The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) are gravely concerned by the
Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s announcement of a new 'monitoring' committee, tasked with identifying those expressing views
it considers 'subversive’.
On Wednesday February 22, the O’Neill/Namah
government's Chief of Staff, Ben Micah, emailed a press release announcing
details of the new committee to local journalists, as well as posting the
release on a PNG media page on social networking website Facebook.
The release states that any person found using
their mobile phone, email or Facebook to spread information…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have backed striking journalists from the Greek daily Eleftherotypia who have published their own newspaper after going months without pay from their employer. "It is a great victory for these journalists who saw their rights violated for months," said EFJ President Arne König. "We give a thumb up to their initiative and we congratulate the Journalists' Union of Athens Daily Newspapers for their support." On 15 February the journalists, who have been on strike since December 2011, published their own newspaper, entitled "ERGAZOMENOI - Workers at…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is shocked and
horrified at the brutal murder of senior journalist Chandrika Rai, his wife and
two young children, in Umaria district in the central Indian state of Madhya
Pradesh.
Chandrika
Rai, 43, a freelance journalist who was published frequently in newspapers in
the state capital of Bhopal,
was found dead at his home on the evening of Saturday, February 18. His 39-year
old wife, 19-year old son and 17-year old daughter, were also found dead in
different rooms of the house. All four
bodies bore injuries inflicted by a sharp weapon.
Media
reports from India
suggest that Rai could have been…
The
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has welcomed
the adoption of texts on media independence by the Council of Europe and by the
European Parliament. "We
welcome the fact that at the same moment, both the European Parliament and the
Council of Europe adopted texts defending press freedom and journalism as a
public good", said EFJ President Arne König. "It shows to journalists and to
the public that there is genuine concern for the problem. It is now up to the
national authorities to fulfil their duties". In a
recommendation on "Public Service Media Governance" adopted on 16 February, the
Council of Europe called on member states to strengthen editorial…
Norway was the first country to introduce a quota for women on company boards and this initiative is now held as a case study for gender diversity at boardroom level for the European Union. Ms Viviane Reding, the Vice-President of the European Commission plans to propose similar measures to achieve gender balance in the corporate boardrooms.
The Norwegian government made it mandatory that public corporations must have an average of at least 40% women as board members. Since its introduction in 2003, female representation has gradually increased from 6% in 2002 to more than 40% in 2009. The success is mainly due to the broad political support, fairly though sanctions, intense political and…
The
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today called the authorities in
Croatia to reconsider their plan to close down the daily newspaper Vjesnik.
"Closing
down Vjesnik would send a very negative signal for journalism in
Croatia", said EFJ President Arne König. "It would mean the end of a cultural
institution but it would also mean that a hundred journalists would lose their
jobs despite their commitment ".Vjesnik is a daily newspaper in Croatia,
working with 80 employed journalist and editors and 30 freelance journalists.
The state-owned paper was founded in 1940 by
the anti-fascist movement and it survived through Second World War and the
Yugoslav War in the…
Norway was
the first country to introduce a quota for women on company boards and this
initiative is now held as a case study for gender diversity at boardroom level
for the European Union. Ms Viviane Reding, the Vice-President of the European
Commission plans to propose similar measures to achieve gender balance in the
corporate boardrooms.
The
Norwegian government made it mandatory that public corporations must have an
average of at least 40% women as board members. Since its introduction in 2003, female
representation has gradually increased from 6% in 2002 to more than 40% in
2009. The success is mainly due to the broad political support, fairly though
sanctions,…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns a series of violent attacks against journalists
by unidentified thugs in the village
of Panhe, in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province.
On February 15 and 16, Remko
Tanis, correspondent for RTL Nieuws, and Baptiste
Fallevoz and his assistant Jack Zhang, journalists for France 24, were physically
assaulted, threatened and their research materials stolen by unidentified
people in Panhe village, Zhejiang Province.
According to an internal
alert issued by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China, and reports on
foreign news websites, Remko Tanis was intercepted by a group of thugs while…
Journalists in Sri Lanka began
a campaign on January 25 in memory of colleagues who fell in the
quarter-century long civil war in the island nation. This day of protest united
all Sri Lanka’s principal professional journalism bodies and was planned as a reminder to those in
power that the vital task of national reconciliation requires more than token
gestures.
The campaign was also aimed
at dispelling the climate of impunity for attacks on the media which was a
feature of the years of ethnic strife, and at allowing a free voice for human
rights defenders who stand up for a fair and just society.
Government spokespersons
began to mobilise their…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its affiliate the Confederation of Mongolian Journalists (CMJ) in condemning
the laying of criminal defamation charges against Mongolia’s TV9 television station and
its investigative news team, in response to the airing of a documentary disclosing
allegations of corruption against government officials.
On December 17, 2011, TV9 broadcast a story concerning
the alleged illegal privatisation of a publicly owned building located in the center
of the country’s capital, Ulaan Bataar. The documentary, titled “Detective-2”,
linked the sale to corrupt activities of high ranked government…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today said that journalists in Brazil are in the grip of violence after a second journalist was killed in less than a week. Paulo Roberto Cardoso Rodrigues, better known as Paulo Rocaro, a veteran journalist, was shot several times and critically injured shortly before midnight on Sunday in the city of Ponta Porã of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. He died in the early hours of Monday 13 February."The recent spate of lethal attacks against Brazilian journalists is most distressing and we urge the authorities to leave no stone unturned in the hunt of Rodrigues' killers," said Beth Costa, IFJ General Secretary. "It is time to stop…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins UNI Global Union, and the unions of broadcasters MBCTV, KBSTV and
YTN, in expressing its grave concern over reports of
intimidation of union members and interference in reporting and editing of the
South Korean public broadcaster MBCTV.
On January
25, 170 MBCTV news reporters and cameramen staged a ‘walk out’ demonstration in
the lobby of MBC TV, in response to alleged interference in the broadcaster’s
editorial independence and the intimidation of union members.
Since then,
MBCTV union members have held daily rallies and picketed in the streets to seek
public…
The EFJ together with press freedom groups
and professional organisations calls on the Council of Europe to respect
commitments made almost three years ago about press freedom and anti-terrorism
laws.
In May 2009, ministers committed in Reykjavik to “review national
legislation and/or practice on a regular basis to ensure that any impact of
anti-terrorism measures on the right to freedom of expression and information
is consistent with Council’s standards”.
In
a joint letter to the international body’s Secretary General, the campaigners
“deeply regret” that so far absolutely no progress has been made by member
states on…
The French Superior
Court (Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris) ruled on 12 January that the French daily, Libération, has infringed the
copyright of journalist, Marc Mangin, by making unauthorised use of his
articles. Libération was asked to pay € 2,000 to Mangin for
violating his copyright and moral damages.
Mangin is a freelance
journalist and reported the presidential elections in Iran. In June 2009, Libération published two of his articles. On 26 June, the Belgian newspaper La libre Belgique which is affiliated to Libération published the
same articles without Mangin’s consent and further payment. The articles were later…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliates, the National Union of Journalists of Great Britain and Ireland, and the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), today called on the British Foreign Secretary William Hague to ensure that the "independent inquiry" he called for into the murder of Hassan Osman Abdi, director of Shabelle Media Network, is truly independent. "For many years now, no crime committed against a journalist in Somalia has been investigated, and no one convicted of carrying it out, or ordering it. We have no faith in the current Transitional Federal Government to lead an independent inquiry, as it has been involved in campaigns to…
EFJ Focus is a monthly bulletin of the European Federation of Journalists, produced by the Secretariat in Brussels.The newsletter is now available in English, German and French. Further Information: Tel: 32-2-235.22.15/02Fax: 32-2-235.22.19E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]
The interim leadership in Yemen must act decisively to stop the diehard supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh from perpetuating control over public media in Yemen, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said today. The Federation was reacting to news of a siege laid by Saleh's supporters to government-owned Althawra newspaper last week to prevent publication after the editor removed the picture of the former leader on the front page, threatening to overrun the offices and attack the editor and staff."This is a serious incident which also represents a test of the interim leadership's commitment to genuine change, including respect for press freedom," said IFJ…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today joined criticism of Iran over its campaign of harassment targeting family members of the BBC Persian service staff in order to exert pressure on them. The BBC has accused Iranian authorities of arresting relatives of its staff working outside the country while others have had their passports confiscated and journalists themselves faced false accusations."We are appalled by these measures which hold journalists' relatives hostages for the sole purpose of undermining our colleagues' editorial independence," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "The regime is bent on extending its ruthless control on people outside its reach and does not…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) is shocked by reports that the entire senior management team of Biancheng Evening Newspaper, including
the Editor-in-chief, were sacked after publishing a report in which citizens of
Huaihua, a prefecture-level city of Hunan Province in south central China,
complained about increased inflation before the Lunar New Year.
On February 1, the Biancheng Evening Newspaper published an article titled, “how does
your lunar new year taste?” The article reported a survey of local residents
that found that more than 50% of respondents were dissatisfied with increasing
inflation, although more than 80% of respondents…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) extends
its support to the proposal put forward by its affiliate, the National Union of
Journalists (NUJ), for reforms to electoral reporting in Malaysia.
On January 25, the NUJ submitted its proposal to Malaysia’s Parliamentary Select Committee
on Electoral Reforms, which has sought public submissions regarding proposed
measures to aid the conducting of free and fair elections. The Committee’s work
will feed into a report to be tabled for debate by legislators during
the March sitting of Malaysia’s
Parliament.
Changes proposed by the NUJ’s submission…
The Spanish Government approved a new legislation that will block websites deemed to violate copyright infringements. A new body within the Ministry of Culture will be in charge of managing and coordinating the process, which is independent from any other civil or criminal procedure. An individual or a collective management organisation can make a request to the new body and ask the internet provider to remove unauthorised content on the website. The Decree, will come into force on 1 March 2012. Meanwhile, the Government adopted a new regulation on private copying, which came into effect on 1 January 2012. According to the new rule, the compensation for private copying will no longer be…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the killing of Hassan Osman Abdi, a senior Somali journalist and head of Shabelle Media Network which owns Radio and TV Shabelle, who was gunned down on Saturday at his home in Medina district of Mogadishu. The Federation has written to UN Special Representative to Somalia, Ambassador Augustine P. Mahiga, urging him to call on the Somali Transitional Federal Government to punish Abdi's killers, help establish an independent investigation into press freedom violations and the government's failure to stop them as well to press the government to initiate a full and open investigation into the involvement of police and…
The Spanish
Government approved a new legislation that will block websites deemed to
violate copyright infringements. A new body within the Ministry of Culture will
be in charge of managing and coordinating the process, which is independent
from any other civil or criminal procedure. An individual or a collective
management organisation can make a request to the new body and ask the internet
provider to remove unauthorised content on the website. The Decree, will come
into force on 1 March 2012. Meanwhile, the Government adopted a new regulation
on private copying, which came into effect on 1 January 2012. According to the
new rule, the compensation for private copying will no…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today joined its African regional organisation, the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), in calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to protect journalists as the increased violence by the Islamist group Boko Haram continues to claim lives of citizens and threatens to ignite a wider conflict. On 20th January, Enenche Akogwu, a reporter with Channels Television, died in Kano as he was caught in cross fire between the police and members of the group while covering the sect's onslaught on the city, according to Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), an affiliate of the IFJ and FAJ. "We are extremely concerned by the escalation…
On 18 January 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the authority of U.S. Congress to extend the scope of copyright protection to foreign works that have already entered the public
domain saying that it neither violates the Constitution’s copyright
clause nor the First Amendment’s guarantee of free expression. (To
obtain the judgement, please visit HERE)
The issue raised in Golan v. Holder concerns
the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) of 1994 which was signed by the US Congress
in order to bring the country’s copyright law in line with and the international copyright laws (including the Berne Convention and the TRIPS
agreement). The agreement…
On 18 January 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the authority of U.S. Congress to extend the scope of copyright protectionto foreign works that have already entered the public domain saying that it neither violates the Constitution’s copyright clausenor the First Amendment’s guarantee of free expression. (To obtain the judgement, please visit HERE)
The issue raised in Golan v. Holder concerns the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) of 1994 which was signed by the US Congress in order to bring the country’s copyright law in line with and the international copyright laws (including the Berne Convention and the TRIPS agreement). The agreement amend the U. S. copyright law and under Section…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has joined the ‘Black
January’ campaign against attacks on journalists in Sri Lanka, organized by the Alliance of
Media Organizations.
The month of January
2012, has been nominated as ‘Black January’ in Sri Lanka, by the Alliance of Media
Organizations and its supporters in the national and international communities.
The campaign is a
response to the attacks on the media that have occurred in the month of January
in the past three years, and the failure of the government of Sri Lanka to
bring to account those responsible for attacks on numerous journalists.
These attacks…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned in the strongest terms possible
the killing of Enenche AKogwu, a reporter with Channels Television station, who
was gunned down in Kano, Nothern Nigeria, on Friday, 20 January,
2012. According to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), an affiliate
of the IFJ, Enenche, died from gunshot wounds sustained during an exchange of
gunfire between the police and members of the Boko Haram sect around the Farm
House of Kano metropolis, while covering the sect's onslaught on the
city."We condemn this latest killing which shows that journalists in
Nigeria need adequate protection in the face of increasing risks,"…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Maldives Journalists’
Association (MJA), in expressing concern over the recent escalation of
hostile rhetoric towards the media in the Republic of Maldives.
Mohamed
Zuhair, press secretary to the President of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, on
January 11 threatened criminal action against media that spread allegedly “baseless
and demonstrably false” claims about government actions.
The
MJA has contested these allegations, arguing that the media are at liberty to
report statements made by responsible opposition politicians, even when time
constraints do not permit…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its partner the Journalist Trade Union (JuHi) committed to campaigning for equal rights for women journalists launch today the to encourage women journalists in Azerbaijan to engage in trade-union work through training, networking, communication campaigns and lobbying and stand for election to the decision-making bodies.
The leaflet recommends the following:
1. Increasing the rate of representation of women in unions' leadership positions and considering the introduction of quota systems 2. Developing trade union work capabilities for women through training 3. Involving male colleagues in all gender equality related issues 4.…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today supported the call by journalists’ organisations in Kosovo on the authorities to investigate an incident in which photojournalist Vedat Xhymshiti was allegedly assaulted by police while covering a public event last week.“It is not acceptable for police officers to attack journalists who are only doing their job,” said Stephen Pearse, IFJ Deputy General Secretary and EFJ General Secretary. “The authorities must launch a thorough investigation into this attack and hold accountable the officers involved.”Mr. Xhymshiti told the IFJ that the…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) and its partner the Journalist Trade Union (JuHi) committed to
campaigning for equal rights for women journalists launch today the to
encourage women journalists in Azerbaijan to engage in trade-union work through
training, networking, communication campaigns and lobbying and stand for
election to the decision-making bodies.
The leaflet recommends the following:
1. Increasing the rate of representation of
women in unions' leadership positions and considering the introduction of quota
systems
2. Developing trade union work capabilities for
women through training
3. Involving male colleagues in all…
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), today expressed its surprise at the contradictions in the verdict concerning the murder of Turkish author and journalist Hrant Dink as his colleagues commemorate the fifth anniversary of the killing."The Court announced that the premeditated killing of a journalist was not an "organised" crime, while nearly a hundred Turkish journalists are currently in jail charged with organised terroristic activities. We are shocked by such a contradictory verdict" said the President of the EFJ Arne König.Yesterday the "specially authorised" 14th High Criminal (Penal) Court in ?stanbul found Yasin Hayal guilty of murder and sentenced to life…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its affiliate the Confederation of Mongolian Journalists (CMJ) in
condemning the assault on a Khongor Television news crew in Bayankhongor Province
in western Mongolia,
on January 2. Journalist T. Danaasuren and camera operator J. Tuvshintulga were assaulted
while covering a series of incidents between small local mining entrepreneurs
and guards from the Special Mines company, following complaints from local
residents. According to a report from Mongolian press freedom NGO Globe International, the
television crew were approached by the company’s guards while entering Special
Mines’ premises to…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)
in condemning the death threats made to a publisher based in General Santos
City, in the southern Philippines, on January 17.
Ronald Allan T. Mascardo, publisher and editor of Dadiangas Balita,
received a threatening text message, following his condemnation of the killing
of fellow publisher Christopher Guarin last
week.
Guarin, the 150th journalist killed in the line of duty since 1986, was
shot dead late evening of January 5, while driving his wife and
two children home from his office.
Mascardo, president of the…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ), and its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), is
alarmed and saddened by the murder of senior journalist Mukaram Khan Atif on January
17.
According to the Khyber
Union of Journalists (KhUJ) General Secretary Yousuf Ali, Khan Atif was
offering evening prayers at a mosque near his home in Shabqadar
Town, Charsadda, in Pakistan’s central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, when two gunmen opened
fire, shooting him in the head and chest. He was taken to a local hospital
where he died later that evening.
Khan Atif, a journalist
for 15 years, was working as a correspondent for Dewa…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ), with the support of the Burma Media Association (BMA), welcomes the
release of journalists and bloggers under an amnesty announced by the
Government of Burma on 13 January, 2012.
The amnesty comes
after a long advocacy
campaign to free Burma’s
journalists, supported by both the BMA and IFJ.
Those released
included 13 Journalists working for the Burmese exile
radio and television station Democratic
Voice of Burma (DVB). Three other
journalists — Sein WIn Maung,
Thant Zin Aung and Zaw Thet Htwe — were also released, in addition to blogger Nay
Phone Latt.
According…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the arrest of twenty five journalists in Somaliland recently, accusing the authorities of waging a campaign of intimidation to silence independent reporting.Reports say that 21 journalists were detained over the weekend by security forces and held in Hargeisa, Borame and Las Anod police stations. They were released today, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), an IFJ affiliate, but four who had been arrested earlier remain in custody."We welcome the release of the journalists but remain concerned by the crackdown on media in Somaliland," said Jim Boumelha, President of the IFJ. "These are wanton acts…
As on 1st
January 2012, Denmark took over the rotating EU Council Presidency, the Danish
government has recently announced the work programme for the next sixth-month
period. Among other things, the Presidency will continue the work on the
Commission proposals on the Orphan Work Directive and on collective rights
management.
Read the
full programme of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
2012: http://eu2012.dk/en/EU-and-the-Presidency/About-the-Presidency/~/media/Files/Presidency%20programme/EU%20Presidency_Programme_UK_Final%20Web_22_12.ashx
The
International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) will hold a press conference on Saturday, January 21, in Hong Kong, to launch its
latest report, “China’s New Clampdown: Press Freedom in China 2011”.
The
report reveals that journalists in China during
2011 were routinely subjected to pressure, censorship and intimidation.
Many journalists were forced from their jobs, being
blacklisted from working in the media, under pressure from authorities.
During the protests inspired by the call for a
“Chinese Jasmine Revolution”, a number of journalists were assaulted and even
tortured by uniformed and plain-clothes…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is shocked by the
brutal murder on January 13 of owner
and editor of Inside Phuket, Wisut
"Ae" Tangwittayaporn, in Thailand’s southern island of Phuket.
Wisut,
44, in addition to being the driving force behind Inside Phuket, was also a leading member of the United Front for
Democracy Against Dictatorship, popularly known as the ‘red shirt’ movement, whose
protests brought Bangkok
to a standstill in 2010.
According to Thai police, Wisut was attacked by two men on motorcycles
while driving in the Muang district of Phuket with his wife. The assailants
shot four times through the front…
The
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today expressed their outrage over a
complete neglect of journalists' right to strike for five-month overdue
salaries at the Serbian TV station Avala.According
to the EFJ affiliate, the Journalists' Union of Serbia (JUS), the station's 170
employees have not been paid for the last five months and their social and
health insurance was cancelled for 2012. The
on-going strike began on 22 December 2011, after the union's demand has been
ignored, and the competent authorities refused to deal with the matter. The
management also threathened to call the police if the strike continues. "We are appalled by
the behaviours of the…
The US government is to introduce legislation to stop illegal copying and distribution of content online. The proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would allow the government and copyright holders to block access to websites that are considered illegally copying and distributing the content online. However, some worry that it would lead to censorship on the internet
More information: http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/158210/what-journalists-need-to-know-about-sopa/
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
(NUJP) in condemning the murder on
January 5 of Tatak
News Nationwide publisher
Christopher Guarin in General Santos City in the southern Philippines.
Guarin
was shot five times in the body and and once in the head by gunmen while
driving his wife and two children home from his office. Police reported that
Guarin was shot along Conel Road in Barangay Lagao at around
10:30 p.m. He was declared dead on arrival at the General Santos
City Hospital. Guarin’s wife was also slightly wounded in the attack.
Police are yet to determine the…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the harassment
and intimidation of journalists at the government-owned and army-controlled 26 September newspaper, and wrote to
Yemen's Vice-President Abdu Raboo Mansour Hadi calling on him to order an end
to the threats against these journalists. In
his letter, IFJ President Jim Boumelha wrote "We support our member union in
Yemen, the Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate, in its request that the new political
situation warrants that the status of the newspaper is opened up to a
root-and-branch review, including changes to its management structure and the
introduction of legal and editorial rights." Journalists
at the…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) cautiously welcomes the announcement on New
Year’s Day by Fiji’s
authorities that the country’s Public Emergency Regulations will end on January
7.
During his New Year’s
address to the nation, Commodore Frank Bainimarama announced that the
regulations, in place since April
2009, will be removed to allow preparations for the drafting of a new
national constitution.
Under
the “temporary” Public Emergency Regulations imposed by Fiji’s
authorities, the regime and its authorities decide what fair,
balanced and quality journalism is. The decree allows
officers…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the jail
sentences which were handed down today by a judge in Addis Ababa to Swedish
journalists Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson. The pair were both sentenced to 11 years in jail after an Ethiopian court
last week convicted them of entering the country illegally and supporting
terrorism. Both men admit they entered Ethiopia without permission but
strenuously deny any accusations of supporting terrorism. The journalists were in the country to investigate the human rights record
of the oil industry in the region. They were specifically interested in Lundin
Oil, a company in which the Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt…
Today the European
Federation of Journalists expressed its outrage at the recent closure of the well-known
radio station Klubrádió, and calls on the Media Authority to apply
international standards on pluralism and media freedom, and to take into
consideration Klubrádió’ s unique position when allocating licences. "The decision to take away Hungary’s well-known politically engaged
Klubrádió's frequency is clearly another political purge," said EFJ President Arne König. "The
move is a sign that Hungary’s new model of media regulation is undermining
media pluralism and freedom of expression in Hungary. We believe the…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called for the reversal of
the ruling by a court in Ethiopia which found Swedish reporters, Johan Persson
and Martin Schibbye, guilty of "supporting a terrorist organisation and
illegally entering Ethiopia". The pair, who was arrested in July while reporting
on a project to exploit oil and its impact on the regional environment, faces up to
15 years in prison. "We are outraged
by this ruling which amounts to a travesty of justice," said IFJ President, Jim
Boumelha. "Journalists' contacts with organisations do not in any way represent
support for whatever causes they defend. This verdict will not only severely
undermine…
Today the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
condemned the arrest of 38 journalists in Turkey, after a massive police
operation that took place yesterday (see full list below)."We are shocked by the scale of this latest example
of state repression against journalists in Turkey" said EFJ President Arne
König. "It shows again that despite public declarations about democratic
standards by the Turkish authorities, the country is actually becoming one of
the worst places in the world for journalists".Yesterday, during a police operation across the country,
several media outlets were closed and staff arrested (Özgür Gündem daily,
BirGün daily, Vatan daily,…
Today the
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) renewed its call for the release of two
Swedish photojournalists Johan Persson and reporter Martin Schibbye in
Ethiopia. They were arrested on 27 June 2011 while reporting on the rebel
movement, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), which is fighting the
Ethiopian government in the region. The two journalists were also injured after
coming under fire from the Ethiopian military. "These
colleagues are clearly not terrorists, and should be released immediately",
says EFJ President Arne König. "This is what the EFJ has claimed since the
first day, and we see that Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson have been able…
The Coalition for Human Rights in the Gambia (CHRG) and the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) hail the recent legal action undertaken by the Hydara family and their backers as the right step towards ensuring justice in the 2004 assassination of Deyda Hydara.
The family of the late Deyda Hydara, the slain Gambian editor and co-publisher of The Point newspaper, a privately-owned Banjul-based daily, has filed a writ at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, seeking full investigations into the editor’s killing on 16th, December 2004.
The writ filed on behalf of the late journalist’s two…
Brussels, 16th December 2011To Members of the Greens/ EFA group of the European ParliamentThe European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) represents journalists' unions and associations across Europe.We defend press freedom and social justice through strong, free and independent trade unions of journalists. We also call for journalists to be recognised as authors of the works they create to be able to control further use of their works and negotiate equitable remuneration for these uses. We would like to raise our comments and concerns over the statement on Creation and Copyright in the Digital Era adopted by the Greens on 28th September 2011.This paper…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) condemns the blocking of news reports of protests over a death in police
custody in Wukan Village,
Lufeng in China’s southern Guangdong Province.
On December 12 hundreds of police confronted
thousands of villagers demonstrating against the death of a local villager and political
interference in local elections. Although the story has been covered by the English-language
edition of an official Chinese Communist Party newspaper, Global Times,
all Chinese-language reporting has been censored.
The demonstrators called on senior government
officials to investigate the sudden death of villager Xue Jinbo,…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) calls on the police in the western Indian city of Mumbai to reveal full
details of the grounds on which senior journalist Jigna Vora was arrested on
charges of conspiracy, murder and involvement in organised crime.
Vora, deputy bureau chief in Mumbai
with Asian Age, was arrested on November 25 on charges of involvement in
the June 11 murder of senior investigative journalist Jyotirmoy Dey. Her arrest came just days
before ten other individuals detained in connection with the murder were
formally charged.
Vora was produced before a special
court dealing with prosecution of organised crime cases in Mumbai on…
