According to the PEC ticking clock, 28 journalists were killed since the beginning of the year in 17 countries against 34 during 2007.
Mexico flags as the most dangerous country for media work with 6 journalists killed, Iraq 5, Pakistan 3, Russia 2.
Since the beginning of the year one journalist was killed in the following countries: India, Philippines, Panama, Brazil, Niger, Nepal, Gaza by Israel, Afghanistan and Somalia.
PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen says that in 2007, 115 journalists were killed against 96 in 2006.
Lempen adds that if the reasons are different then it is clear that on the legal level protection is notably absent in different situations where such crimes have been committed.
During this month, April, 8 journalists were killed, 2 in Mexico, one in the Philippines, one in Panama, one in Pakistan, and the REUTERS cameraman in Gaza.
The PEC has strongly condemned the killing of the REUTERS cameraman Fadl Shana. The killing of Shana coincides with an increased deterioration in conditions of media work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt).
The PEC regrets that the Iraqi authorities have not undertaken an investigation into the killings of Iraqi journalists which exceeds 270 since March 2003.
Lempen said that the absence of national enquiries makes the need more urgent for developing an international instrument for the protection of journalists.
Abdel Nabi called upon the Iraqi government to endorse the new national law for the protection of Iraqi journalists.
The PEC regrets the absence of foreign coverage in Tibet/China as well as the restrictions in Zimbabwe imposed on media coverage and that on the coverage of the referendum campaign in Myanmar.
The Geneva based NGO launched a global consultation process on a draft convention for the protection of journalists in zones of conflict and elsewhere. A handful of governments have reacted so far.
The PEC deplores the disinterest by some governments, notably the democracies, to respond to the PEC call, as the issue is integrally related to freedom of opinion and expression and access to information in a year when the world is approaching in December the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Geneva based NGO seizes this occasion to remind UN member states that the deadline to send their responses has been extended to May 31.
The PEC consultation is supported by 32 press associations and syndicates representing more than 100,000 journalists.
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.
They call upon the Chinese authorities to allow free and independent access to the media to shed light on the Tibet developments as well as allowing an international mission of enquiry.
In addition, the two organizations call upon the Chinese authorities to allow foreign media to move freely in whole China at the occasion of the Olympic year.
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.
In March according to the PEC media ticking clock 3 journalists were killed, one in Iraq and two in Russia (7 last year during the same month). Since the beginning of the year, 20 journalists were killed in the line of duty as opposed to 22 during the first three months of 2007.
So far for this month the number of journalists killed in Iraq has gone down compared to the first quarter of 2007. But still Iraq remains the most dangerous country in the world for media work. Second to Iraq comes Somalia.
The number of journalists killed in Iraq since March 2003 stand today at 275 journalists.
Calls for releasing Cuban journalists jailed on Black Spring of 2003 took place on March 18 by a group of Cuban demonstrators in front of the UN in Geneva.
The group supported by the PEC and the ICPJ called upon the High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour to interfere in favor of 27 imprisoned journalists four years ago.
As far as the situation in Sri-Lanka is concerned, the two organizations support the letter launched by the International Federation of Journalists ( www.ifj.org ) and signed by 30 organizations, to the President of Sri Lanka voicing the concerns for the safety of journalists there.
During the month of March and on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council the PEC and the ICPJ organized a parallel event on the protection of Journalists in conflict zones and civil unrest.
During this event, the two organizations unveiled a draft convention which aims at re-enforcing the protection of journalists and called upon member states to respond to the draft by 31 March, a project which was sent out by the PEC on 7 December 2007.
The PEC and the ICPJ remind UN member states of the urgency to react to this draft. The deadline is now extended till April 30.
Mexican ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, who took part in the event, announced the beginning of consultations on the level of concerned ambassadors in Geneva on the issue of journalists’ protection.
In view of this serious deterioration of media coverage of major events and the assault on freedom of Opinion and Expression, the PEC and the ICPJ call upon member states to start deliberations on a special sitting on that issue in the context of the Human Rights Council.
The PEC and the ICPJ condemns 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
GENEVA, January 31 (PEC-ICPJ) The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) announces that the tally at the end of January in media casualties is 7 journalists killed, the latest in Iraq Wednesday with his driver, another in Somalia on Monday in a landmine explosion. The PEC and the ICPJ will be announcing at the end of each month during 2008 the tally against journalists in an attempt to mobilize the public and the media and human rights community and others to the importance of developing a Convention for the Protection of Journalists. Since the beginning of 2008, 7 journalists have been killed in the line of duty in seven countries: Honduras, Brazil, Niger, Nepal, Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq. The attacks against journalists in January 2007 stood at 7 journalists: 4 in Iraq, one in Eritrea, one in Turkey, and one in Haïti. In addition, since the beginning of 2008, three other journalists were attacked, on January 28 the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) announced that Puntland Ministry attacked journalist Abdihakim Yusuf Moalim of Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), a privately owned Radio Station in Bossaso town of Bari Region. Security guard of Deputy Minister of Security of Puntland Ibrahim Artan (Haji Bakin) had violently beaten Abdihakim Yusuf Moalim after Haji Bakin slapped the journalist on Saturday morning January 26, 2008. On Wednesday, 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 condemned the attempted murder of Goran Gavrilov, General Manager of the Stip-based Channel 77, a private radio station network with national coverage in Macedonia. According to information before SEEMO, Gavrilov was attacked by two armed persons in the night between 25 and 26 January in front of his home in Stip, eastern Macedonia. The masked assailants shot at him, but missed, and then violently beat him with metal rods. Five media associations in Sri-Lanka, the 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), announced during the past weekend the knife attack against Sri-Lankan journalist Lal Hemantha Mawalage on Friday night at Athurigiriya, a suburb of Colombo.
