geneva we are blessed to have the Human Rights Council and therefore the process can start inside or outside the Council or in parallel paths.
For this reason it is important today and before the end of the meeting to come out with volunteers who would form a working group to reach concrete goals and have regular meetings.
The first goal is to launch the process within the council by establishing an expert group to craft binding guidelines for member states to implement in their relations with the media work and journalists.
Here the role of the Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Opinion and Expression Mr. La Rue is of importance.
This needs a meeting parallel to the Council to adopt the guidelines.
There is also need for visibility for this global problem within the Council, in 2008 on average some 8 journalists were killed per month.
This visibility requires a special session/event which could be launched by UN member states in the working group; we only need 17 signatures to hold the Special Session.
Regular monthly meetings of the working group would be welcome to boost the steps forward in the right direction.
2009 must not pass without issuing a concrete resolution from the Human Rights Council first which shall adopt the guidelines and move one step the Human Rights Community closer to the Convention, or additional protocol, or a specialized convention.
The important issue is to reach to that point where there are legally binding clauses that shall pronounce the inadmissibility of crossing the Red line of abuse of journalists’ human rights including the right to life and all other rights that consequently are derived from the physical elimination of a journalist and the impact of this crime on his or her family.
The PEC has been struggling for the past four years to make this day happen, it was joined by the ICPJ in September 2007 whose sole reason for coming into existence is rallying UN member states and Media associations and the general public around a solid defense for journalists’ rights in the form of a Convention.
For those who have not followed closely our work, the PEC and the ICPJ reinforce each other’s activities.
Both NGOs have reached out to you, one since June 2004, and the other since September 2007; it is now the moment for you to join hands with them for a better world for journalists.
We meet today when a new dawn of history has started with the election of Barack Obama, our hope is that Obama will make a better world including that of journalists.
Those concrete results should have materialized this year, the year of the 10th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration, but it’s always better to mark the second decade of the Declaration with a historic achievement, and in this respect you will be its makers.
Thursday 6 November 2008
* Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) President
International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) Coordinator
OBAMA election: PEC and the ICPJ rejoice with the American people looks forward to a more right and just world
GENEVA, November 5 (PEC-ICPJ) – The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) rejoice with the American people their choice of a new dynamic American President that will redirect America on a new path that will make right and justice a commitment of America.
The two Geneva based organizations express hope today that the words of the new American President will be soon a reality across the globe including a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq where more than 265 journalists were killed since March 2003.
This global problem has taken the lives of more than 500 journalists off their job across the world since March 2003.
The PEC and the ICPJ see in the new American President a more positive approach to multilateralism and hence their hopes that his administration will be more committed to the Human Rights Council, International Human Rights Law and International Law.
In this context the two organizations express hope that the benevolent son of America with his roots in the Afro-American community and Africa, and his rising from difficulty to presidency, will side with the aspirations of journalists and defend their human rights against impunity and abuse around the world.
The two organizations express hope that a draft convention for the protection of journalists shall be signed during the first term of the new American President by force of his energy and commitment to humanity and human values.
A hearty congratulation for democracy and to the American people and the world.
RSF report post 9/11 says US and Israel rankings in press freedom lower this year
Reporters without Borders (RWB-RSF) said that while parliamentary democracies not engaged in any war did well in terms of press freedoms, others - including the U.S. and Israel - ranked less well.
Although the U.S. rose from its 2007 position of 48th to 36th, it is 119th in the rankings of press freedom enjoyed outside its territory, a position blamed on the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Three weeks before the US presidential elections, RSF disclosed that it has written to U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain highlighting the need for more protection for reporters' confidential sources and better working conditions for reporters in areas under U.S. control in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Paris based world media organization said that peace, not economic prosperity, is the single biggest guarantee of press freedom worldwide in 2008.
Peaceful, democratic countries in Europe dominate the top 20 of the 173-nation index, which compiles data for the year ended 1 September.
The situation remained critical in the world's most repressive countries, including North Korea and Turkmenistan, which RSF described as "unchanging hells in which the population is cut off from the world and is subjected to propaganda worthy of a bygone age."
Eritrea, according to RSF, remained the country with the least press freedom in the world, with many journalists held incommunicado since 2001 by President Isaias Afewerki. Russia, where the trial of those accused of murdering investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya started last week, was 141st in the RSF index.
Article 19 chief says the key problem is impunity for crimes against journalists
GENEVA, October 3 (KUNA) -- Executive Director of Article 19 Agnes Callamard said that the key problem is impunity for crimes committed against journalists.
She stressed that the global trends since the past seven years have been very negative as far as the media press freedom is concerned. .
Callamard, added in a press conference in Geneva, that freedom of the press is under attack, and that journalists are now individually targeted while in the past they maybe have been killed or wounded because they were at the wrong place at the wrong moment.
"They are individually and personally targeted, this takes place in conflict areas like Iraq which has suffered the highest casualties so far, and in places of low intensity conflict like the Philippines," she added.
Callamard said that journalists are also being targeted in places that are on their way to democracy and peace like Mexico.
She added that they are also targeted by non-state actors such as the Mafia, drug cartels or any other armed groups.
Callamard noted that the situation for the media is a difficult one, where they also face threats of defamation to silence them, so the current environment carried the old problems and the new problems and makes the work of the media in general particularly difficult.
In Mexico for example, she said, that Article 19, provides with an early warning to move a threatened journalist from where he or she is to safe houses, strengthen the capacity of community media, and most importantly the Article 19 works with the Mexican authorities to tackle the question of impunity.
"All crimes against journalists, at least in Mexico and also across the world, none of those crimes was brought to justice, so the key problem is impunity for crimes committed against journalists" she stressed.
Pillay says journalists are too often illegally detained
GENEVA, October 2 -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay said that journalists, like human rights defenders and civil and political activists, are all too often illegally detained, simply for pursuing and inconvenient truth or following a frowned-upon political line.
For more info go to UN OHCHR
Hedayat Abdel Nabi: On behalf of the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), www.pressemblem.ch, and as its President I believe that this is a very welcome statement that is saluted by the PEC and the 50,000 journalists members of the global campaign.
Frank La Rue vows to pursue vigorously the human rights issue of the protection of journalists
The new Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression Frank La Rue vowed to pursue vigorously the human rights issue of the protection of journalists.
La Rue noted that his country Guatemala witnessed Genocide during the early 1980s, and that journalists were killed during that Genocide.
Source: from meeting with PEC-ICPJ representatives 1 October 2008 For more info go to Special Rapporteur
The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) welcome heartily the mandate holder and is encouraged, being a journalist himself, for his enthusiasm to move forward the issue of the protection of journalists in the Human Rights Council.
Iraqi Journalists call upon the UN to re-open Media Development Center FOR MORE INFO GO TO IRAQI JOURNALISTS
Head of Arab Bureau at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Adam Abdelmoula with Sultane, who requested the support of the OHCHR for the re-opening of the MDC.
Delegation of Najaf journalists with Adam Abdelmoula
Najaf Iraqi writer Kalthoum Amer ELHesinawi calls for support for women journalists and writers and respecting their human rights.
Source: ICPJ
23 September 2008
PEC-ICPJ:
Appalled at the attack against
the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists and Moaid AL-Lamy
Photo: PEC consultation September 2004, Moaid was a founding member of the PEC in June 2004, and founded the ICPJ on 10 September 2007 with a group of journalists from across the Globe.
GENEVA, September 22 (PEC-ICPJ) – The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) condemned strongly the targeting of the President of the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists (ISJ) Moaid AL-Lamy and the attack against the ISJ headquarters Saturday.
The PEC and the ICPJ were appalled and shocked at the heinous attack and wished well Mr. AL-Lamy who is currently in hospital.
In a phoner with PEC President Hedayat Abdel Nabi AL-Lamy called upon the international community to put an end to those attacks and to work on placing mechanisms for the protection of journalists and not rely on promises and words.
Facing death and escaping it by God’s will, AL-Lamy called upon all concerned parties to put an end to the massacre of Iraqi journalists and expressed hope that the international community acts in a manner that shows its credibility and translates its promises into action and moves ahead to protect the Iraqi journalists.
He stressed that the profession of journalism is an impartial profession based on narrating and uncovering the truth and therefore journalists deserve added protection faced in most conflicts with dangerous situations.
Mr. AL-Lamy is a founder of the PEC, he joined the movement on behalf of his Syndicate in June 2004. Mr. AL-Lamy founded, with a team of journalists from across the globe, in Geneva on 10 September 2007, the ICPJ. He is the ICPJ Vice President for Asia.
The PEC and the ICPJ join hands in stressing that targeting the President of the ISJ for the second time in several months, the first attacked was the former President Shihab Al Tamimi who was killed when his car was attacked in Baghdad last February, a few days after he was hospitalized from his serious wounds, opens and re-opens the file of the protection of journalists and warrants the serious attention of the international community.
The media activist organizations call upon the Iraqi government and Iraqi parliament to pass the Iraqi Law for the Protection and Journalists presented by the ISJ.
The two NGOs based in Geneva have requested time and again that action is needed and that the time is pressing and dangers engulf journalists.
They are urging member states to act, within the Human Rights Council (HRC), or outside it, to start discussions on a legal instrument that would protect the media work in conflict zones and in dangerous situations.
Whether member states start with a binding declaration or guidelines en route to start deliberations on a new convention, the important issue is to start this process and not sit idle watching media workers targeted day and night all over the globe.
Watching media workers fall one after the other by member states might give the wrong impression to the media community that others “don’t care”.
Alexnadre Curchod from the Swiss Journalists (IMPRESSUM)and PEC Vice President moderates the press confeernce
Human Rights Council President: targeting journalists is a crime against humanity
Zviad Pockhkhua: Independent Association of Georgian Journalists supports and joins the PEC and the ICPJ
GENEVA, September 17 (PEC-ICPJ) President of the Human Rights Council Ambassador Martin Ihoeghian Uhomohbhi of Nigeria said Wednesday that it is appalling, condemnable and undeserving that journalists be targeted when covering conflict situations.
He added, in a meeting on Wednesday 17 September 2008 with the President of the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists Zviad Pockhkhua, that this targeting is a crime against humanity, it is terrible and unacceptable. On his part Zviad Pockhkhua called upon the Council President to issue a presidential statement on the killing of journalists and requested a special event of the Council devoted to this tragedy.
Zviad Pockhkhua held two press conferences in Geneva in which he called upon the international community to exert pressure on Russia to issue special accreditation to Georgian journalists to enter the buffer zone. The buffer zone is bordering South Ossetia and controlled after the war by Russian forces. He noted that there is a need to ensure that journalists work freely in conflict zones and must be able to move across check points.
Zviad Pockhkhua announced that the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists and each member of the association supports the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and requests that the UN member States discuss the needs for the legal protection of journalists in conflict zones.
Mr. Pockhkhua accepted to represent the PEC and the ICPJ in the Caucuses and East Europe and will be engaged in mobilizing support for the new draft convention presented by the two organizations to UN member states on 7 December 2007.
At the conclusion of the visit, the President of the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists, PEC President Hedayat Abdel Nabi and PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen met with a dozen representatives of UN member states and have agreed to meet informally at the end of October to discuss ways and means of moving forward on this important issue.
Zviad Pockhkhua was invited to Geneva following the killing of four journalists in the August/Russia/Georgian war by the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) and the Swiss journalists (IMPRESSUM).
The aim of the visit was to mobilize all UN member States to pick up this important issue among their priorities. The Swiss Journalists (IMPRESSUM) represented by Curchod were instrumental in sponsoring the visit of Zviad Pockhukhua
ICPJ and the PEC welcome announcement by Iraqi Foreign Minister for more protection for Journalists
GENEVA, September 13- The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) welcomed today statements made by the Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari that the Iraqi government will take steps to provide more protection for Iraqi journalists and correspondents reporting from the country.
The PEC and the ICPJ join Zebari's strong condemnation of the killing of four correspondents working with the Iraqi Al-Sharqiya channel, and those of Al-Arabiya and other newspapers and news networks.
Zebari said that terrorists were targeting journalists to "murder the truth."
Asked precisely whether he would support an International Convention for the Protection of Journalists in conflict zones and other dangerous situations, Zebari said he would support any measures that would help the protection of journalists and that would help them to perform their job in a better environment.
The PEC and the ICPJ also welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki initiative to form a committee to investigate the murder of the four journalists working with the local Al-Sharqiya channel. On Saturday gunmen abducted and killed in cold blood four journalists of the Iraqi Al-Sharqiya television station while they were shooting a Ramadan program in Mosul, the largest city in the northern province of Nineveh.
Up to date for this month 6 journalists were killed in situations where they were carrying their job.
From the beginning of the year 68 working journalists were killed. For more info please consult www.pressemblem.ch
President of the Council says journalists are very important
GENEVA, September 5 (KUNA) – President of the Human Rights Council Nigerian Ambassador Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi acclaimed the role of journalists by saying that they are very important.
He told reporters today that much has been achieved by the Council and added that new Special Rapporteur for the Freedom of Opinion and Expression will deliver his first report to the Council in June 2009.
Asked whether that was too far taking into account that journalists and writers are being killed, harassed and intimidated, Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi said that this item falls under item 3 and could be discussed during the session that will start Monday for three weeks and is scheduled for discussion on 12 September. .
As a follow up question, the reporter said but many journalists would be killed from now up to June 2009, so do really journalists count? Ambassador Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi journalists are very important and people care about journalists.
"We need to involve all sides in the work we are doing, including especially journalists, in my country they are called the 5th estate, they have a very important role to play in the dissemination and defense of Human Rights," he stressed.
IFJ condemns Iran's forcing al-Arabiya TV Bureau chief from the country
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned on 5 September 2008 the Iranian government for forcing al-Arabiya TV bureau chief Hassan Fahs from the country because they were unhappy with his reporting."This is censorship of the worst kind," said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. "It shows that the government is trying to intimidate journalists and control the reporting that they carry out. It completely contravenes all principles of free expression and should be condemned by the international community."
An official at the Ministry of Culture and the Islamic Guidance on Wednesday told the Iranian government-financed news agency IRNA that Fahs' visa "had expired and was not extended due to his performance in Iran" and that Fahs had been told by Iranian officials that they did not like his work.
The Ministry official said that even though Fahs must leave the country it has not closed the bureau of the Saudi-owned television news channel.
The IFJ is asking the government to review its decision to expel Fahs and to allow the bureau to continue.
Despite Iran's appalling record on suppressing journalists' rights, the IFJ said, it will continue to support and give solidarity to the efforts of journalists inside Iran for media rights and demand a new approach from the country's leaders.
The ICPJ calls for special legal protection for journalists in the wake of the Somalia abductions
GENEVA, August 24 (PEC-ICPJ) – The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) condemned today the abduction of Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and Australian photojournalist Nigel Brenan at KM13, western suburb of Mogadishu between Afgoye district and the capital city on Saturday 23 August 2008.
A Somali photojournalist Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi, who was helping the Canadian and Australian journalists as their translator and to take photos from places where the two journalists cannot go for security reasons, was also abducted as well as their driver Mahad.
The two foreign journalists arrived in Mogadishu on Wednesday 20 August 2008. Amanda, who is Baghdad based journalist, is freelance journalist France 24 and a Canadian broadcaster Global National News.
The PEC and the ICPJ flag the need for a specialized convention for the protection of journalsists in war zones and dangerous situations and calls upon the member-states parties to the Geneva convention to respond to the PEC-ICPJ call that journalism is a dangerous profession that should be treated like the medical profession, that is ensuring for its members added legal protection.
The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Jacob Kellenberger was asked by a reporter on his comment on the killing of 5 journalists in the Georgia - Russia war and whether journalists needed added protection like medical doctors.
Mr. Kellenberger said he would answer the first part of the question and that is that the ICRC in talks with officilas in war ravaged zones do call for the respect of journalists in the context of International Humanitarian Law. (IHL).
ICPJ comment:untill when will the issue of a specialized convention or added protection for journalists be ignored, lets face reality, that is the media community: do we really count?
Article 19
Says at least 5 news staff have been killed
Populations from all sides in the conflict and refugees are experiencing many difficulties in accessing factual information about the events and the whereabouts of their loved ones. Truth and freedom of expression are some of the first and greatest casualties of war.The South Ossetian conflict has been no exception. The lack of verifiable information is fuelling mistrust, misrepresentation and disinformation, thus exacerbating tensions and fueling the conflict.
At least five local and international news staff have been killed and another ten wounded.
14 August 2008
PEC and the ICPJ strongly condemn the killing of journalists in the Georgia/Russia conflict
GENEVA, August 12 (PEC-ICPJ) – The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant of Journalists (ICPJ) condemn in the strongest possible manner the killing of journalists in the Caucasus conflict between Georgia and Russia.
According to reports circulating a Dutch cameraman has been killed in Georgia, Dutch news agency ANP reported Tuesday citing foreign media sources.
In addition the same reports indicate a total of four journalists that are confirmed as having been killed in South Ossetia since start of the conflict between Georgia and Russia last week.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said that there are also reports of two journalists killed and at least two others wounded in South Ossetia.
According to those reports Georgian Alexander Klimchuk, a photojournalist working for Russian news agency Itar-Tass, and Grigol Chikhladze, a reporter for Russian Newsweek, were reportedly killed while covering fighting between the Russian and Georgian forces in the separatist region.
Two other journalists travelling in the same car, Teymuraz Kikuradze and Winston Federly, were wounded. Other media reports have said that at least eight journalists have been injured while covering the conflict.
Thought the exact number of journalists killed and wounded is not yet clear, the PEC and the ICPJ join all media defending journalists to call upon Russian, Georgian and any other combat forces involved in the conflict in the region to respect the rights of media and protect their safety.
Though the PEC and the ICPJ believe that United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738 which says that media workers are classified as civilians in armed conflict and targeting journalists is considered a war crime, is an important stop forward, yet it is insufficient.
The current developments in the Caucuses call upon the International Community to look seriously into a new international convention to protect journalists in zones of conflict and elsewhere in dangerous situations.
This call has been flagged time and again by the PEC and the ICPJ and the current bloody conflict in the Caucuses is an important reminder of the urgency of the call.
12 August 2008
IFJ calls for speedy return of bodies of dead journalists to their families in Georgia
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today pressed Russia to facilitate the return of the bodies of two Georgian journalists killed at the weekend to their families in Georgia.
The IFJ supports the calls of the families and colleagues of the two victims, Alexander Klimchuk, a photojournalist working for Russian news agency Itar-Tass and the owner of independent photo agency Caucasus Press Images, and Grigol Chikhladze, a reporter for Russian Newsweek, that their bodies should be transferred for decent burial.
The IFJ says that its affiliate in Moscow, the Russian Union of Journalists, has taken up this case with the Russian government.
"This is a tragic and terrible event and it is only right that the families are able to have the bodies of their loved ones returned to them," said Paco Audije, IFJ Deputy General Secretary. "We will continue to press for Russia to respond urgently to this request."
14 August 2008
Israeli report could endanger all media professioanls, says IFJ
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today warned that the results of an Israeli Army investigation clearing a tank crew of any wrong-doing in the killing of Reuters' cameraman Fadel Shana in April in the Gaza Strip could endanger all media professionals working in the Palestinian Territories.
"This inquiry, which has been farcical in its nature, is likely to make life even more dangerous for journalists working in the field," said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. "We have no confidence in an inquiry that has been used by the Israeli Army to avoid facing up to the consequences of its irresponsible actions. We share Reuters' concern that there has been a terrible injustice here and that the Israeli authorities have failed to take action."
Reuters said it was told by the Israeli Defence Forces' Military Advocate-General that "troops could not see whether Shana was operating a camera or a weapon but were nonetheless justified in firing a shell packed with darts that killed him and eight other Palestinians aged between 12 and 20."
"This report is untenable because it does not meet any test of what is necessary for a legitimate independent inquiry into these tragic killings," White said. "As usual we have an army investigating itself without proper independent review."
The IFJ is calling on the Israeli government and the international community to intervene in this case and ensure that a full, independent inquiry is carried out.
The IFJ fears that any media staff carrying bulky camera equipment or attempting to use such equipment will now become potential targets. The IFJ is further concerned that this case fails to meet the call from the United Nations Security Council in December 2006 for an end to impunity in the killing of journalists and proper investigation of deadly attacks against media.
President of the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists
Moaid AlLamy, a founding member of the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) and ICPJ Vice President for Asia has been elected as President of the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists on 19 July 2008.
The ICPJ congratulates Iraqi journalists for their choice for a commited man to defend Iraqi journalists and journalists around the world from the dangers of their profession.
Moaid presents the Iraqi Golden Shield to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights-10 September 2007
Sami AlHai:
Guantanamo detainees made to feel like 'nomads'
By Frank Jordans
GENEVA (AP) — Detainees at Guantanamo Bay are turned into "nomads" to keep them agitated and to punish those who break rules, a Sudanese journalist recently released from the U.S. military prison said Friday.
Sami al-Haj said moving detainees between camps and from cell to cell appeared to be part of an official policy to destabilize them. "They were made into nomads," the Al-Jazeera journalist said.
Frequent cell transfers at the prison became an issue in May when a Pentagon-appointed defense attorney sought to have an Afghan detainee's charges dismissed citing abusive interrogation tactics. The lawyer alleged his client was subjected to "frequent flying," a sleep deprivation technique that involves round-the-clock cell transfers before questioning.
The Pentagon Friday denied that al-Haj was mistreated. Earlier this week, the current commander of the prison, Navy Rear Adm. David Thomas, said that "there is no unnecessary movement in and out of cells by detainees," but would not comment on allegations that detainees were subjected to sleep deprivation before he took command on May 27.
Al-Haj said he saw three reasons for detainees being moved around the prison at the U.S. Navy base on Cuba.
"There was a policy of the camp administration to stop the detainees from feeling they were in a stable state, and therefore they kept the detainees in movement all the time, moving them from one camp to the other every week, every two weeks," al-Haj told The Associated Press.
By moving detainees, variously isolating them and then putting them back within speaking distance of other inmates, authorities also tried to gather information from conversations between detainees, he said.
"In certain camps there was the possibility to speak to each other. It wasn't allowed, but it was possible. It was very much a police tactic to listen to us," al-Haj said. "They knew that when one is deprived of contact and then one has the possibility to speak to others, one might say things."
Al-Haj claimed that a second reason for moving detainees was to prepare them for interrogation. He said he was subjected to the so-called "frequent flyer" program and was rotated between cells every two hours for up to a month.
Finally, he said, detainees were moved to separate cells when they breached prison rules.
Al-Haj described a cellblock named Romeo where inmates were placed in a cold room and stripped of all clothes except a pair of shorts.
Guards would frequently check on the detainees, making them move their limbs "to know you are alive," al-Haj said. "They have the right to check you all the time. So they use this to disturb you, because they need all the people to follow the rules."
The Pentagon said Friday that there was nothing to support al-Haj's claims.
"We have no evidence to substantiate his claims that he was mistreated at Guantanamo. We investigate claims of abuse, and in those relatively rare instances where allegations are deemed credible and substantiated, we hold those responsible accountable," said Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman.
Al-Haj, 38, now works as a producer for Qatar-based Al-Jazeera. He was released from Guantanamo in May after more than six years in U.S. detention.
The military alleged he was a courier for a militant Muslim organization in the 1990s, a claim his lawyers have denied. Al-Haj was never prosecuted, and it is unclear how the allegation relates to his arrest on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in December 2001.
The only journalist from a major international news organization held at Guantanamo, he has said his arrested was because of U.S. hostility toward Al-Jazeera and because the media was reporting on U.S. rights violations in Afghanistan.
Al-Haj, who has used a walking stick since his detention, was in Geneva to meet with officials at the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"Human rights and security are inseparable," al-Haj told a public event on Thursday.
Friday 27 June 2008
Spokesperson Elizabeth BYRS: Somalia one of the deadliest countries for journalists
Spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) Elizabeth Byrs said that Somalia has become one of the deadliest countries for journalists.
Byrs added in the Tuesday bi-weekly briefing at the UN office in Geneva that the humanitarian situation in Somalia is severely deteriorating.
For more info go to UN REACTION to read the statement of the UN resident coorinator on journalists killed in Somalia
Source: Geneva UN bi-weekly briefing
10 June 2008
41 journalists killed so far in 2008, 216 since June 2006
This weekend’s casualties’ steps up the number of journalists killed since the beginning of 2008 to 41 and 216 since the creation of the Human Rights Council in June 2006.
Source: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC)
9 June 2008
Two correspondents killed in Somalia and Afghanistan
The two journalists assassinated this week: National Union of Somali Journalists' (NUSOJ) Vice President Nasteh Dahir Farah, and an Afghan journalist Abdul Samad Rohani. Both were correspondents for the BBC.
Source: news reports
8 June 2009
Vice President of the NUSOJ killed, ICPJ condemns strongly
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) condemns in the strongest possible manner the targeted assassination of the National Union of Somali Journalists’ (NUSOJ) Vice President Nasteh Dahir Farah, who was gunned down by gunmen southern town of Kismayu on Saturday 7 June 2008.
For more details go to Somalia-Source: NUSOJ
Newspaper El Correo attacked
The offices of Basque newspaper El Correo were bombed in an attack that police have attributed to Basque separatist group ETA.
According to reports, a bomb exploded behind El Correo's printing press in the town of Zamudio at 3 am local time. Fifty staff were in the building but no one was hurt.
ETA was responsible for a wave of attacks on journalists that appeared to reach a peak in 2000 and 2001. Before yesterday's bombing, ETA sent its last parcel bombs to journalists in January 2002. All of those were defused by security before they could explode.
Currently there are still dozens of journalists in the Basque region who are under police protection or who have been obliged to hire bodyguards.
Source: European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
8 June 2008
Attacks in Croatia
On June 2nd Dušan Miljuš, a crime reporter for daily newspaper Jutarnji list, was beaten outside his home by masked perpetrators with baseball bats and suffered head and arm injuries. Miljus told police earlier this year that he was receiving anonymous threats. An obituary with his name and photograph was published in another daily, Vecernji List. The daily apologised and said it had been a "procedural mistake."
The Croatian Association of Journalists called upon authorities to track down Miljuš's attackers. More than 200 Croatian journalists had gathered in the capital last Friday to protest his beating.
The attack on Miljuš follows the recent attacks in in Zadar of Danijela Banko, a journalist working for Narodni list, and Filip Brala, a photojournalist for Zadarski list.
Source: EFJ
2 June 2008
ICPJ condemns strongly the burning of Future TV in Beirut
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists condemns strongly the burning of the building of Future TV in Beirut during the internal fighting that took place last week.
And condemns arrest of Director of Somali Broadcasting Corporation
Mowlid Haji Abdi
9 May 2008
For more info please go to Somalia
ICPJ strongly condemns the killing of Sarwa Abdul-Wahab in Mosul
Two days after Sami Al-Haj was released from Guantanamo, gunmen ambushed and shot dead a woman Iraqi reporter Sarwa Abdul-Wahab.
Abdul-Wahab, a freelancer who contributed to the news website Muraslon.com, was allegedly walking home from a nearby market when two unidentified gunmen pulled up in a car and tried to force her into their vehicle.
Her mother witnessed her being shot in the head as she resisted.
A colleague told Reuters that Abdul-Wahab had received a text message on her phone three weeks earlier warning her to stop reporting or she would be killed.
Abdul-Wahab was a known defender of journalists' rights in Iraq. She is the third woman journalist killed this year. The killing of Abdel Wahab and the relase of Sami Al-Haj with a time difference of 48 hours marks the third such an event this year when one journalist is released and another is killed.
SOURCE: IFEX 7 May 2008
RELEASE OF SAMI AL-HAJ
The ICPJ congratulates Sami, his family,
Al-Jazeera and the Sudanese Syndicate of Journalists
Sudanese-born Sami al-Haj, who has been suffering from health problems after a hunger strike that started in January 2007, arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on 2 May on a U.S. military aircraft along with two other Sudanese prisoners at Guantanamo. He was immediately rushed to hospital.
"I'm very happy to be in Sudan, but I'm very sad because of the situation of our brothers who remain in Guantanamo. Conditions in Guantanamo are very, very bad and they get worse by the day," al-Haj told Al Jazeera from his hospital bed.
"Our human condition, our human dignity was violated, and the American administration went beyond all human values, all moral values, all religious values. In Guantanamo ... rats are treated with more humanity."
Al-Haj was arrested by Pakistani security forces near the Afghan border in December 2001 while covering the U.S.-led fight to oust the Taliban. He was handed over to the U.S. military and then transferred to Guantanamo in June 2002. No charges were brought against him although he was accused of being an "enemy combatant", working as a money carrier for armed groups and assisting al-Qaeda.
Al-Haj was the only known journalist held at Guantanamo.
SOURCE: IFEX 7 May 2008
World Press Freedom Day 3 May 2008
Ambeyi Ligabo, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day:
Censorship of the media the most abominable violation to freedom of the press
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Ambeyi Ligabo said today that the occasion calls for the celebration of the virtues of a free press which is a fundamental human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The benefits of a free and independent press should be self-evident to everyone. However, this basic right unfortunately continues to be denied to the millions of people around the world living under oppressive regimes who stifle any sign of dissent.
Censorship of the media constitutes the most abominable violation to freedom of the press – and yet it is also the most frequent of all restrictions. In most cases, censorship is but a pretext to silence criticism, protecting those in power from popular scrutiny and public accountability, serving to conceal corruption, mismanagement and abuse of authority. Censorship contributes to the creation of a protective aura around those who due to the nature of their functions need to be held permanently accountable for their actions, placing them beyond public criticism.
For more info go to Under Attack
Louise Arbour:
Food crisis unrest could affect freedom of expression
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said stressed that addressing the plight of the socially excluded, and the causes of any such discrimination, will be essential to resolving the current food crisis. In this effort, all voices must be heard, whether directly or through representative organizations.
Arbour added that food-related social unrest could also result in other human rights risks - to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly – which must also be addressed.
PEC Monthly Report-World Press Freedom Day 2008
28 journalists killed since the beginning of the year
8 journalists killed in April alone
Mexico casualties overtook Iraq
GENEVA, May 3 (PEC) – Marking World Press Freedom Day on 4 May, the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) deplores the current stand of the International Community for not taking measures that would protect journalists in conflict zones and elsewhere and re-enforce the access to information.
Four years following the launching of the PEC campaign, its President Hedayat Abdel Nabi said that the call of the Lebanese Photographers Association to the United Nations to enforce measures to protect photographers in zones of conflict, days after the killing of RUETRES photographer Fadl Shana in Gaza, is a clear and telling message.
Abdel Nabi added that though the appropriate mechanism to deal with such measures is the Human Rights Council, yet member states of the council are busy putting their act together, and ignoring repeated calls for convening a special session or sitting on this tragedy.
Slain journalist Fadal Shana will be laid to rest today during the family funderal set for today. Shana was killed 16 April 2008 in Gaza by tank firing from Israeli forces.
Please go to the following link to view the REUTERS film on the killing of Shana
Shana, who was unmarried, was a gentle and popular figure among the 15-strong Reuters news team in the Gaza Strip. The bureau was honored by Britain’s Royal Television Society for its coverage of last year’s factional fighting in Gaza.
Hundreds of journalists and well-wishers flocked to the hospital where Shana’s body was taken. The family planned to hold a funeral on Thursday.
Reuters cameraman killed after filming in Gaza, PEC and ICPJ condemn strongly
A specialized legal instrument could have helped Bilal Hussein during his two-year detention in Iraq by US forces
GENEVA, April 17 (PEC-ICPJ) – For the second consecutive time in less than 72 hours one journalist is released, the other killed, both in different countries.
The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) while welcoming the release of Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein (36 years old), more than two years after he was detained by U.S. Marines on suspicions of links to insurgents, condemns in the strongest possible manner the killing of Reuters cameraman during the Israeli attack against Gaza Wednesday.
The Reuters cameraman 24-year-old Fadal Shana was killed while filming the Israeli tank attack in central Gaza.
According to Al Jazeera Satellite channel Shana was killed when he finished filming and was taking his car to send his footage about the brutal attack.
Fadel Subhi Shana appeared, prior to his death, on the Arabic channel and said that he will never quit his job except if he dies or his legs are mputated.
For more info go to UNDER ATTACK
Reuters Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger sent this note to all Reuters journalists today after cameraman Fadel Shana was killed along with two civilians in the Gaza Strip
David Schlesinger calls for an immediate and complete investigation into the incident
I am very sorry to report that 23-year-old Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana was killed on Wednesday in what appeared to be an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip.
Our hearts obviously go out to his family, as we mourn another loss in our journalistic family. Our thoughts are with his colleagues in Israel and in Gaza who must go on reporting even when surrounded by tragedy.
I’ve called for an immediate and complete investigation into the incident. We know, of course, that journalism is a dangerous business. We know, of course, that we rush into danger when others rush away. We know, of course, that accidents happen.
But I also believe sincerely and absolutely that all of us — news organizations, governments and the military — have an obligation to make reporting safer and to take the utmost care when professional journalists are doing their jobs.
It is, of course, striking that this tragedy occurred on the last day for Reuters as it has been and the day before Thomson Reuters begins as a news and information power in the world. I can but reflect on our more than a century and a half of bravery and sacrifice in the service of the news, and to vow that Reuters news in the new company will forge a new tradition, building on the old, that we can all be incredibly proud of.
Please go to the following link http://blogs.reuters.com/reuters-editors/2008/04/16/reuters-cameraman-killed-in-gaza/
Second week of April: a deadly week for journalists
Two women journalists killed in Mexico:
Last week, two young, female radio broadcasters from the Triqui indigenous community in Oaxaca, Mexico were on their way back from covering a local assignment. But they never made it home. Their vehicle was ambushed on a local highway, instantly killing the two reporters and wounding four other passengers. The police found at least 20 spent AK-47 bullet cartridges at the scene.
Panama City:
Elsewhere in Latin America, a television cameraman was killed while covering a gang fight in Panama City, reports the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Eliécer Santamaría died on 8 April after he was stabbed while covering a story about gangs exchanging gunfire in the capital, according to new reports.
Radio Journalist seriously wounded-wife killed
The same day, a radio journalist was seriously wounded and his wife was killed in a shooting attack in Curuguaty, Paraguay, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Alfredo Tomás Avalos was shot in the head and his Brazilian wife, Silvana Rodrígues, was killed by two men on a motorcycle.
Bulgaria:
A popular writer in Bulgaria who wrote a series of books on the rise of Bulgaria's criminal underworld was shot and killed in the country's capital on 7 April, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Manila:
And in Asia, a journalist in a Manila suburb was murdered on 7 April, the first journalist to be killed this year in the Philippines, report the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, CPJ and IFJ.
Pakistan
Then just yesterday, a journalist was killed in the unstable province of Balochistan in southwestern Pakistan. Khadim Hussain Sheikh, a stringer for Sindh TV and a local bureau chief for the national Urdu-language daily "Khabrein", was shot by unidentified gunmen as he and his brother left his home by motorbike in the town of Hub, just north of Karachi, reports CPJ. The motive for the killing is unknown.
Demands to fight impunity can be heard not only in Pakistan but worldwide - in one of the deadliest weeks for journalists so far this year.
Source IFEX: The "IFEX Communiqué" is the weekly newsletter of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), a global network of 81 organisations working to defend and promote the right to free expression.
IFEX is managed by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.
For more details go to UNDER ATTACK
16 April 2008
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) supports the following statement made by the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC)
The PEC Rejoices at the safe release of CBS' Richard Butler, condemns the killing of Khadim Hussain Sheikh in Pakistan
For more details go to UNDER ATTACK 15 April 2008
GOOD NEWS: NEWSEUM in Washington pays tribute to 1800 journalists killed
Journalists Memorial
The Inetrnational Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) congratulates the donors that made the NEWSEUM a reality in Washington D.C.
The Newseum is a complete replica of media work, its problems its achievements and the many who have fallen victims to this noble profession of covering the truth and reaching out to the most dangerous situations.
The NEWSUEM features a dedication to the fallen journlaists in the Journalists Memorial, which pays tribute to reporters, photographers and broadcasters who have died reporting the news.
The names of more than 1,800 individuals from around the world are etched on the glass panels of the soaring, two-story structure.
The memorial is rededicated each year to add the names of journalists who lost their lives on the job in the preceding year.
Adjoining the memorial are photographs of hundreds of those journalists, and electronic kiosks containing data on every honoree.
This NEWSUEM, in short, especillay the Journalists memorial reflects the spirit of the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) established in June 2004 and the ICPJ established in September 2007.
For more info go to GOOD NEWS
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) strongly condemns the attempt on the life of the director of Nacional in Croatia
The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), announced that an attempt to kill Ivo Pukanic, co-owner and director of Nacional, a weekly news magazine from Croatia, took place on 9 April 2008.
For more info go to South East Europe
11 April 2008
Pakistan: ICPJ welcomes abolition of laws against Electronic Media
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) welcomed the announcement by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), of the abolition of draconian clauses in the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), and termed it a step forward.
The PFUJ repeated its demand that all "black laws," confonting freedom of expression should also be abolished.
For more info go to Pakistan
9 April 2008
Somali journalists receive Democracy Award At a ceremony held during the fifth assembly of World Movement for Democracy (WMD) in Kiev, Ukraine, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) was honored to receive the Democracy Courage Tribute. For more info go to Somalia 9 April 2008
Killing of Journalists Threatens Global Press Freedom Censorship, pressure to reveal news sources also inhibit media
By Eric Green
Washington -- The biggest challenges to press freedom include censorship, reporters being forced to reveal confidential sources and the brutalizing and killing of journalists, media professionals tell America.gov.
4 April 2008
MARCH PEC ICPJ MONTHLY REPORT: 20 journalists killed since the beginning of the year
GENEVA, April 1 (PEC-ICPJ) -- The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) warn that the month of March has witnessed a marked deterioration in press freedoms, flagged by the recent developments in Tibet, China. The two organizations deplore the absence of media, Internet and Satellite coverage of the Tibet events. While also denouncing the events in Zimbabwe, the two organizations urgently call on the Zimbabean government to allow free and fair coverage internally and by foreign media of the results of the March 29 elections. In this respect both organizations believe that it is of paramount importance that UN member states start discussions on ways and means for the protection of media coverage, Internet and Satellite transmissions.
For more info go to the Monthly Report
Taregting journalists for more info go to Somalia for a full report.
Journalists in prison in Cuba for a full report go to Under Attack.
Fallen journalists are special forces without weapons or training
The fallen journalists have remained numbers in a tapestry of tragedy, feeding the press statements of media associations, and others.
However, those numbers are human tragedies, victims of serious violations of human rights.
The tragedy is part and parcel of Human Rights: first the sacred right of life is violated, followed by an earth shattering impact of multiple violations of rights when it concerns families of fallen jounalists.
For more info go to UNDER ATTACK 17 March 2008
Al Jazeera boycotted by Israel for its coverage of the 6-day Gaza attacks
Al Jazeera satellite channel announced today that Israel has decided to boycott it and banned its crews from coverage in Israel for its one-sided coverage of the 6-day military operations in Gaza.
Al-Jazeera 12 March 2008 For more info go to Satellites
ICPJ strongly condemns attack against French journalist
Cecile Hennion
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) condemned in the strongest possible manner the attack against French journalist, Cécile Hennion, working for Le Monde.
Cécile Hennionwas stabbed in her hotel in Irbil in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
11 March 2008 For more info go to Iraq
MADA Centre strongly condemns closure of Al-Majd Radio
The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (Mada) strongly condemned the closure of Al-Majd Radio (glory) by the Israeli occupation forces. The Israeli occupation forces broke into its headquarters in Jenin today in the dawn, confiscated its equipment and sealed the door with wax.
11 March 2008 For more info go to Palestine
Norway: cannot accept journalists being killed
Norwegian foreign minister Joans Gahr Sore told the High Level Segment of the Human Rights Council that in situations of armed conflict, journalists are being killed while doing their job-witnessing world conflicts.
We cannot accept that.
SOURCE Speech of the Foreign Minister 3 March 2008
France: no democracies without media nor independent journalists
French Minister of State Rama Yade told the Human Rights Council that freedom of opinion and expression has essential values.
Yade, quoting the philosopher Blaise Pascal, said that all humanity dignity lie in mankind's thinking abilities.
She added that opinion and expression is a cultural conquest of mankind.
Yade said that there will be no democracies without the media nor independent journalists.
Qutoing another thinker, Jacques Prevert, Yade said when truth is not free then freedom would not be true.
Yade stressed that thousands of men and women have struggled with courgae and heroism to keep this human legacy, we will not betray them, we will never go backwards.
SOURCE: French minsiter's speech to the Human Rights Council
3 March 2008
UNESCO Director-General condemns murder of Shihab al-Tamimi Cowardly blow sabotaging the reconstruction of Iraq
Paris, 03 March – The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura condemned on 3 March 2008 the killing of Shihab al-Tamimi, the head of the Iraqi Journalists’ Syndicate, who died on 27 February from gunshot wounds sustained four days earlier, Al-Tamimi was 74. “I condemn the attack on Shihab al-Tamimi,” the Director-General declared.
Matsuura sressed that this crime constitutes a cowardly blow on the whole of Iraqi society.
“Those who seek to muzzle the fundamental human right of freedom of expression, and press freedom, are sabotaging the reconstruction of Iraq as a free, democratic country. When they attack journalists, they attack every Iraqi’s right and ability to make informed decisions and play a part in the development of the country. These acts must not remain unpunished,” concluded Matsuura.
SOURCE: UNESCO
Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists choose new Chairman, declares one week of mourning for Tamimi’s brutal killing
In an extraordinary meeting, the board of the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists (ISJ) voted for Gabar Tarad as Chairman of the Syndicate, Moaid El Lamy as Vice Chairman and Secretary-General, and declared a week of mourning from today for the brutal killing of its former Chairman Shehab El Tamimi.
The ISJ called upon the government to adopt the syndicate law for the protection of journalists in Iraq. For more details go to Iraqi Journalists. Source: Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists 29 February 2008
SEEMO alarmed at attacks against journalists in Serbia
The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is alarmed about the recent wave of violent attacks on journalists in Serbia. For more info go to South East Europe Source SEEMO 28 February 2008
PEC and the ICPJ announces three days of morning following the death of Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists President Shehab El Tamimi
GENEVA, February 27 (PEC-ICPJ) – The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) announced today a three-day morning period at the brutal death of President of the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists Shehab El Tamimi, a core founding member of the PEC and the ICPJ.
In a communiqué from Baghdad Tuesday, Secretary-General of the ISJ Moaid El Lamy and Vice President of the ICPJ announced that the health of El Tamimi was in a critical phase following the brutal attack against his life Saturday.
The perpetrators achieved their goal by killing an honest voice, defender of our colleagues in Iraq and around the word, but they will not kill his memory or dedication and work for the Iraqi journalists.
Again the PEC and the ICPJ stress that this killing of El Tamimi will pass without bringing the perpetrators to justice.
It is now or never to act, both organizations, while condemning those attacks from unidentified gunmen, mourn the media martyr and present their sincere condolences to the family of Mr. El Tamimi and the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists. According to the PEC ticking clock, 15 journalists were killed since the beginning of 2008 across the globe, which is up to date the same figure as that of the first two months of 2007.
From the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) President Jim Boumelha
To: All IFJ Member Unions
Dear friends,
Shihab Al-Timimi
It is with a sorrowful heart that I write to inform you of the death a few hours ago of the Iraqi Journalists Union’s President Shihab Al-Timimi. Shihab was gunned down in a drive-by shooting last Saturday, and although he survived the attack his state worsened and this afternoon he suffered a fatal heart attack. His 23-year-old son Rabea was also wounded.
I have known Shihab for many years as a fellow journalist and trade unionist who survived many confrontations. He was an old fighter who spent his life defending journalists and journalism. His effervescent personality brought smiles and laughter to people beyond Iraq.
Shihab was killed by fanatics as he was working to carry on doing what he had dedicated his life to – improving the safety of Iraqi journalists and fighting to preserve their independence and professionalism.
It is a sad day for us and for the world community of journalists, and our thoughts and condolences go to his family and to his union. We are determined to continue our work in support of the IJU and Shihab’s vision of peace and social justice. We will be urging our affiliates worldwide to contribute to a project to commemorate his life and achievements.
27 February 2008
IFJ Mourns Loss of President of Iraqi Union of Journalists after Terror Attack
The International Federation of Journalists today expressed deep regret and shock at the death of the President of the Iraqi Union of Journalists in Baghdad who has succumbed to wounds sustained in a targeted attack by gunmen at the weekend.
Shihab Al-Timimi, 75, suffered a heart attack today and died in hospital where he was taken after sustaining wounds to the stomach, shoulder and face when his car was hit by a hail of bullets in the attack. His son Rabei was also in the car and was slightly injured.
“This assassination of a courageous and veteran champion of journalists’ rights causes deep pain for all of us,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “Journalists all around the world share the grief of our Iraqi colleagues. We send them our deepest sympathy and we pledge to stand alongside them in defiance of the killers.”
The IFJ has worked with the Iraqi union to improve safety for the country’s media in response to more than 250 killings of journalists and media staff since the conflict started in 2003.
A delegation of the IFJ visited Baghdad last month to discuss with Al-Timimi and the union’s secretary general Moaid Al-Lami – both of whom have received numerous death threats from extremists – plans to strengthen media freedom and levels of protection for journalists.
“Shihab reflected the indomitable spirit of Iraqi journalism,” said White. “He has provided leadership and a positive vision for the future during these dark days. He gave his life for the independence and solidarity of the profession and all of us owe him a great and lasting debt.”
The IFJ has reiterated its call on the Iraqi authorities to find the killers who struck just after a meeting where union leaders had put the finishing touches to plans for a seminar on the safety of journalists.
The seminar, held earlier this week, is part of the work plan of the Iraq Media Safety Group, supported by leading media and the journalists’ union, and created with the support of the IFJ and the International News Safety Institute last year.
“The work will go on and Iraqi journalists will not be intimidated,” said White. “But all of us are deeply saddened by this loss.”
PEC and the ICPJ shocked, condemns the gun attack against Chairman of the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists
GENEVA, (PEC-ICPJ) -- The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) express their shock at the gun attack that targeted the Chairman of the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists Shehab El Tamimi and his son.
Founding member of the PEC, Vice President of the ICPJ, and Secretary-General of the ISJ Moaid El Lamy informed the PEC President and ICPJ coordinator Abdel Naby in a telephoner Saturday that the medical situation of both Mr. El Tamimi and his son is stabilizing after both received gun shots by unidentified men that penetrated Mr. El Tamimi’s car.
He was moved immediately to hospital and is currently undergoing medical treatment.
In September 2004, Mr. El Tamimi designated Mr. El Lamy to attend in Geneva the first PEC consultation process for the defense of media in zones of conflict.
Since the inception of the PEC in June 2004 Mr. El Tamimi, as chairman of the ISJ, remaines a staunch supporter of the PEC efforts and later the ICPJ efforts.
Women journalists – Ugandan 32 Rebecca Wilbrod Kasujja brutally killed
The ICPJ and the PEC strongly condemn the brutal killing of Ugandan 32 year-old journalist Rebecca Wilbrod Kasujja, and highlight a new dimension in the attacks against journalists, Rebecca’s killing steps up the number of journalists killed to 14 since the beginning of 2008
Geneva, February 21 (PEC-ICPJ) -- The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) strongly condemns the brutal killing of Ugandan journalist Rebecca Wilbrod Kasujja which brings a new dimension to the media tragedy when she was raped and killed by unknown men on Sunday.
The two Geneva based organizations welcome the call of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on the Ugandan government to investigate the brutal killing of Ugandan journalist Rebecca Wilbrod Kasujja.
“We condemn this shocking attack on Rebecca, which underscores the danger that journalists face in Africa,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. “We are calling on authorities to conduct a full investigation and bring her attackers to justice.”
Kasujja, 32, was raped and killed by unknown men on Sunday morning as she was on her way to work at Buwama FM Radio station, a community radio station at about 62 km south of Kampala.
“This incident once again highlights the dangers facing journalists who work odd hours,” said Ugandan Journalists’ Union President, Michael Wakabi. “Female journalists, who form the bulk of newscasters, are particularly vulnerable as has been demonstrated by the latest incident.”
According to reports, residents of the village discovered her body in a nearby bush and reported the incident to Buwama police station.
The reason behind her killing remains unknown, but fellow journalists believe it has relations with her journalistic work.
The brutal killing of Rebecca steps up the number of journalists killed in 2008 to 14, seven in January and another seven in February so far.
Appeal by “Freedomexpression” groups to Somali Prime Minister
Twenty-eight national, regional and international free expression organizations appealed to Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein to use his leadership position to truly protect journalists' and media workers' safety by investigating attacks on journalists to end the current culture of impunity.
The joint action was led by the National Unionof Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and other members and partners of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX). For more details go to Somalia.
Iraqi security forces continue their attacks against Iraqi journalists
The Iraqi Syndicate of journalists reported a series of attacks against more than 20 Iraqi journalists by Iraqi security forces in Al-Muthana and Basra governorates.
The syndicate, added in a statement issued Sunday 17 December 2008, that it will pursue the perpetrators of those attacks against journalists in court.
Source: Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists 17 February 2008
British journalist and Iraqi translator kidnapped
Security forces have launched a search for a British journalist and his Iraqi translator working for US television network CBS who were kidnapped in the port city of Basra, an official said on Tuesday.
"There is an intensive operation underway to find the journalists," interior ministry spokesman Major General Abdul Karim Khalaf told AFP.
"These are journalists doing their job and those common criminals must be brought to justice."
Witnesses said the two journalists were led away from the Palace Sultan Hotel in the southern city of Basra at gunpoint by a gang of about 10 gunmen on Sunday.
The witnesses identified one as a British photo-journalist who had previously worked in Basra, and the other as his Iraqi interpreter. Both men had flown to Basra from Baghdad and checked into the hotel on Saturday.
SOURCE: AFP 12 February 2008
Iraqi journalist Hisham Mijwit Hamdane, a 27-year-old married father of two, was found by dead by police in Baghdad on Tuesday. 12 February 2008
THE MONTHLY REPORT
The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) will join hands and cooperate to issue as of this month, at the end of every month a casualty tally report of journalists in conflict zones and other situations.
In this regard the PEC and the ICPJ condemned on 31 January 2008 the Killing of on Iraqi journalist Wednesday and 6 others from the beginning of the year in several countries as well as the spiral of attacks against others in Sri-Lanka, Macedonia and Somalia
SOURCE: PEC-ICPJ 31 January 2008 for more info go to the MONTHLY REPORT
The International Covenant for the Portection of Journalists (ICPJ) joins hands with the EAJA in condemning death threats against Journalists in Kenya
The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) condemned Thursday in the strongest terms possible death threats and abuses against group of prominent Kenyan journalists who work for well-known Kenyan media houses.
Source: EAJA 31 January 2008 for more info go to Kenya
SEEMO strongly condemns the attack against Goran Gavrilov
The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), strongly condemns the attempted murder of Goran Gavrilov, General Manager of the Stip-based Channel 77, a private radio station network with national coverage in Macedonia.
Source: SEEMO 30 January 2008 For more info go to SOUTH EAST EUROPE
GOOD NEWS
The Sudanese Journalists union (S.J.U) started on 19th Jan 2008 the implementation of the (housing project) to 600 journalists of the members of the union.
This is the first phase of a plan to provide houses for 1500 journalists.
Some 100 journalists signed their contracts for a new house.
The unit contains one bedroom and a kitchen. It costs about 13 .000 USD. USD 3000 are paid in advance and the rest in equal installments on a period of ten years.
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) highlights the right to housing of journalists and believes that such a right should be included in the future Convention for the Protection of Journalists.
SOURCE Sudanese Journalists Union (S.J.U). For more details go to Sudan.
Shock at violence against journalists, ICPJ reacts to Somalia situation
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists is shocked at the spiral of violence against journalists in Sri-Lanka and Somalia over the past week.
Today the National Union of Somali Journalist (NUSOJ) announced the death of journalist Hassan Kafi Hared in Kismayu town of Lower Jubba region.
Hassan Kafi Hared, 36, died around 13:05 hrs after remote-controlled mine exploded inside a road in Siyad Village of Northern part of Kismayu.
Source: NUSJ 28 January 2008
For more info go to Somalia
Another journalist attacked-Somalia
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) today condemned Puntland Ministry's attack on journalist Abdihakim Yusuf Moalim of Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), aprivately owned Radio Station in Bossaso town of Bari Region.
Source: National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSJ).
For details go to Somalia.
28 January 2008
ICPJ condemns and appalled at the knife attack against Sri-Lankan journalist Lal Hemantha Mawalage
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) joins hands with the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), the Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU), the Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF), the Sri Lanka Tamil Journalists Alliance (SLTJA) and the Free Media Movement (FMM) in condemning strongly and expressing its shock at the injuring by knife the Sri-Lankan journalist Lal Hemantha Mawalage on Friday night at Athurigiriya, a suburb of Colombo.
FOR MORE INFO GO TO SRILANKA
SOURCE: Five Sri-Lankan media organizations
26 January 2008
Mazhar Abbas, Secretary General, PFUJ to the ICPJ:
"We welcome resumption of GEO, but it was only allowed after it agreed to suspend two of its popular talk shows Capital Talk and Mehry Mutabek, hosted by senior journalist Hamid Mir and top anchor Dr Shahid Masood. The battle is half won and the struggle must go on," PFUJ said.
PFUJ welcome the meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in Brussels.
"Had the President met the IFJ Mission during its visit to Pakistan in February and again in November, last year the media situation could have been different. With the visit of IFJ next month we hope that the long standing issues confronting media in Pakistan could be addressed," says Secretary General, PFUJ Mazhar Abbas to the ICPJ.
22 January 2008
ICPJ welcomes developments in Brussels between IFJ and President Musharraf
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) welcomed the meeting in Brussels between the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in which they discussed the situation of media in the country where journalists and media organizations continue to protest over draconian laws, backdoor coercive tactics, and use of security threats to intimidate media.
According to the IFJ President Musharraf strongly denied that media were under pressure, pointing to examples of robust criticism of the authorities, but he agreed to meet with White and the IFJ, which is planning a new visit to Pakistan to discuss these issues further.
Source: IFJ - 21 January 2008
ICPJ welcomes resumption of GEO broadcast
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) welcomed today with other global media associations the resumption of broadcasts of Geo News on the order of the President, after a forced closure of 78 days.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) said that GEO’s resumption marks the successful culmination of only one phase of the struggle for freedom of the print and electronic media in Pakistan. The Union added that cable operators impose censorship of media content, including limits on live coverage of political events and talk shows, which is stifling coverage of the country’s election campaign in advance of next month’s vote.
“We believe that only a free media and independent judiciary can ensure free, fair and transparent elections,” said the Union. The IFJ Report, following a mission to the country in November, is calling for the lifting of new rules that regulate media and the imposition of a code of conduct on journalists.
Source: IFJ 21 January 2008
Joint Statement
MAJOR RADIO STATIONS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CHALLENGES
In response to growing challenges in reaching their audiences around the world, the five most influential international broadcasters have joined together for the first time to condemn what they describe as the “grave and rising threats to the right to gather information and communicate it across national borders.”
A joint statement expressing concern over global media freedom was issued November 30, 2007, by the United Kingdom’s BBC World Service, Germany’s Deutsche Welle (DW), Radio France Internationale (RFI), Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) and the Voice of America (VOA).
By Stephen Kaufman USINFO Staff Writer 18-January 2008
For more info go to radio journalists
Live coverage banned from Kenya, EAJA and ICPJ condemn the suspension
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) join hands with the Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) today to condemn the suspension of all live Broadcast Coverage by Kenyan Government as riots and violence flared up in many parts of the country.
According to the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), an EAJA Affiliate, the Ministry of Information yesterday banned Live Coverage of All Broadcast Media Houses except the State-run Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), which is allowed to cover current events.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information Dr Bitange Ndemo said to the media "I order the immediate suspension of all live broadcast until further notice". Ndemo, who was directed by Minister for Internal Security, added that he took this action "in the interest of public safety and tranquillity".
"This order from the Kenyan Government is a direct suppression of Kenya's Independent Journalism and we condemn it in the strongest terms" said Omar Faruk Osman, Secretary General of the Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA).
According to Iraqi figures released by the Iraqi Society to Protect Journalists in its 2007 report, 54 Iraqi journalists were killed in 2007, 31 others are sill behind bars, 10 kidnapped, out of which 6 were released, the remaining four are unaccounted four.
The report says that most of the killings took place in Baghdad, followed by Ninoy.
The released report adds that 10 media installations were stormed in 2007, one of the ten stormed three times by US forces.
2 January, 2008
KENYA
Arbour: Government must ensure that journalists can work freely in Kenya
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said that the Kenyan Government ensure that journalists be permitted to freely carry out their work. Mrs. Arbour’s statement was released for the second time following the post election violence that left hundreds dead in the wake up of a disputed vote.
The statement was first released on 31 December 2007.
2 January 2008
Pakistan
Six journalists were killed, three of them while performing their professional duties, 73 were injured, mostly by the police in the worst year for the journalists in a decade while media remained under government pressure through laws and threat, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), said in a report released at the end of the year. For more info go to Pakistan
SUDAN:
SUJ calls upon the government of South Sudan to start an investigation in the detention of four journalists
ICPJ supports the call
President of the Union of Sudanese Journalists Mohyeldin Titawi condemned the detention and imprisonment of four journalists who are union members by the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) in Rank area, upper Nile, while covering the celebrations of the Eid Al Adha, Christmas and Independence in Southern Sudan.
The four journalists are employees of the Sudanese press agency, National Sudanese TV and Radio broadcast.
Union President Mohyeldin Titawi called upon the government of South Sudan to promptly investigate in this incidence and to compensate the journalists for being detained and terrorized.
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) stands firmly behind the four Sudanese journalists and calls for their immediate release.
SOURCE: SJU, 27 December 2007
PEC and the ICPJ rejoice at the release of French journalist on Christmas eve
GENEVA, December 26 (ICPJ-PEC) -- The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) rejoice at the announcement made by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) of the release on Christmas eve of French journalist Gwen Le Gouil who was kidnapped on 16 December, by gunmen in Port town of Bossasso, the capital of Bari region in North-Eastern area of Somalia. The kidnappers handed over the journalist Monday evening to 2 traditional elders Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim and Mohammed Said Shabel who belong to same clan of the kidnappers, who later surrendered him to Puntland Ministers Ahmed Said Ow-Nur and Abdisamad Yusuf Abwan. The PEC and the ICPJ express their sincere hope that peace would return to Somalia and that all regions would be safe for media coverage SOURCE PEC ICPJ statement
FRENCH JOURNALIST KIDNAPPED IN SOMALIA The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is strongly condemning the kidnapping of French journalist Gwen Le Gouil on Sunday, 16 December, by unknown gunmen in Port town of Bossasso, the capital of Bari region in north-eastern area of Somalia.
SOURCE: NUSOJ 17 DEC 2007 for more details go to Somalia
Special Humanitarian Envoy Abdulaziz bin Mohamed Arrukban: The international umbrella must provide protection for journalists covering disasters and conflicts
Special Humanitarian Envoy Abdulaziz bin Mohamed Arrukban:
Asked if Journalists in their dangerous task in conflict zones deserve special protection, Special Humanitarian Envoy Abdulaziz bin Mohamed Arrukban said “yes” they do deserve such protection.
He stressed that media work is humanitarian in essence, and they are important for humanitarian coverage, media is the eye and window to the outside world, it is the journalist that transmits the image from the disaster region or conflict zone to the world, the true image.
Arrukban noted that media work assists humanitarian work, and therefore special protection is welcome for the media.
He added that “we should speak out loudly and call on behalf of the international umbrella to provide this protection for journalists”.
SOURCE:
KUNA interview, 13 December 2007
ICPJ condemns military attack against building in Southern Gaza
The International Covenant for the protection of Journalists (ICPJ) condemns the military attack against a building in Southern Gaza
where journalists took refuge
Calls upon the IFJ, AFJ, PSJ and the Israeli Journalists Association to embark on an immediate investigation - 12 December 2007 For details go to Palestine
GHANIM ALNAJJAR
Threats to journalists and media outlets,
a serious violation of the Universal Declaration
GENEVA, December 10 (KUNA) -- The Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Ghanim Alnajjar said Monday that he is very concerned about recent reports that "Somaliland" authorities have ordered twenty-four journalists to leave "Somaliland" within the next few days.
The Independent Expert added that threats to journalists and media outlets constitute serious violations of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Details in SOMALIA
KOFI ANNAN:
A specialized convention for the protection of journalists
can be taken up with member states
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explained his position on a specialized convention for the protection of journalists in conflict zones in a news conference organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association in Switzerland known by the acronym (APES).
Annan said it will take time but one can look at it.
He then added that the Security Council has passed in the past resolutions for the protection of groups that are targeted and that are at risk.
“Given that journalists are being attacked and being killed, this issue is something one can take up with the member states,” stressed Annan.
SOURCE: APES press conference 6 December 2007
FRANCOPHONIE SUPPORTS ENHANCED PROTECTION FOR JOURNALISTS PASSES RESOLUTION CALLING UPON STATES TO ENSURE INDEPENDENCE OF JOURNALISTS
FRENCH TEXT FOLLOWS:
- Réaffirme que le respect des droits fondamentaux de l'homme et du citoyen et en particulier la liberté d'expression sont étroitement liées à l'existence d'entreprises de presse pérennes et de journalistes travaillant en toute indépendance.
- Demande en conséquence aux États d'assurer aux entreprises de presse et aux journalistes des cadres statutaires et un environnement démocratique, juridique, économique, fiscal et technique favorable et adapté aux nouvelles évolutions du marché et du droit international relatif aux médias et en particulier aux reseaux internet.
SOURCE : RÉSOLUTIONS, L'Union internationale de la presse francophone (UPF), réunie en assises du 2 au 7 décembre à Abidjan et à Yamoussoukro (Côte d'Ivoire),
DRAFT CONVENTION LAUNCHED BY THE PEC BOARD
The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a Geneva based non-governmental organization (NGO) established in June 2004, and a member of the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) established in Geneva in September 2007, launched a global consultation on a wide ranging draft convention which was sent to UN member states on 6 December 2007.
The PEC, inspired by the common goal of the ICPJ to develop a new convention, worked as a board to develop the current draft.
In due course reactions on the draft will be posted both on the PEC and the ICPJ websites.
For details go to Draft Convention
Chairman of the Red Cross/Red Crescent’s Movement Standing Commission supports a specialized convention to protect journalists
Chairman of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Standing Commission Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid said Friday that he supports the creation of a specialized convention to protect journalists in conflict zones.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid, who was re-elected for this prestigious post for a second 4-year term, stressed that journalists are integral partners in the movement's work to reach out to the public.
Asked whether they deserved a special status like the medical workers, Chairman of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Standing Commission Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid said "yes", but the details of such a development should be left to the legal experts.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid noted that without media coverage funding would be difficult for the national societies and global organizations.
Standing Commission Chairman expressed hope that one day there will be in place a special convention and that he believes in the media and that they help a lot the movement in its humanitarian work.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid confirmed his belief in access for everybody including the journalists, "we cannot have a rule for one group and exclude the others", and that without media role is very much appreciated and it is very much needed to stop the suffering and unthinkable doings carried out in some places.
"I would support any move towards any convention that improve our work and that would give us the support to carry our work in a very efficient manner," said Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid.
He announced that the Jordanian Red Crescent which he presides join other national societies and governments who have pledge to commit themselves within the framework of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions to protect journalists.
In a related development, President of the 30th Red Cross/Red Crescent Conference which concluded its work today Mandisa Kalako-Williams disclosed that 7 governments and 10 national societies have joined that pledge.
The seven governments are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, Denmark and Australia.
The 10 national societies are Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France Poland, Syria, Tanzania and the United Kingdom.
Chairman of the Standing Committee told KUNA that the Jordanian Red Crescent Society could be considered on board for the protection of media.
Source: interview with the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Friday 30 November 2007
ICPJ welcomes statements by Bellinger on protection of journalists in conflict zones
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) welcomed today the statements made by the legal Adviser to the State Department, Head of the U.S. Delegation to the Red Cross/ Red Crescent 30th Conference John B. Bellinger III.
Bellinger said thatthe United States fully supports the protection of journalists in conflict zones.
Concerning the Iraqi Associated Press (AP) photographer in detention in Iraq, Bellinger said that the intention is there to refer this case to the Iraqi criminal court on charges of his participation in staging attacks.
“Whether the Iraqi court decides to prosecute him or not will be a decision for the Iraqis,” he said.
SOURCE: GENEVA press conference
International Conference Center (CICG), 27 November, 2007 For more details go to Draft Convention
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
“If a consensus develops around the development of additional international legislation, we stand ready to accompany such a process”
Excerpts from Interview with
Antonella Notari,
head of poject for the ICRC on the issue of the safety of journalists
and on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in war reporting.
ICRC website:
What does the ICRC think about the proposal of an international treaty for the protection of journalists in armed conflicts (and beyond)?
Notari:
We are of the opinion that it is most urgent and important to ensure that the existing legal protection for journalists is divulgated and vigorously enforced by States.
If a consensus develops around the development of additional international legislation, we stand ready to accompany such a process as per our possibilities and mandate.
Any measures that serve to reinforce existing rules are welcome.
SOURCE: Interview 22 November, 2007 on the ICRC website
Pakistani journalists reject mini-Martial Law
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), has rejected the promulgation of "mini-Martial Law," in the country in the cover of emergency, strongly condemned late night police raids on private TV news channels.
PFUJ has called an emergency meeting on Tuesday November 6, 2006 at 4 p.m. in which President and General Secretaries of the affiliated Unions will attend while the Ujs have already held their meetings in different parts of the country.
The meeting will consider joint action along with other media bodies and may also give call for "Global Action Day," during which media bodies around the world will protest against media curbs in Pakistan.
Mazhar Abbas, Secretary General, PFUJ
4 November 2007
For more info go to Pakistan
ICPJ supports Global Action Day Proclaims solidarity with Pakistani journalists and media outlets under attack
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) supports the call for a “GLOBAL ACTION DAY” and joins hands with the Pakistani journalists.
The ICPJ condemns the crackdown against Pakistani journalists, the many arrests that have taken place on Sunday 4 November 2007. The Geneva based non-governmental organization (NGO) believes that this is a serious development that warrants the attention of all media associations around the world, national, regional and international. It also warrants the attention of the Human Rights Council and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression.
The new unfolding serious developments in Pakistan, more than ever, deserve the serious consideration of all actors and individual members in the media community to act in favor of a new International Convention to Protect media.
SOMALIA
Bashir Nor Gedi, Acting Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson of Shabelle Media Network assasinated 19 October 2007 at his home by unknown gunmen
The ICPJ condemns the attack and stands firmly in solidarity with the NUSOJ and the Somali journlaists, while paying condolences to the family of Gedi, the 8th in a row to be killed in Somalia.
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is deeply shocked by the Assassination of Media Executive of Prominent and Popular Radio station in Mogadishu.
Bashir Nor Gedi, Acting Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson of Shabelle Media Network was this evening, 19 October 2007, assassinated at his home in Wardhigley district of Hamarjadid neighborhood by unknown gunmen, according to his wife and his relatives.
The leadership of Shabelle Media Network confirmed the assassination of Bashir Nor Gedi. The Chairperson of Shabelle Media network Abdimalik Yusuf condemned this hardhearted killing. After Shabelle Radio broadcasted the assassination of its boss, the Radio stopped airing its normal programs and started airing verses of Holy Quran for grief of the death, according to Shabelle management.For more info go to "SOMALIA"
United States
The United States condemned the murder of Bashir Nur Gedi, acting Chairman of Shabelle Media Network on Friday, October 19 in Mogadishu. We offer our sympathy and condolences to Gedi's family and colleagues.
For more info go to "UNDER ATTACK"
PAKISTAN
On Thursday 18 October two Pakistani journalists were killed, Salman Fraooq reporter and Mohammed Shahzad cameraman working with CNBC international while covering the motorcade destination of former Pakiatani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, when a suicide attack struck and killed more than 160 people, some 500 wounded.
IRAQ
Four Iraqi Journalists slain 15 October 2007
1-Saleh Mohammed of the Washington Post, who was gunned down by unidentified gunmen in the Sayedia district.
2-Jassim Mohamed Nofal
3-Khaled Mohamed Nofal
4-Ziad Tareq
The three worked for the Iraq Al Watan newspaper and were gunned down in Northern Iraq by a military group in a public street leading to the city of Kirkuk.
The Syndicate noted with grief that since March 2003 more than 248 Iraqi journalists were killed. For more info go to Iraqi journalists.
GOOD NEWS Mohamed Yousef announces the abolishen of the prison penalty in the UAE
GENEVA, SEPTEMBER 26 (ICPJ) – In an unprecedented move in favor of the media profession and Journalists, the UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashed Al Maktoum abolished the prison penalty against journalists.
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) believes that this is a historic move to consolidate freedom of opinion and expression.
Wikileaks silent on how it broke encryption
160,000 Blogs in Egypt says Mofid Shehab 
Kazakhstan approved 8000 media outlets 85 percent privately owned 
Abel Nabi on 19th April 2004 launched the movement for a protective media emblem in a side event at the United Nations facilitated by Amnesty International. 
The movement was joined by current PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen, who became the co-founder of the PEC, with other journalists at the UN in Geneva and Switzerland: Reto Brieter, Daniel Favre (current Vice-President of the PEC), Mohamed Cherif of Swissinfo, Gordon Lennox and IMPRESSUM (the Swiss journalists association). 
Mary Simon, PEC VICE PRESIDENT 
Mohamed Cherif 
Angleica Roget 
Fawzia Assaad
Alexander Curchod 
Lempen brought to the PEC an added value of a mixture of a legal expert, writer-author and a journalist, and has developed the idea of a convention to protect journalists to support the emblem movement, an endeavor which was and still is strongly supported by Abdel Nabi.
The International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) salutes Annan for flagging the protection issue of journalists, Kellenberger for stressing the need for developing the Geneva Conventions and the Swiss Presidency for being open to a discussion on the Protection of Journalists.
The mayor of Geneva at the podium in defense of the victims of armed conflicts 
PA closes AlJazeera in the West Bank 
The whole event is a result of the egagemnet, support and encourgement of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, says the ICPJ. 
Magda Abu-Fadil, who brings years of experience as a foreign correspondent, currently director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut (AUB) quoted Seymour Hersh who aaddressed the forum. 
photos used in this report are a copyright of Magda Abu-Fadil 
Norwegian Ambassador says her country sponsors a conference for media work in Somalia 
OIPC Secretary-General supports call for Council panel discussion 
OIPC Secretary-General hands the Silver medal of his organization to Hedayat Abdel Nabi, PEC President and ICPJ coordinator for her dedication to human rights causes and her integrity as a journalist. 
GEORGE GORDON LENNOX, of Reporters without Borders - called for the immediate release of Perwiz Kambakhsh, a young Afghan journalist who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison, his sole crime having been to download an article about women in Islam. that Reporters Without Borders requested the Council and the Special Rapporteurs to intervene in favour of Perwiz to obtain a presidential pardon from Hamid Karzai. Other calls for intervention were made on behalf of Tamil journalists Tissainayagam and Vithyatharan Tissainayagam from the Sunday Times, who were detained for writing about the war going in the country; and the case of journalists and bloggers detained in Iran, especially Mohammad Sadegh Kabovand, the editor of a Kurdish weekly, who was detained in prison despite his poor health. 
Lasantha Wickrematunge 
OPEN LETTER 
The United States, remains the glowing example of freedom of the press, and remains the country that has led media technology development among other matters, and in this context it is the hope of the ICPJ that the US would also lead when it concerns the global problem of the protection of journalists, who represent as President Obama mentioned THE THIRD FORCE. 
Seasoned former Egyptian diplomat Mounir Zahran lending his support to the campaign for the protection of journalists, stressing that there is a lacoon in international humanitarian law that should be fixed 
Frank La Rue vows to pursue vigorously the human rights issue of the protection of journalists 
Head of Arab Bureau at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Adam Abdelmoula with Sultane, who requested the support of the OHCHR for the re-opening of the MDC. 
Delegation of Najaf journalists with Adam Abdelmoula 
Najaf Iraqi writer Kalthoum Amer ELHesinawi calls for support for women journalists and writers and respecting their human rights.
Alexnadre Curchod from the Swiss Journalists (IMPRESSUM)and PEC Vice President moderates the press confeernce 
He added, in a meeting on Wednesday 17 September 2008 with the President of the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists Zviad Pockhkhua, that this targeting is a crime against humanity, it is terrible and unacceptable. On his part Zviad Pockhkhua called upon the Council President to issue a presidential statement on the killing of journalists and requested a special event of the Council devoted to this tragedy. 
Zviad Pockhkhua announced that the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists and each member of the association supports the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and requests that the UN member States discuss the needs for the legal protection of journalists in conflict zones. 
The aim of the visit was to mobilize all UN member States to pick up this important issue among their priorities. The Swiss Journalists (IMPRESSUM) represented by Curchod were instrumental in sponsoring the visit of Zviad Pockhukhua 
GENEVA, September 13- The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) welcomed today statements made by the Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari that the Iraqi government will take steps to provide more protection for Iraqi journalists and correspondents reporting from the country.
The ICPJ congratulates Iraqi journalists for their choice for a commited man to defend Iraqi journalists and journalists around the world from the dangers of their profession. 
Journalists Memorial 
Norway: cannot accept journalists being killed 
GOOD NEWS Mohamed Yousef announces the abolishen of the prison penalty in the UAE 
UAE Editors sign code of honor