The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today backed a call by the Ugandan Journalists Association (UJA) for the government to protect media covering court cases against opposition groups and put an end to police harassment of journalists.
“We back this call by the Ugandan Journalists Association for the government to offer more than words to ensure journalists can work safely and freely,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office.
In a meeting with Minister of Information Alhajji Kirunda Kivejinja on 9 March, the UJA Executive Committee called for the end of continued police brutality against journalists who have been harassed while covering court…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the African Union (AU) to protect journalists in Somalia after the recent beating of four reporters by soldiers.
Another reporter is being held by pro-government forces.
“We condemn these attacks on the journalists and call for the immediate release of our colleague who is still being detained,” said Gabriel Baglo Director of the IFJ Africa Office. “We call on African Union President John Kuffor, and AU Commission President Alpha Konaré to put pressure on the Somali government so that their troops stop targeting journalists.”
Ibraahim Ruush, Ismaciil Cali Cabdi and Max'ed Ibraahim…
A radiography of the dangers faced by Latinamerican reporters during 2006 and its effects on the course of democracy, were exposed on behalf of the Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Journalists (FEPALC) by Eduardo Márquez, Ceso-FIP Director, before the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights, in Washington DC, on March 1st.
In addition to highlighting the circumstances in which 37 colleagues in the region were murdered and the level of impunity reigning and surrounding their deaths, Márquez indicated threats, judicial harassment and the degradation of work conditions are the most frequent obstacles to the exercise of press freedom in the continent.
During…
The International Federation of Journalists today expressed concern over a law that criminalises filming or broadcasting of acts of violence by people other than professional journalists.
Journalists and civil liberties groups are worried this ban, which does not apply to bona fide journalists, could lead to prosecution of eyewitnesses who film acts of police violence. The IFJ says the new law is confusing – it allows amateur film to be used as evidence for prosecution in court, but stipulates that taking the film in the first place is an illegal act.
“Such a law is absurd in an age when people have access to technology that allows them to capture on film wrongdoing as…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the Liberian authorities to lift a one-year revocation of the license of private newspaper The Independent after it published explicit photographs of a minister engaged in sexual acts with two women.
After the publication of the pictures, the newspaper’s editor Sam Dean received death threats.
“We call on the government to lift the arbitrary ban on The Independent and to let the legal system decide if any punishment is necessary,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. “The government’s decision is entirely disproportionate and seems to be simply an act of a vengeance. We…
The International Federation of Journalist (IFJ) today urged Russian authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation after prosecutors announced an inquest into the recent death of journalist Ivan Safronov.
“The authorities should not rush to conclusions,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “This death again raises great concern over the safety of journalist in Russia but there should be a completely open-minded investigation without any foregone conclusions.”
Safronov was a military affairs writer for Russian newspaper Kommersant. He died on Friday after falling from the fifth floor of his apartment building. According to press reports…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the authorities of Somaliland to withdraw jail sentences issued against three journalists and an executive at private newspaper Haatuf after they were convicted of defaming the President and to allow the newspaper to resume operations.
“We call on the authorities of Somaliland to drop the charges against Haatuf’s chairman and journalists and to let the newspaper resume operation,” said Gabriel Baglo Director of IFJ Africa office. “The authorities of Somaliland who are fighting to convince the international community that they respect democracy are choosing the wrong path if they follow through…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) holds grave concerns for the future of press freedom in Thailand following a court decision permitting the Prime Minister’s Office to demand television station, iTV, pay over 100 billion baht (around US$2.9 billion) in fines by March 6.
According to local reports, the military-installed government will terminate the license of iTV and reclaim ownership of the air wave, effective March 7, if the station doesn’t pay the fine — a sum that will unquestionably bankrupt the company.
“It is extremely unnerving to see the new government once again jeopardise press freedom in Thailand by manipulating the system so that…
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today expressed its full support to the Danish Union of Journalists which has given the Danish based publisher Aller Press A/S one month notice of blockade effective on April 1st 2007.
The blockade means that no freelance member of The Danish Union of Journalists (DJ) is allowed to accept any freelance work from Aller Press A/S - neither text, pictures nor graphics after April 1st.
Aller Press is an international publisher of around 20 magazines with a market share of about 80% of magazines in Denmark. It has sister companies in Norway, Sweden, Finland and in the Baltic countries.
DJ has a collective agreement with Aller Press A/S…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), supported by a coalition of international and local press freedom and journalists’ organisations, has demanded action from the Pakistan government in response to the growing incidents of violence against journalists and the deteriorating press freedom situation.
The mission for press freedom, led by the IFJ and its affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), was in Pakistan from February 21 to February 25, to meet with government officials and local journalists to discuss freedom of expression issues and the worsening safety environment.
At a roundtable conference on the “State of Press Freedom in…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed its growing concern over the worsening situation in Sri Lanka, which has seen another journalist disappear, and the government make particularly disturbing statements on the state of the media.
Grave fears for missing journalist
According to an IFJ affiliate, the Free Media Movement (FMM), Subramaniam Ramachandran, correspondent for the dailies Yarl Thinakkural and Valampuri has been missing from northern peninsula Jaffna since February 15, when he didn’t return home from work.
“The IFJ has grave fears for the safety of Ramachandran, who has…
The International Federation of Journalists will hold its next Congress in Moscow from 28 May to June 1. The invitation, registration forms and practical information are now available. Please see the information below and check our web site for updated information as the Congress date gets closer.
TO IFJ MEMBER UNIONS
From: IFJ General Secretary
Brussels, February 25, 2007
WORLD CONGRESS OF THE IFJ IN MOSCOW
Dear Colleagues,
The next Congress of the International Federation of Journalists will take place in Moscow from May 28th-June 2nd 2007. This Congress, the largest representative gathering of journalists in the world, is held every three years.
The…
A coalition of international and local press freedom and media groups, led by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate in Pakistan, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), is conducting an urgent mission to Pakistan, in response to the deteriorating press freedom situation and worsening safety environment.
The IFJ-PFUJ Mission for Press Freedom and Journalist Safety will be in Pakistan from February 21 to February 25, 2007.
Members of the mission spent February 22 in Lahore meeting with local journalists, office-bearers of the Lahore Press Club, Punjab Union of Journalists, and meeting with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP),…
Why we need this Declaration
1. To support media structures contributing to equality and intercultural dialogue
‘Breaking news’ and unfiltered information from distant conflict zones or major events are brought directly to our television, computer or mobile phone. Information is provided quickly but often not in context. This has implications for political debates concerning fundamental rights, including women’s rights, cultural diversity and integration, religion, immigration and asylum, and it affects the lives of all in society.
Intercultural misunderstandings arise when audiences of different communities see their opinions and prejudices reinforced by…
The International Federation of Journalists and its regional group the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today welcomed the news that Moroccan authorities returned the passport and presscard of Swedish journalist Lars Björk, who was arrested in Western Sahara on Monday, but were dismayed that he was not given his camera and was forced to leave the area.
Björk was released on Tuesday by the police after questioning and was placed on a bus towards Agadir, Morocco.
Björk, a freelance journalist, was arrested by police after he saw a demonstration in Western Sahara and photographed some of the protestors.
For more information contact the EFJ at 32 2 235 2207…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the murder of Filipino newspaper editor Hernani Pastolero Sr. outside his home on the morning of February 19.
According to local reports, Pastelero was shot twice in the back of the head by a single gunman, with police yet to ascertain the motive behind the murder of the 30-year old journalist.
“Yet another atrocity has been allowed to occur in the Philippines,” IFJ President Christopher Warren said.
“The government’s inaction is a gross abuse of human rights and press freedom and has lead to the inexcusable death of another colleague,” Warren said.
This latest murder brings the…
The International Federation of Journalists today backed Somali journalists calling for a full investigation into the killing of a radio presenter and union activist who was set upon and shot dead at the weekend.
According to the National Union of Somali Journalists Ali Mohammed Omar was killed in the early evening of Friday in Baidoa of Bay region in south-western Somalia.
“This is a shocking murder and we demand that the government gives top priority to bringing the killers to justice,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. The IFJ says that Omar worked for the influential radio network, Warsan Radio, as a newscaster and they fear he was the victim of a targeted…
See also Statement in Arabic [PDF]
The International Federation of Journalists today backed new calls from Sudanese and Arab world journalists for the release of Sami al-Haj, a cameraman working for Al-Jazeera, who has been held for five years, tortured and accused of terrorism offences at the notorious Guantanamo detention centre in Cuba. He has never been charged or brought to trial.
“We understand that our colleague is in poor health as a result of his inhuman treatment,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “It is time for this ordeal to end.”
The IFJ says that Sami al-Haj is being victimised for working for the Arab satellite channel…
After two aggressions against journalists in the department of Huila in less than a week, the Center of Solidarity of the International Federation of Journalists (Ceso-FIP), called on illegal armed groups to cease harassing the press.
“The warriors of every ideology have to understand the journalists’ obligation is to inform society, which means bringing to the light information and events that many want to be kept hidden. In the same manner, just as we have paid a high price sacrificing many lives when denouncing corruption cases, it is also our ethical duty to disclose the excesses against the population”, said Eduardo Márquez, Ceso-FIP director.
In one…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today urged authorities in Djibouti to put an end to media repression in the country after the government recently attacked a newspaper that published an article critical of the President’s brother-in-law.
Houssein Ahmed Farah, faces trial in connection with the article critical of the President’s brother-in-law, which was published in the newspaper for which he writes Le Renouveau.
The article was not signed, according to the management of Le Renouveau, which said its editor, who is also Houssein’s brother, should be the only one held responsible for it. The arrest of Houssein Farah fits in a recent wave of…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the killing of freelance Brazlian photojournalist Róbson Barbosa Bezerra who was shot on 8 February as he returned to his home in the suburbs of Río de Janeiro. Barbosa Bezerra had been receiving threats and it is believed he was killed in connection with his work.
The IFJ is backing its Brazilian affiliate FENAJ and its regional organisation, the Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Journalists (FEPALC), who have expressed their solidarity with their Brazilian colleagues and called for an end to violence again journalists in Brazil.
To read a statement from FEPALC in Spanish, click here…
The International Federation of Journalists and its regional European group the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today called for Greek authorities to drop a court case against journalist and union official Dimitris Trimis, which it says is an attack on union rights.
Trimis, the general secretary of the Journalists’ Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers (JUDAN) will stand trial on Monday on charges stemming from his presence on a picket line in 2004. The union and the EFJ believe the charges are an attempt to penalise him for his union activities and say they should be dropped immediately.
“This court case is petty, unnecessary and vindictive,” said said…
Today the International Federation of Journalists and its European group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), condemned the use of the law against French weekly Charlie Hebdo and its Editor-in-Chief Philippe Val, who are being sued by Muslim organisations for publishing last year three cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed. The EFJ warned that it would make community relations worse and not better.
“This trial opening today in Paris against Charlie Hebdo is a violation of press freedom in France,” said EFJ Chair Arne König. “We call on the Tribunal trying the charge to drop the charges against Philippe Val and his magazine. The use of the law in this…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on an outlawed militant group in India to withdraw threats to a private satellite channel North East Television (NETV).
The group says the network faces “dire consequences” if it does not substantiate a report that has had links with government in the northern Indian province of Assam. The television station is standing by its story and the IFJ is urging the militants to stop making threats and instead take its complaints to industry regulators.
“If there is a genuine complaint it can be dealt with through normal channels of accountability,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “What is…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called for action in the case of a Pakistan news editor who has been missing for one month.
According to IFJ affiliate, the Pakistan Federation of Union of Journalist (PFUJ), Sohail Qalander, 28, from the Daily Express, Pakistan’s second largest Urdu language newspaper, disappeared on January 2, near the Khyber Agency tribal area.
“It’s a terrible reality in Pakistan that the disappearance of journalists and editors is so often related to their line of work,” IFJ President Christopher Warren said.
“The authorities must do more to curb this terrible trend, which sees so many journalists harmed…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the Senegalese authorities to improve management and working conditions for journalists and other employees at the public service daily newspaper Le Soleil, which is under threat of bankruptcy.
The Le Soleil chapel of the Trade Union of Information and Communication Professionsals of Senegal (SYNPICS) launched on Wednesday a “petition to save Le Soleil”. The union is protesting against “the guilty silence of the authorities,” bad management at Le Soleil and the bad conditions under which the newspaper’s employees are working.
The union has in recent months initiated a series of actions…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has been joined by press freedom and journalists’ organisations around the world in demanding the release of Sri Lankan journalist Munusamy Parameshawary (23), who has been detained without charge by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for more than 60 days.
Supporting a campaign by an IFJ affiliate, the Free Media Movement (FMM), journalists’ organisations from more than 10 countries wrote letters to the Sri Lankan government protesting the detention of the Mawbima journalist, who has been held in the TID office in Colombo since November 22 under the newly enacted Terrorism Prevention laws.
Locally, Sri Lankan…
