Click HERE to download the joint statement made by the European Federation of Journalists, European Writers' Congress and European Visual Artists on the proposed Orphan Work Directive.
The International Federation of Journalists and its affiliate, the
Russian Union of Journalists, last week marked the fifth anniversary of the murder
of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya with the launch of its ‘Russia –
Conflicts in the Media’ database that records all attacks on journalists in
Russia.
The database is the latest stage in the IFJ’s campaign to end the
culture of impunity for journalists’ attackers that took off in the wake of
Politkovskaya’s 2006 stairwell shooting.
While the IFJ welcomed further progress made in the announcement of new
prosecutions last week, it notes that those who ordered the killings…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned that Hong Kong’s police failed to
properly release information regarding a number of attacks in Hong Kong’s Tseung
Kwan O district and have breached the police department’s own commitments to
transparency.
Four people were
physically attacked in separate incidents in Tseung Kwan O over a twelve-hour
period on October 2 and 3. However, police did not release official information
to the media about the incidents until after reports of the attacks emerged in Hong Kong newspapers almost a week later, on October 9.
Delays in the release of
police information have previously been…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National
Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in calling for an immediate investigation into
the murder of journalist Johnson Pascual, in Alicia, in Isabela province in the
northern Philippines.
Pascual, editor-in-chief of Prime News and a columnist with several
other newspapers in Isabela, was shot while driving to Cauayan
City by two
unidentified men on a motorcycle on October 7. He was shot in the head and
torso, and died after losing control of his vehicle and crashing into a ravine.
Police are yet to identify
any suspects or establish a motive for the murder. In addition…
Today
European freelance journalists from many countries gathered in a seminar in Florence, Italy, organized by the
European Federation of Journalists, expressed their support for an immediate
release of the two Swedish freelance journalists who are held by the Ethiopian
government since the beginning of July. The journalists entered the country
without permit and they will appear in court on the 18th October,
charged with being terrorists. They are risking 20 years in prison, according
to the harsh Ethiopian terrorist legislation.
"Our
colleagues were doing their jobs", says the European freelancers, "they were
trying to report from the Ogaden region, a conflict…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today welcomes the news
of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize which was awarded to Yemeni journalist Tawakkul
Karman. She shares the prize with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her fellow Liberian Leymah Gbowee "for
their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to
full participation in peace-building work." "This is
excellent news and we warmly congratulate Karman whose tenacity, courage and
humanity have been deservedly rewarded," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President.
"This is also the recognition of her remarkable campaign for press freedom in
Yemen which the IFJ and our Yemeni affiliate, the…
The European
Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European group of the International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the use of force by the police
against media workers covering protest on Syntagma Square in Athens.
"The
public in Greece and around the world have the right to know what is happening
as the country is go through a major crisis," said EFJ President Arne
König. "It is intolerable that journalists and media workers are prevented
to work in public places or even worse, be specifically targeted by police
violence."
On Wednesday
5 October, during the general strike in Greece, seven journalists and
photojournalists from…
The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the
African regional organisation of the International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ), called on the legislative body of the African Union (AU), Pan-African
Parliament (PAP) to end injustice of impunity and protect safety of
journalists. "As parliamentarians, you are readily expected by
the journalists' community in Africa to end the injustice of impunity for crimes
against journalists that has been rocking the continent and contributed to the lack
of safety for journalists," said Omar Faruk Osman, FAJ President, addressing
yesterday PAP's select committee on justice and human rights. It was the first time since its establishment…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) expresses its shock and sorrow at the death of Ramesh Singla,
a freelance investigative journalist who reported on illegal mining in
districts neighbouring the Indian national capital of Delhi.
According to reports in the Indian
media, Singla, a resident of Mewat district in the state of Haryana bordering Delhi, was killed on the
afternoon of October 4, when the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a heavy
vehicle on one of the main arterial roads in the district. The vehicle that
caused the accident then reportedly fled the scene.
Singla, 48, had published a number
of articles about illegal mining in Mewat and…
A delegation of
the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European group of the
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today told reporters in Budapest
that the media law which has been enacted earlier in the year threatens the
survival of journalism as a public good in the country. The EFJ delegation held
a press conference in the Hungarian capital where it holding round-table discussions with professional
representatives and media experts.
"We are appalled by the anxiety and the
uncertainties among the profession," said Roberto Natale, member of the
EFJ Steering Committee and president of the Italian journalists' union…
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] or [email protected]
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: 32-2-235.22.15/02 Fax: 32-2-235.22.19 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins
the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) and the Media Association of Solomon Islands
(MASI) in condemning the use of compensation claims to intimidate journalists
in Solomon Islands.
On September 21 a demand for SBD 75,000 (USD 9,300) compensation from
the Island Sun was made by supporters
of West Honiara Member of Parliament Namson Tran.
The compensation demand was reportedly made in response to a story
published in the newspaper which reported Tram's
purchase and private registration of his government vehicle. The story quoted Chairman
of the Solomon Islands Public Accounts Committee Matthew Wale referring to…
On the occasion of this year’s Right to Know Day, the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the African Regional Organization of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), has today commemorated the starring role that journalists play in promoting this right and the challenges facing journalists in the African Continent as the messengers that deliver information.Journalists in the continent continue to face serious challenges including intimidation, arrests, risks of being jailed and even death, in the process of gathering, processing and disseminating information to promote and facilitate people’s right to know.“We celebrate the modest gains we continue to…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins
the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in renewing calls
for Fiji’s military regime to end the Public Emergency Regulations (PER) and
Media Decree which regulate censorship in the country.
The IFJ’s demands follow a report released on September
7 by Sydney-based think tank the Lowy Institute for International Policy, reaffirming
Fiji
citizens’ overwhelming support for freedom of expression and a media free from
censorship.
The report, Fiji:
At Home and in the World, contains the results of a face-to-face opinion poll
conducted in Fiji between August 19 and 21, 2011 using a random sample of…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliates and partners in the South Asia Media
Solidarity Network (SAMSN) deeply mourn the death of Farhad Taqaddosi,
cameraman for the Iranian news channel Press TV after serious injuries suffered
in the insurgent attack in Kabul
on September 13.
Taqaddosi, 23, was an Iranian national
who had been working in Kabul
for Press TV for two years. According to reports received from IFJ affiliate
the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA), Taqadossi suffered serious
shock when a rocket propelled grenade fired by insurgents exploded near him.
He was hospitalised immediately
after the…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is deeply distressed by the death of Thai journalist
Phamon Phonphanit who was killed in a bomb blast in the Sungai Kolok
district of Narathiwat province in southern Thailand on September 24.
According to Bangkok
Post reports, Sue Samut Atyakam reporter Phamon, 61, is
the sixth person to die as a result the attack, after succumbing to severe burns
sustained in the blast on September 16.
Phamon was injured by a third blast while
reporting two earlier blasts, each set to detonate 20
minutes apart. A fourth bomb was discovered and defused prior to detonation. On
September 24, police arrested two suspects for the…
Women and Girls Lead is a multiyear public media initiative to focus, educate, and connect citizens worldwide in support of the issues facing women and girls. Combining independent documentary film, television, new media, and global outreach partnerships, Women and Girls Lead amplifies the voices of women and girls acting as leaders, expands understanding of gender equity, and engages an international network of citizens and organizations to act locally and reach out globally.Download the Overview PDF.
http://www.itvs.org/women-and-girls-lead/about
(20.09.2011) The EFJ represented by the Vice-President, Philippe Leruth signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with key stakeholders to enable mass digitisation of out-out-print books whilst upholding authors' rights. Leruth took the opportunity to present the EFJ handbook on authors' rights to EU Commissioner Michel Barnier, who witnessed the signing of the MoU. The MoU signed by authors, publishers, libraries and collective management societies offers a practical solution that allows the negotiation of a voluntary collective agreement to licence the out-of-print work between the users and authors or rightholders. Most importantly, it recognises the role of…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in commending a UN Pacific Regional Office
of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) statement voicing “serious
concern” over media rights abuses by a Minister of the Vanuatu
government.
In an opinion piece published
on September 20, OHCHR Pacific Regional Representative Matilda Bogner notes the
importance of a free media in good governance and lists guidelines for leaders
in Vanuatu
to help address the culture of impunity for the harassment of journalists.
Bogner’s comments were made in relation to lenient
sentences being imposed on Vanuatu…
Invitations are now open for the 2011 IAWRT International Awards for Excellence in Documentary Making.
The IAWRT Awards celebrate outstanding documentaries made by women and are open to all female producers, directors and journalists working with radio, television and film documentaries anywhere in the world.
http://www.iawrt.org/awards
Invitations are now open for the 2011 IAWRT
International Awards for Excellence in Documentary Making. The IAWRT Awards celebrate outstanding documentaries
made by women and are open to all female producers, directors and
journalists working with radio, television and film documentaries anywhere in
the world.
http://www.iawrt.org/awards
EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs László Andor, said in yesterday's meeting with a delegation of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) that the cost-cutting policy in the media is undermining quality journalism.
Commissioner Andor agreed with the EFJ that, "There is a need to improve media workers' working conditions to counter this trend".
The EFJ, the regional organisation of the IFJ representing over 260.000 journalists in Europe, says that the working conditions of freelance journalists are particularly acute. "In Europe, the number of freelance journalists is growing rapidly but they are often in the forefront of the firing line in time of…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European
group, the Federation of European Journalists (EFJ) today joined the chorus of
condemnation which greeted news that the Metropolitan Police are invoking the
Official Secrets Acts 1989 to force journalists to reveal their sources. Media reports in the United Kingdom revealed that Scotland Yard last
week sought an order under the Official Secrets Act to compel the Guardian newspaper to disclose the source
of information published by the paper on the phone hacking scandal. The news
drew widespread criticism from journalists and the political establishment with
senior politicians calling for the Attorney General, the…
The Authors' Guild claimed that it tracked down the author of one of the orphan works that US universities plan to release this fall—and that it did so with a simple Google search.
Read more
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today launches a handbook titled "The Right Thing" to help journalists protect their authors' rights.
"Journalists, whether they are employed or freelances, face increasing difficulties in securing their authors' rights," said EFJ President, Arne König, "The handbook rightly addresses these challenges and provides a set of guidelines and best practices to help our colleagues face the new challenge."
According to Mike Holderness, author of the handbook and Chair of the EFJ authors' rights expert group, the biggest challenge faced by journalists is the unreasonable demand coming from publishers and broadcasters.…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliates and partners in the South
Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) caution against drastic action in a case
involving three journalists from the Bangla language daily Jugantor,
after defamation charges were laid against them by a Minister in the Bangladesh
Government.
Editor Salma Islam, executive
editor Saiful Alam and reporter Jashim Chowdhury were issued a summons by the
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate on September 13, after Bangladesh’s Minister for Shipping,
Shahjahan Khan, filed a defamation case against the trio.
This followed the publication of two
reports in Jugantor which questioned…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused the Ethiopian
authorities of waging an intimidation campaign against the independent media
after four journalists, including two Swedish reporters, were charged with
terrorism in Addis Ababa. Swedish reporter Martain Schibbye and
photographer John Persson are facing trial for reporting on the situation in
the country. Their Ethiopian colleagues
Woubshet and Reeyot Alemu who work for independent media outlets in the country
and have been in detention since June 2011."These
are outrageous accusations designed to intimidate journalists who seek to work
independently in Ethiopia," said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) joins affiliates and partners in the South Asia Media
Solidarity Network (SAMSN) in denouncing violent attacks on journalists and
media staff in India and Bangladesh.
David Devadas, a senior journalist
who has written extensively over the years on the Kashmir issue in the Indian
media, was assaulted by a police patrol on September 5 in Srinagar,
capital of the state of Jammu and
Kashmir.
Devadas was driving through slow
moving traffic in the city that day when he was hit from behind by the escort
vehicle of a high state government functionary, according to a letter he has
since written to Omar Abdullah,…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association (HKJA)
in voicing deep concerns about the appointment of a civil servant as director
of broadcasting of publicly-owned Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) on
September 9.
Hong Kong’s Commerce and Economic
Development Bureau, which oversees public broadcasting, appointed deputy
secretary for labour and welfare Roy Tang Yun-Kwong as director of broadcasting
despite his lack of experience in the media sector.
Tang, who has been a civil servant
since 1987, was appointed after no candidate was found to be suitable among 26
applications for the role. His…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today voices concerns
over the action of Police in the United Kingdom after a reporter with the Guardian newspaper was questioned over a
story related to the phone hacking scandal by journalists of the News of the World,
the British tabloid which closed in June. The journalist, Amelia Hill, was questioned by officers following an
article in the Guardian which
revealed the arrest of a former News of the World showbiz editor, James
Desborough, as part of the Operating Weeting inquiry into illegal phone
tapping. "Journalists are entitled to publish information obtained through fair
and legal means," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President.…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) and affiliate the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association
(AIJA) note the official media release from the International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan
admitting that one of its soldiers, engaged in active combat operations, was responsible
for the killing of journalist Ahmad Omaid Khpalwak.
According to the ISAF statement,
Khpalwak, a journalist with the BBC Afghanistan service and the Pahjwok Afghan
News agency, was shot dead during combat between U.S.
army troops and armed insurgents who breached the compound of the state-owned
Radio Television Afghanistan
in Tarin Khot, Uruzgan province on…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today joined the call by its affiliate in
Palestine, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), and Al Jazeera for the
immediate release of journalist Samer Allawy who was arrested and detained by
Israeli soldiers on 9 August. Samer, who is Al Jazeera Bureau Chief in
Afghanistan, was arrested on the West Bank border with Jordan after spending
his vacation with family in the Nablus city, according to the PJS. "The Israeli authorities
have failed to provide any reason for Samer's arrest and we urge them to
release him to his family and colleague," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "His
detention is a violation of his fundamental…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of
Journalists of Malaysia (NUJM) in
calling on employers to ensure the safety of media workers working in conflict
areas, after the death of Malaysian cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor in Mogadishu, Somalia
on September 2.
Noramfaizul, 39, a cameraman with Malaysia’s state-owned news agency Bernama, was
killed by a sniper while covering an aid mission of Putera 1Malaysia, a
humanitarian organisation with ties to UMNO, the major party in Malaysia’s
governing coalition.
Organisers of the aid mission to the
war-torn country have attracted criticism in Malaysia…
Open Letter: Hong
Kong
August 29, 2011
Donald Tsang Yam-Kuen
Chief Executive
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Re: Call to uphold press freedom in Hong
Kong
Dear Chief…
The All-African Conference on Gender and Media organised
by the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) has concluded today in Kigali, Rwanda, after three
days of debate. The following is the text of the Declaration adopted by the
conference: We, the participants
to the All-African Conference on Gender and Media gathered in Kigali from 26-28 August 2011, on the theme "Empowering African Women
Journalists: Stepping up to the Challenge of Gender Equality": - Conscious of the huge challenges facing the African
region in its quest to enhance gender equality in the media institutions,
unions, associations and the society at large; - Underscoring that African…
Leading women journalists in Africa called for solidarity among journalists, men and women, to effect a durable change and achieve greater fairness in the profession. The call was made during the second day of the All African Conference on Gender and Equality in Media taking place in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
The main challenges which were debated include sexual harassment, the lack of transparency in news room and the pay gap among men and women journalists. Participants urged women journalist to improve communication by sharing experience and best practices to drive the change which is likely to do away with the inequality.
"The fight for gender equality requires solidarity…
The All-African Conference on Gender and Media organised by the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) has concluded today in Kigali, Rwanda, after three days of debate. The following is the text of the Declaration adopted by the conference:
We, the participants to the All-African Conference on Gender and Media gathered in Kigali from 26-28 August 2011, on the theme "Empowering African Women Journalists: Stepping up to the Challenge of Gender Equality":
- Conscious of the huge challenges facing the African region in its quest to enhance gender equality in the media institutions, unions, associations and the society at large;
- Underscoring that African women journalists…
An all -African conference on
Gender and Media opened today in Kigali, Rwanda, to debate ways of redressing challenges
facing African female journalists at the workplace across Africa. The three day
conference ‘Empowering African Women Journalists: Stepping Up to the Challenge
of Gender Equality' is organised by the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ)
with the support the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the
Ministry of Information of Rwanda and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. Journalists and their unions'
leaders, diplomats and African and international policy makers will discuss a
wide range of issues, including pay gap between genders and working…
An all -African conference on Gender and Media opened today in Kigali, Rwanda, to debate ways of redressing challenges facing African female journalists at the workplace across Africa. The three day conference ‘Empowering African Women Journalists: Stepping Up to the Challenge of Gender Equality' is organised by the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) with the support the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Ministry of Information of Rwanda and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.
Journalists and their unions' leaders, diplomats and African and international policy makers will discuss a wide range of issues, including pay gap between genders and working conditions…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of
Journalists of Philippines (NUJP) in
calling for an immediate investigation into the murder of broadcaster Niel “Lito” Jimena in
Negros Occidental province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on
August 23.
Jimena was shot five times by
unknown assailants. Sources cited in local media reports suggested his
murder is not related to his work as a broadcaster. Police are yet to establish
a motive.
The online news portal
Interaksyon.com quoted Supt. Louis Garonga, deputy chief for operations of the Western Visayas police, as saying Jimena was shot at…
The International Federation of
Journalists expresses serious concern after two photojournalists were attacked
by security forces in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on August 19. Both the
journalists suffered serious injuries and a reporter seeking information from
the police on what transpired was in turn threatened with dire consequences by
senior officers.
Mexican photojournalist Narciso
Contreras, working with the U.S.-based press agency Zuma, was detained in the
Nowhatta area of Srinagar
city, summer capital of the state on August 19. He was allegedly chased from
the scene of a confrontation between political demonstrators and security
forces and roughly…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists
(PFUJ) in condemning an attack on an AVT Khyber News reporting team in Peshawar, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province, on August 22.
Bureau chief Hazrat Khan Momand,
resident editor Akhbar-i-Khyber Nisar Khan and news controller Syed Waqas Shah
were reportedly intercepted by unknown men on a motorcycle near the Peshawar
High Court building as they returned to their office in the afternoon.
According to the PFUJ and its
affiliate, the Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ), the assailants verbally
abused the team before hurling bricks and stones at them. They fired shots…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Australian Media Alliance and
journalism community in expressing great sadness to learn of the feared deaths
of a highly respected three-man reporting team for the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation (ABC).
Senior journalist Paul Lockyer,
cameraman John Bean and pilot Gary Ticehurst are feared to have been killed
when their helicopter crashed near Lake Eyre on
the evening of April 18.
The Alliance reports that police are
still investigating the crash in a remote part of outback Australia, about
700 km north of Adelaide,
Lockyer, a journalist with more than
40 years’ experience,…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association (HKJA)
in questioning the manner in which police in Hong Kong
detained three journalists who had been testing the security system of a government
building.
On August 11, the three journalists
of Hong Kong-based newspapers Ming Pao,
Sing Tao and Capital Weekly were held for at least six hours and accused of attempted
burglary.
According to the Ming Pao reporter, she and the other two
journalists registered and received a visitor’s permit at the reception office
of the Hong Kong Government’s new headquarters. They were stopped and
questioned by police…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is alarmed to learn of the killing of another journalist
in Pakistan’s
Balochistan province on August 14.
According to the Pakistan Federal
Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Muneer Shakir was attacked by unknown persons who opened
fire on him at 12.20pm as he headed home from the press club in Khuzdar, in
central Balochistan. Shakir died at District Headquarters Hospital
in Khuzdar.
Shakir, who was aged in his early
30s, worked for Online News Network and was a correspondent with Balochi television
station Sabzbaat.
Members of the Balochistan Union of
Journalists (BUJ) reported that Shakir was not known to have…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists
(PFUJ) in demanding authorities in Pakistan
take swift action to locate and safely recover a senior tribal journalist who
was abducted in North Waziristan on August 11.
Rehmatullah Dawar, who works with
AAJ TV and the Urdu daily Ausaf, was
abducted at a bazaar in Miranshah, the capital of the militancy-gripped agency
in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), by unidentified men
travelling in two cars with tinted windows.
The men fired shots in the air to
keep people away as they bundled Dawar into one of the cars, according to
reports.
The…
Partner organisations of the South
Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) express solidarity with journalists who
have suffered assault and detention in India
and Pakistan
recently.
In an incident in India that has led to widespread
expressions of concern, photographer Bhaskar Deka was assaulted by personnel of
the Indian army as he was filming a scuffle between soldiers, villagers and
students at Misamari, near Tezpur, in Sonitpur district of Assam state, on July
31.
Residents were aggrieved by an army
decision to close a road near a military camp, since this blocked off an
important route of access for school-going children.
Deka suffered bruises in…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the National
Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in calling on the Government of the Philippines to direct its authorities and
security forces to ensure the protection of all involved in legal proceedings
to prosecute suspects accused of the Ampatuan
Town massacre.
The call came as the IFJ and its
affiliate expressed concern about alleged threats against an interpreter and
lawyer who had been assisting in the trial hearings into the massacre in
Maguindanao, Mindanao, on November 23, 2009.
Thirty-two media personnel were
among the 58 people killed. The trials are dealing with 57 counts of…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned in the strongest terms, the violent killing of Somali journalist, Farah Hassan Sahal, who was shot dead at Bakara Market in Mogadishu allegedly by a soldier from the peace keeping troops of the Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Thursday, 4 August, 2011. Farah Hassan Sahal was working as a newscaster with the private radio station, Radio Simba.
“The killing of Farah Hassan Sahal is shocking and unbelievable” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa office. “The nature of the killing denotes that Farah Hassan Sahal was specifically targeted and it is just hard to believe that…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned over the arrest of Mohammad
Ekramul Haq, editor of the Sheersha News web portal and the associated weekly
newspaper Sheersha Kagoj in Dhaka, Bangladesh,
on July 31.
According to reports received from
the Bangladesh Manobadhikar Songbadik Forum (BMSF), Haq was arrested from his
home in a neighbourhood of the capital during the early hours that day on
charges of extortion.
He was reportedly led away
blindfolded and his family was allegedly dealt with roughly by the police
making the arrest. Haq has since been remanded to police custody.
Haq is alleged to have sent two
reporters to…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) demands the immediate reinstatement of a China Central Television producer who was suspended from his job over coverage
of a high-speed rail disaster in China’s east.
The IFJ has learned that Wang Qinglei, producer of 24 Hours, was suspended on July 27 after the program’s host queried
the Railway Ministry’s speedy resolution of the July 23 accident in which at
least 40 people were killed. The host also questioned officials’ dismissal on
July 26 of safety concerns about China’s high-speed rail network.
“The IFJ calls on Cai Fuchao, Director
of State Administration of Radio, Film…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its Sri Lankan
affiliates in expressing outrage at a brutal attack on Gnanasundaram
Kuhanathan, news editor of the Tamil daily Uthayan,
in the northern city of Jaffna
on July 29.
According to reports received from Sri Lanka,
Kuhanathan, 59, was left for dead after being attacked with iron rods by two
unidentified men while on his way home in the evening. He was discovered in a
critical condition by passers-by and taken to Jaffna General Hospital
where he is on life-support.
“The IFJ is shocked at the viciousness
of the attack on Gnanasundaram Kuhanathan, which extends a long sequence of
targeted…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Afghan Independent
Journalists’ Association (AIJA) in condemning the killing of journalist Ahmad
Omaid Khpalwak in an armed attack in Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan
on July 28.
Khpalwak, 25, a reporter with the
BBC Pashto Service, Pajhwok Afghan News Agency and the state broadcaster Radio
Television of Afghanistan (RTA), was killed in Tarin Kowt, the capital of the troubled
province.
Up to 19 people were killed and 37
others injured in a coordinated triple bomb blast and shooting attack near the
city’s market and the local RTA offices.
The Taliban claimed…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) today gives its backing to BBC journalists who are on a 24-hour strike in
their second stoppage to protest the cuts and compulsory redundancies, which
will be followed by a non-stop work to rule as of 2 August. The strike by
thousands of National Union of Journalists' (NUJ) members has created serious
disruption to several flagship programmes, nationally and in the regions. Following the first stoppage last 15 July,
the NUJ attempted to get the BBC to find alternative solutions to avoid
compulsory redundancies but to no avail. The union says that the BBC is wasting
thousands of pounds making skilled and experienced people…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply
concerned to learn that the email of a journalist conducting sensitive
investigative work in mainland China
has been hacked.
Caixin Media investigative journalist Zhao Hejuan had her Google email
(Gmail) account infiltrated by a hacker between July 19 and 22 after she went
to Shaoyang, Hunan Province as part of her investigation
into illegal trafficking of children.
According to a statement by the company on July 23, the hacker’s
IP address was from Longhui County, Shaoyang,
Hunan Province where Zhao was
following up a Caixin report from May 8. It is alleged that local babies and toddlers
were…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned
that the Guangdong Propaganda Department tried to interfere with local media coverage
of a high-speed rail disaster on July 23 in Wenzhou,
in China’s
east, which killed at least 35 people.
The IFJ has learned that the Guangdong
Propaganda Department used records which noted the journalists that attended a
July 24 press conference arranged by the railway ministry, to contact employers
and pressure them to ask the journalists to leave the scene of the accident.
“Six local media outlets were asked to
demand that their journalists leave Wenzhou
by the Guangdong Propaganda…
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today
welcomed David Cameron, the British Prime Minister's call for a new,
independent media regulator to ensure quality and pluralism in the British
media. What started on the British isle as a scandal of the
News of the World, has developed into
the biggest media scandal of the post-war era. The phone-hacking scandal at the
News of the World, revealed corrupted
police men and the cosy relationship between politicians, police and the media.
It created an unprecedented crisis in British politics and shaked the foundation of quality journalism. "We welcome this long, overdue commitment from the
British Government to…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today joined its African regional organisations, the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the West African Journalists Association (WAJA), in condemning in the strongest terms the decision by the Gambian Government to charge Ndey Tapha Sosseh, FAJ Treasurer and former President of the Gambian Press Union (GPU), an IFJ affiliate, with treason and sedition and called for these charges to be dropped. Sosseh was charged last Tuesday by the State prosecutor's office along with three other persons, including Mathew K. Jallow, Famara Demba and the already detained former information Minister Amadou Scattered Janneh, with conspiracy to…
