The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its partner the Pacific
Freedom Forum (PFF), in expressing concern that independent journalism, and the
jobs of local journalists, may be threatened by a proposed telecommunications
bill before the Palau Senate.
According to the PFF, Palau’s
Senate Bill 8-231 is aimed at
updating licensing regulations for broadcasters, but includes a clause banning
foreign ownership of media companies in the country.
This clause would effectively shut down major news outlet Oceania Television
Network (OTN), which is majority-owned by US citizens Jeff Barabe and Kassi
Berg, in partnership with Palauan partners,…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today expressed concerns over the plight of journalists in Guinea-Bissau, following the coup d’état of April 12th in that country in West Africa.
« For a long time Press freedom has been under siege and threatened by drug dealers. The coup d’état has come to worsen the state of the press freedom and the media environment in Guinea-Bissau, » said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Office Director.
The IFJ has received information which confirms that the military junta who seized power during the coup d’état has closed down media houses and threatened the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliates welcome
the quashing of sedition charges brought against two journalists and the Times of India daily newspaper in
Ahmedabad city in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
A criminal
complaint was filed in June 2008 by O.P. Mathur, then police commissioner
of Ahmedabad, against Bharat Desai and Prashant Dayal, journalists with the
city edition of the Times of India.
This followed the publication of a series of reports in the newspaper
questioning Mathur’s appointment to the post and laying out some issues in his
service record which were likely to impede his effectiveness.
The…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Confederation of
Mongolian Journalists (CMJ) are deeply concerned by reports that B.
Jargalsaikhan, leader of Mongolia’s
Republican Party, interfered with the reporting of the daily newspaper Mongoliin Medee on April 12, 2012.
It is alleged that
after having completed an interview with Mongoliin
Medee’s B. Davaa, intended for publication the following day, Jargalsaikhan
and his supporters took steps to ensure the interview would not be published.
The change of heart was apparently connected to the arrest of former Mongolian
President N.Enkhbayar by the Independent Authority Against…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
joins its partner the Federasi Serikat Pekerja Media Indonesia [Independent
Media Workers Union Federation] (FSPMI) in condemning the targeted sacking of
union activists by one of Indonesia’s largest media publishers.
The IFJ condemns the unilateral decision by the management
of PT Indonesia Finanindo Media, publisher of Indonesia Finance Today (IFT), to dismiss 13 of its employees on Monday
April 2, 2012.
It is alleged that IFT's union organizers and members were
specifically targeted for dismissal following the presenting of staff demands
to the company.
Staff demands included the return…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) urges the Commissioner of Hong Kong, Andy Tsang Wai-Hung, to cease
the government’s discrimination against the media and the maintenance of public
order as an excuse to restrict press freedom. According to reports from various Hong
Kong media, Hong Kong Police have allocated a location relatively near to the
Chinese Liaision Office, the representative body of the Central Government of the
People’s Republic of China,
as a media zone for reporting on the commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. However, journalists have complained of
police discrimination in media access to the area. Police have only…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is disappointed by the manner in which China’s Central
Propaganda Department has censored media reporting on the political scandal
involving former Chongqing Communist Party Secretary Bo Xilai and former
Vice-Mayor Wang Lijun.
On April 10, the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China announced that Bo had been suspended
from the Central Committee Politburo and was suspected of being involved in
serious discipline violations. On March 15, Wang Lijun was also
demoted from his position in Chongqing.
At the same time, Bo’s
wife Gu Kaili and a staff member employed by his family, Zhang…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Federation of Nepali
Journalists (FNJ) in expressing its concern over reports that a journalist was
attacked at Tanahu, in the western region of Nepal on April 9.
Krishna Neupane, a member of the
FNJ’s Tanahu Chapter and affiliated with the Lokwani Daily, was reportedly
attacked and had his mobile telephone stolen by an unidentified group at 7.30
pm on April 9, 2012.
For
further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific
on +612 9333 0950
The IFJ
represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
Find
the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific
Find…
The IFJ has strongly condemned the Tunisian government
following the physical assault of at least 14 journalists in two separate
incidents this week. The news comes on the eve of a campaign day (Thursday 12
April), organised by the Syndicat National des Journalistes Tunisiens, when journalists
are being asked to wear red armbands to symbolise their opposition to attempts
to crack down on journalists' rights. The latest attacks occurred in Sfax on Sunday 8 April and
Tunis on Monday 9 April during demonstrations against the policies of the Al-Nahda
dominated government, including a recent ban on protests in the capital. Both demonstrators and journalists covering the…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists
of the Philippines (NUJP) in its concern regarding reports that a journalist
was harassed by police in Olongapo City, in Philippines’
Zamales Province, on April 3, 2012.
According to an NUJP
report, Mahatma Randy Datu, a correspondent for the daily tabloid Pilipino Star Ngayon, was harassed by
Olongapo City Police Director Christopher Tambungan while covering a 12 hour
hostage situation.
Based on Datu’s account to the NUJP, he arrived in the area
after other media practitioners had already begun covering the hostage taking.
A police officer…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins affiliates and
partners in India in calling for the review of a trial court decision denying
bail to Syed
Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, a journalist held in Delhi, India’s capital city,
since March 6.
Kazmi is being detained without formal charge under sections of the Explosives Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,
while investigations continue into a February 13 bomb attack on a vehicle belonging
to the Israeli diplomatic mission in the Indian capital.
In turning down his bail application, Delhi’s Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate Vinod Yadav held that global inquiries into the bombing…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its Indonesian
affiliate the Alliance Of Independent Journalist (AJI) in urging a thorough
investigation into the death of a journalist in Indonesia’s eastern Papua
Province on Sunday April 8.
Leiron Kogoya, 35, a journalist for Papua
Pos Nabire and Pasifik Pos Dail,
was a passenger in a small Twin Otter plane attacked by unidentified shooters while
touching down at Mulia Airport, in Papua's Puncak Jaya district. Leiron was
visiting Mulia to cover the local elections in the provincial capital, Jayapura.
Information gathered by AJI suggests that although Leiron was not a
specific target, he…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the brutal assassination yesterday of Mahad Salad Adan, 22, a journalist for Radio Shabelle in Hiran region, who was shot dead by unidentified gunman in central Somalia.
“We are outraged by the violence which has been unleashed on media in Somalia recently, turning the country into a killing field of journalists,” said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Director. “We condemn the brutal murder of Mahad Salad Adan and call for strong action to stop senseless bloodbath in the country.”
According to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), an IFJ affiliate, Mahad Salad Adan, was shot dead near his home…
The following is the final Declaration adopted by the regional conference entitled " Safety and Justice: Protecting Journalists in the Middle East and the Arab World" held in Cairo , Egypt from 4 to 5 April.
We, the participants at the regional conference "Safety and Justice: Protecting Journalists in the Middle East and the Arab World" held in Cairo on 4-5 April 2012 APPLAUDING the effort by the IFJ in its ongoing programme "Building a Culture of Safety for Journalists in the Middle East and the Arab World" which was launched in Rabat, Morocco on 10th May2011. COMMENDING the European Commission, the Norwegian Government, the Secretariat of the Sweedish…
Read this Release in French
The European
Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today condemned the behavior of the Greek
police and its special riot forces who this week brutally attacked journalists covering
rallies in Athens following the suicide of a retired person on Monday. "We call upon once
more on the Greek authorities, and in particular the police to let journalists
do their work freely. We express our deep anger and frustration that Marios
Lakos, the President of the Union of Greek Photojournalists, and other
journalists were beaten by the police," said EFJ President Arne König. "The Greek people as well as European citizens
have the right to know what is…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) in expressing its deep
concern over reports that a journalist was murdered in Nepal on April 1.
The IFJ has received
reports that the journalist has been identified as Yadav Poudel, 40, a
Jhapa district correspondent of the capital-based Avenues Television and Rajdhani Daily, a national broad sheet.
Poudel
had also been working as a sub-editor for the local Mechi Times, and was the former secretary of the Jhapa Press Union.
Poudel
was reportedly fatally stabbed by an unidentified group of men in the eastern
Nepal district of Jhapa, at a…
The Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA), with the support of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Commission (EC) recently held its first national elections in seven years on Monday March 26, in Kabul, Afghanistan.
AIJA members from thirty Afghan provinces elected Khpolwak Safi as the President of the association and three others as Deputy President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Ms Sharifa Zormati was elected from a field of six nominees – AIJA’s first female Deputy President.
Ahmad Hanayesh, from Parwan Province, was elected as the second Deputy President.
Former AIJA President, Rahimullah Samandar, did not stand for…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by reports that six people are being detained by police in Beijing,
China and that sixteen Chinese websites have been closed down by authorities.
According to a report by the British
newspaper The Guardian on April 1, the
spokesperson of China’s State Internet Information Office said that rumours had
been, “fabricated by some lawless people and had been a bad influence on the
public.” However the spokesperson did not elaborate further on the nature of
the bad influence.
According to a report on 30th March by
the Xinhua News Agency (the official news agency of the…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) congratulates its affiliate the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) on the 57th
anniversary of its Establishment Day, on March 29.
Originally
formed as the Nepal Journalists’ Association (NJA) on March 29, 1956 under the chairmanship of journalist and political
leader Krishna
Prasad Bhattarai, (who later became Nepal’s first Prime Minister), it became
the Federation of Nepali Journalists in 1995.
The FNJ represents over 8,000 media personnel working
in all areas of print, electronic and online media across Nepal. The FNJ works to
promote and protect freedom of the press and expression…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called for the immediate release of Palestinian journalist Yousef al Shayib, who has been sentenced to fifteen days behind bars after he refused to disclose his sources for a story over alleged corruption in the Palestinian Authority's diplomatic mission to France."The protection of sources is universally accepted as an essential tenet of independent reporting," said IFJ President Jim Boumelha. "Journalists the world over will be outraged that Shayib has been sentenced for upholding such a basic principle. He has no case to answer and should be released immediately."The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate (PJS), an IFJ affiliate, said…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today joined its African regional organisation, the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), to express serious concern about the insecurity faced by Malian journalists after mutinying soldiers, who deposed President Amadou Toumani Touré, took over the state broadcasting building.The Union Nationale des Journalistes du Mali (UNAJOM), an affiliate of FAJ and IFJ, is concerned about the security of Malian journalists, in particular those working at the Office de Radio diffusion Télévision du Mali (ORTM) who are going through a "very difficult time"."Much of the equipment such as computers, cameras, personal…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
(NUJP) in welcoming progress in the case
of the
2011 murder of broadcaster and environmentalist Dr. Gerardo "Gerry"
Ortega, in
the Philippines.
Gerardo Ortega, a radio broadcaster also known as an
anti-mining advocate, was shot and
killed in Puerto Princesa City, in Palawan province, (approximately
592 kilometers southwest of Manila) on January 24, 2011.
The issuance of the warrants by the Regional Trial Court of
the City of Puerto Princesa, against former Palawan
Governor Joel Reyes, his brother Mario Reyes Jr., incumbent Mayor of Coron…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by the disappearance of a
Mainland Chinese journalist, who is believed to have been detained by police on
March 23.
According to a report by the Hong Kong-based Apple Daily newspaper, Li
Delin, 33, a member of the editorial board of Capital Week, a weekly business magazine, has been missing since March 23, 2012.
Reports indicate Li disappeared
shortly after receiving an anonymous phone call. In response to journalists’
enquiries as to Li’s whereabouts, his office has claimed that he is on leave. However,
sources online suggest that Li has been detained by police and given seven…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly deplores the alarming escalation in hostile rhetoric and the barely concealed threats of reprisals that have been made against some of the country's leading journalists and human rights defenders by representatives of the Sri Lankan government and by state-owned media outlets.This follows the adoption of a resolution by the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on March 22, in which the Sri Lankan government was censured for rampant human rights violations during the last phases of the country's long civil war and urged to initiate urgent measures of reconciliation to ensure a durable peace between the country's main ethnic groups."We…
Media
practitioners and journalists from over 25 provinces in Afghanistan will
assemble for a National Meeting and Media Summit in Kabul on from March 26 to
the 28.
The
Meeting and Summit are being held convened as part of an EC funded project
being implemented by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), with
its associates in Afghanistan, the Afghan Independent Journalists' Association
(AIJA).
The National Meeting on March 26 will assemble
journalists, journalist union leaders and media experts from over 25 provinces in
Afghanistan. The meeting will provide a platform for
national media partners to identify the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
is deeply concerned by reports the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong
Kong, the primary agent for the Mainland Central Government in the
territory, has interfered with the reporting of election of the new Chief
Executive of Hong Kong by the local media.
A senior staff member for a Hong
Kong newspaper, who wished to remain anonymous, informed IFJ that they
had received numerous telephone calls from the Chinese Liaison Office during
the last two weeks. In these calls, it is claimed representatives from the Liaison
Office castigated the newspaper for reporting previous allegations that the
Office had attempted to influence the…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned by recent reports
that journalists and media in Bangladesh
continue to be subjected to threats and harassment.
It is reported
that nineteen journalists in the south-western district of Pirojpur presented themselves
to the district police station on March 14, demanding protection from threats
made against them by the district’s ruling party, the Awami League, at a public
rally the previous day.
The IFJ has
learned from sources in Bangladesh
that the journalists had been threatened with violence following their publication
in local newspapers of critical reports about two members of the…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) and its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ)
strongly condemn the attack on the office building of television broadcaster Geo TV in Karachi, Pakistan’s
largest city, on the morning of Tuesday March 20.
During the attack, armed motorcyclists fired
upon the private television broadcaster's building and smashed the
windows of the news channel's satellite van. Reports indicate that no injuries were
sustained during the attack.
The shooting follows another incident on Monday
March 19, where it was reported that Geo
TV’s digital satellite cable wires were cut and the technicians…
Songwriters and composers represented by the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA), filed a formal complaint to the European Commission’s competition department accusing broadcasters, including the BBC, BskyB and Mediaset, of committed anti-competitive practices. The ECSA alleged that broadcasters frequently forced composers and songwriters to assign the copyrights of their music to a publishing company owned by the production company or broadcaster as a pre-condition prior to being given a commission. ECSA claimed that the wide practice of “coercive commission” is against EU competition rules. Journalists and other creators have been experiencing similar problem to…
The European Parliament adopted in Strasbourg a resolution to tackle gender inequality in the European Union. According to the parliamentary report, the gender pay gap remains wide with women across the EU earning 17.5% less on average than men. A series of recommendations were adopted, including policy to reduce the pay gap by 10% in each Member State. Parliamentarians also condemned gender-based violence and called on the Danish Presidency to support the proposed anti-discrimination Directive aiming to tackle the issue. (Read more)
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today urged the authorities in Thailand to release Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, editor-in-chief of Voice of the Oppressed (Voice of Taksin), who is held under Thai Lèse Majesté Law. The journalist, who was detained on 30 April 2011, is accused of publishing articles which allegedly made negative references to the monarch."We are deeply concerned about the wellbeing of our colleague who has been held for almost a year, despite suffering ill health," said IFJ President, Jim Boumelha. "Somyot is innocent until proven guilty and poses no risk to public order. There is simply no reasonable basis to deny him bail so that he can seek…
The
European Parliament adopted in Strasbourg a resolution to tackle gender
inequality in the European Union. According to the parliamentary report, the
gender pay gap remains wide with women across the EU earning 17.5% less on
average than men. A series of recommendations were adopted, including
policy to reduce the pay gap by 10% in each Member State. Parliamentarians also
condemned gender-based violence and called on the Danish Presidency to support
the proposed anti-discrimination Directive aiming to tackle the issue. (Read more)
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in
welcoming the passing of the Industrial
Relations Act (IRA) 2012 unanimously by the Pakistan Senate.
The bill, which was moved by Senator Raza
Rabbani, will ensure protection of labourers' rights and addresses the formation
of trade unions, regulation of relations between employers and workers, and
avoidance and settlement of employer-employee disputes.
In a statement, PFUJ President and Chairman of
the All Pakistan Workers' Action Committee, Pervaiz Shaukat, congratulated the
workers of the country for this great achievement. He said…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to make it her priority to protect the life of Mae Azango, a female reporter of Front Page newspaper who has been threatened for having published last week a story on the Sande society which practices Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Liberia.
“The threats made by the Sande society are unacceptable and a throw- back to dark ages of journalism which have no place in a modern democracy led by a female president for that matter,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. “The Government of President Sirleaf should warn the Sande society…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to make it her priority to protect the life of Mae Azango, a female reporter of Front Page newspaper who has been threatened for having published last week a story on the Sande society which practices Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Liberia.
“The threats made by the Sande society are unacceptable and a throw- back to dark ages of journalism which have no place in a modern democracy led by a female president for that matter,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. “The Government of President Sirleaf should warn the Sande society of its direct responsibility for any attack…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urges the Communist Party of
China (CPC) to lift the restrictive order attempting to prevent a retired
professor from exercising his constitutional rights of freedom of speech.
Du Guang, 83,
a CPC member and retired professor of the
Central Committee of the CPC’s Party School, had intended to publish his new book ‘Getting Back to Democracy’ in Hong Kong
on March 1.
However, on the eve of publication, Chen Baosheng, the Vice Principal and Party Secretary of the Central Party School,
backed by senior Communist Party leaders, ordered that the publication be
stopped.
Bao Pu, publisher
of…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is alarmed at reports from Bangladesh
that three television channels were blocked for viewers in the capital city of Dhaka on March 12,
coinciding with a speech by the leader of the national opposition at a
political rally.
Sources indicate that three channels — Ekushey
Television, BanglaVision and Islamic TV — were inaccessible
for viewers between 3 pm that day, approximately an hour before the opposition
leader began her address, until 6:30 pm, after she concluded.
Staff at the affected TV channels
have revealed that the Cable Operators’ Association of Bangladesh (COAB) had
been…
(10.02.2012) Australian DJ Jaime Fernandez was ordered by the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia to pay AU$ 10,000 in damages after being found guilty of moral rights infringement charges brought forth by Armando Perez, known to a wide audience as “Pitbull”. Fernandez was sued for violating moral rights provisions of the Australian copyright law, which provides that “the author of the work has a right of integrity of authorship in respect of the work”. The case centred at Fernandez’s remix version of the song Bon Bon, originally performed by Pitbull. He was claimed to have distorted the work by replacing some of the original words with an “audio drop” (Read more).
Female journalists in Germany called for legislations to ensure that 30% of executive positions across German media industry are filled by women.
In a letter sent to over 250 editors and publishers across the country, the signatories from the Pro Quote campaign emphasised that the newsroom is largely dominated by men. Currently, only 2% chief editors at the 360 daily and weekly German newspapers are women, and three of the 12 heads of public TV and radio stations are female. Gender quota has been a controversial policy which were introduced in several European countries, including Germany and Norway. Recently, the Germany's leading daily business newspaper, Handelsblatt, introduced a…
(10.02.2012) Australian
DJ Jaime Fernandez was ordered by the Federal Magistrates Court of
Australia to pay AU$ 10,000 in damages after being found guilty of moral rights
infringement charges brought forth by Armando Perez, known to a wide audience
as “Pitbull”. Fernandez was sued for violating moral rights provisions of the
Australian copyright law, which provides that “the author of the work has a
right of integrity of authorship in respect of the work”. The case centred at
Fernandez’s remix version of the song Bon Bon, originally performed
by Pitbull. He was claimed to have distorted the work by replacing some of the
original words with an…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National
Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in calling on the Philippine
National Police to conduct a timely and thorough investigation into the
shooting attack on a reporter in the capital Manila on March 11.
Fernan
Angeles, 41, a political reporter for one of the national Philippines’ broadsheets, is in critical
condition after being shot and wounded by unidentified men in Manila’s
Pasig City municipality, late on the night of Sunday
March 11.
Angeles,
a reporter for the Daily Tribune,
sustained six gunshot wounds reportedly from a .45 calibre gun and a…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) joins affiliates in Sri Lanka in sharply denouncing the
latest move towards news censorship in by the country’s authorities.
In a letter addressed to
various news and media organisations, the Media Centre for National Security
(MCNS) a body which operates under Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence,
has demanded that "any news related to national security, security forces,
and the police should get prior approval from the MCNS before
dissemination".
The letter is signed by MCNS
Director-General Lakshman Hulugalle and dated March 9. It will apply to all
news alerts issued through text and SMS over the…
The
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today welcomed the release of four jailed
journalists in Turkey but has warned campaigners that efforts must continue in
support of these and other journalists under pressure in the country. Four
journalists, Nedim ?ener and Ahmet ??k, and OdaTV writers Ço?kun Musluk and
Sail Çak?r were last night released pending trial in the high-profile OdaTV
case. However,
six journalists are still in prison relating to this case, and over 100 are in
jail in the country related to a range of alleged offences. The
defendants in the OdaTV trial face allegations of involvement in the Ergenekon
affair, an alleged plot by an illegal…
The International Federation of Journalists Asia-Pacific (IFJ) joins the
Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in condemning the grenade threat made by a
police officer against a local journalist in Papua
New Guinea’s capital city, Port Moresby, late last week.
It is alleged that business editor for the Post Courier Business, Patrick Talu, was shown a hand grenade by a
policeman, also armed with an M16 rifle, and ordered to leave Port Moresby’s
Unagi Oval or be “blown up”.
Talu was apparently at the Oval covering a meeting between landowners
and government officials regarding a proposed controversial gas…
The findings of a report on the working conditions of Somali journalists employed by Radio Bar-Kulan (RBK) raise major concerns which must be addressed in the strict respect of the workers' rights, says the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).The IFJ affiliate in Somalia, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has published a report which found cases of "abuses, exploitation and maltreatments of journalists" by the management of RBK, a station headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and run by Albany Associates International UK Limited under a UN funding. "The report's findings make for a distressing reading and we urge the station's management and funders to get to the…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) took part in the International Fact Finding and
Advocacy Mission to Nepal
(also known as the International Media Mission), which visited Nepal from 23
to 27 February 2012 to assess the media freedom situation in the country. The IFJ
was joined by AMARC, ARTICLE 19, Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), Committee
to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International News Safety Institute (INSI),
International Media Support (IMS), International Press Institute (IPI),
Internews, Open Society Foundations (OSF), Reporters sans Frontières (RSF),
South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), South Asia Media Solidarity Network
(SAMSN)…
Today
the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has hit out at the management of
state-run Anatolian Agency after reports of severe management pressure on
members of the Turkish Union of Journalists (TGS), which has driven the union's
President to threaten a hunger strike. Ercan
Ipekci, President of the EFJ affiliate in Turkey, has announced plans to go on
hunger strike in front of the General Directorate of the state-run Anatolian
Agency from 12:00 today (Friday March 9). He says the move is in protest
against the way in which union members have been put under pressure by the
government-assigned management of the news agency to resign their membership of
the TGS. It
is…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its partner the Delhi Union of
Journalists (DUJ) in expressing deep concern at the arrest of veteran
Indian freelance journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi on charges of involvement
in a February 13 bomb attack on a vehicle belonging to the Israeli diplomatic
mission in Delhi.
Kazmi, 50, was arrested on the afternoon of March 7 in the Indian
capital and remanded to police custody for twenty days.
Police in Delhi
are reported to be working on the lead that the attack on the diplomatic
vehicle may have been planned by a terror group based in a West Asian country.
Kazmi allegedly served as an accessory in the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today marked the 101stInternational Women's Day by calling on media organisations to end the persisting gender pay gap in journalism. The IFJ published jointly with WageIndicator, a global report on Gender Pay Gap in Journalism which shows that women journalists continue to face persisting discrimination in wages and benefits. "The struggle for equality in media remains the reality," says Beth Costa, IFJ General Secretary, "The report proved that little progress has been made to end gender pay gap."According to the report, women journalists are paid 17% less than male colleagues in Europe, 9% less in…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Media & Entertainment Alliance of Australia in calling for the dropping of criminal charges brought by Egyptian police against Australian journalist Austin Mackell, his local translator, Aliya Alwi and US student Derek Ludovici.Austin Mackell is a young freelance journalist, who moved to Egypt in February last year. Since that time, he has reported critically on the brutal suppression of protesters by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), currently ruling Egypt.On 11 February, Mackell, Alwi and Derek Ludovici, drove to the north Egyptian city of Mahalla al- Kubra to interview Kamal el-Fayoumi, a…
The EFJ just received this letter as a testimony about conditions of
detention in high security prison Silivri in Turkey. The Turkish
journalist who wrote it wants to remain anonymous because of the next
trial. Extract: "In Turkey, there are many kinds of
prisons. Silivri, where we are imprisoned, is called L-type,
high-security prison, where one of the most severe measures is the
isolation policy. In my case and in the case of some of my colleagues,
we are in custody and yet we are forced into isolation. It is strictly
forbidden to talk to other prisoners. For example, for almost a year
that I spent here in prison, I could not see or speak to anyone except
my two…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today expressed total dismay at the unprecedented and unabated killings of Somali journalists. Radio journalist, Ali Ahmed Abdi, 26 who once worked with Radio Galkayo, was shot and killed by hooded gunmen while walking in the Raac neighbourhood of northern Galkayo in the Mudag region on Sunday, 4 March, 2012.
“The unprecedented killings of journalists in Somalia is totally disheartening and depicts an act of barbarism from misguided elements on innocent working citizens” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. “These coward killers who are bent on undermining all acts of civility must be…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) participated in a five-day International Media
Mission to Nepal,
with a representative of the IFJ-sponsored South Asia Media Solidarity Network
(SAMSN) and several other international organisations engaged in press freedom
campaign and advocacy work.
The Mission reviewed the status of press freedom under Nepal’s
new political order, met with key members of the government and the media
community, and made an urgent call for hastening the process of writing the new
republican constitution, incorporating strong protections for freedom of speech
and expression.
The Mission underlined the need for…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by the reluctance
of China’s government to
release information regarding recent attacks in the city of Kashi, in the country’s
western Xinjiang province.
According to
official local news reports, on February 28, 13 people were killed by nine attackers
armed with knives. Seven of the nine suspects were gunned down by police at the
scene, with two others arrested in the city soon afterwards.
However,
further information on the attacks has yet to be released by the local
government, with only selected media outlets allowed to enter into the city to
report on the story.…
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Turkish affiliate the Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi (TGS) today backed the demonstration due to take place tomorrow 3 March in Istanbul to defend press freedom in Turkey. "Given the grave situation of press freedom in Turkey, a popular support to denounce the systematic violation of journalists' rights is now decisive," said EFJ President Arne König. "It is sad but also encouraging that the anniversary of detention of journalists provides an opportunity for people on the street to ask for justice". A mass protest will be held in Istanbul on the one year anniversary of the detention of Turkish investigative…
The Turkish journalist Bar?? Terko?lu,
in jail since Februari 2011, was adopted by the Belgian Union of Journalists (AGJPB). Today Bar?? Terko?lu sent a letter to AGJPB from Silivri prison and thanked them for their support :
Dear Friends,
You gave me the courage and strength to end my
words in my court defense with the following:
If you ask “what is
law?”, we probably have to say that it is mostly about the “applications”.
No matter what the
written law is, if people thinking and writing in a certain way are continously
investigated and imprisoned then it means that thinking and writing that way is
forbidden.
Unfortunately this
is…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the
Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA) in condemning the killing of
journalist Khadem Bhadurzoy by insurgents groups in Urgon
District of Paktika Province in south eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday February 21,
2012.
Mr Bahadurzoy was station manager for the Mehman (Melma) Radio station,
which was established with financial support from the Government of the United States of America.
He was also head of a local youth organization.
A
number of unknown armed men entered Bhadurzoy’s house on February 21, taking
him to an unknown location. Bahadorzoy’s…
