The court in Bogota, Colombia is due to hear the testimony of the Colombian prominent journalist Claudia Julieta Duque, in a case involving a former senior officer of the Department of Administrative Security (DAS), the infamous secret service in Colombia which has been disbanded.
Claudia, who was kidnapped and still lives under state protection for her investigations into the murder of her fellow journalist Jaime Garzón Forero killed in 1999, will testify against a former DAS Deputy Director for his alleged part in psychological torture she suffered for many years under the regime of ex-President Alvaro Uribe Velez.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), representing over…
Journalist Saif Tallal and cameraman Hassan al-Anbaki working for Sharqiya TV channel were shot dead on 12 January by militiamen near Baquba, the capital of Diyala province in Iraq. They were the first media workers killed in 2016.
Tallal and al-Anbaki were killed on their way back from covering attacks on a mosque in the Muqdadiyah area.
A staff member from Sharqiya, a Sunni-owned TV channel known for its editorial line opposing the central government, told media that Tallal and al-Anbaki were returning to Baquba from a reporting trip when masked men stopped the vehicle in the village of Abu Saida, ordered the media workers out and executed them.
"The Iraqi Journalists’…
The IFJ in partnership with UNESCO’s Office in Beirut and in collaboration with the Directorate of Higher Education at the Lebanese Education Ministry , ran a regional conference on 15-16 February in Beirut, Lebanon to discuss a “Model university course on the Safety of Journalists”.
The conference aimed to create an enabling environment for future journalists, allowing them to cover news in a safer and more professional way, taking into consideration the local contexts, as well as international standards in place. It also served to update journalism curricula in universities, through adapting and integrating different components of the new safety course.
The conference was attended by…
Representatives of the IFJ, the Yemeni journalists Syndicate (YJS), the Federation of Arab Journalists (FAJ), UNDP and 25 leading Yemeni journalists discussed the safety crises facing Yemen media and factions in the journalists’ community on 23-25 February in Amman.
Yemeni journalists still able to work in the country face great daily risks and challenges including targeted attacks a lack of safety training and inadequate protective equipment. Meanwhile, strident and hostile editorial lines forced upon them put journalists at risk of alienating rival armed groups making them a greater target.
The lack of solidarity within the journalists’ community, its severe polarisation and even…
It is possible to be a pastor, journalist and trade union activist at the same time. But it takes some skill. This is the path chosen by Stanis Nkundiye, 55, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This calm “unifier” is a “man of peace”say IFJ colleagues. Stanis is appreciated within the African affiliates of the IFJ and beyond. A newspaper journalist for Le Vrai Modérateur (a Christian fortnightly publication in Kinshasa) in a country where exercising the profession can cost you your life, where access to information is limited and where corruption is blighting the trade, Stanis has set out to “contribute to the emergence of the truth, justice and above all the defence of the weak majority…
From her office in Sydney, Alex Hearne lavishes attention on the IFJ Asia-Pacific affiliates. Responsible for communication and security in the region, the 26 year old chose the IFJ as her first job, following a work placement in 2014.
“After studying arts and Indonesian, I completed my university studies with a master’s in international studies, she describes. I worked for six weeks here as a trainee and…” And Alex returned permanently to a desk at the IFJ.
Since then, everyone agrees that she is truly committed: “Alex works hard for the IFJ,” adds Jane Worthington, the director of programmes at the office. “She is very meticulous in her work.” When she is not on the 1st floor of the…
The EFJ was invited to a seminar of the No Hate Speech Movement, linked to the implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy of the Council of Europe, that took place from 10 to 12 February at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg.
The issue of sexist hate speech is particularly acute for women journalists both off and online. Sexist forms of hate speech are direct manifestations of violence against women and girls, which remains the most pronounced expression of the uneven balance of power between women and men, one of the root causes of discrimination against women.
Perpetrators can be anonymous. They can also be colleagues or bosses. In 2013 the IWFM/INSI study showed that…
The President of the National Syndicate of the Moroccan Press (SNPM), an IFJ affiliate, is sued for defamation by the Moroccan Interior ministry, for having denounced electoral fraud. The IFJ joins the SNPM in condemning this muzzling of the press in Morocco and exhorts the government to cease the legal action against the journalist.
Abdallah Bakkali, SNPM President, publication direction of the opposition daily Al Alam, is sued for defamation before the Court of First Instance of Rabat by the Moroccan Interior ministry after publishing an article in his newspaper on 9 October 2015 and making a statement on the website Alyaoum 24 about the electoral fraud which marred the last…
In January, the IFJ launched China’s Great Media Wall: The Fight For Freedom, the 8th annual China press freedom report.
The 2015 report is an annual analysis of press freedom and the ever increasing challenges and obstacles for journalists and media workers in China, Hong Kong and Macau.
It documents the broader issues impacting the work of local journalists and media workers across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, as well as foreign journalists and online media.
For the first time, the report also includes an IFJ assessment of the number of jailed and detained journalists and media workers and documents at least 51 cases, some dating back to 2008.
The IFJ AP also launched a…
Since Mauricio Macri became President of Argentina on 10 December, the regulatory framework for communications has been subject to major transformations.
The relevant minister and secretaries have criticised the Audiovisual Communication Services Act, ( Media Act), as it defends the self-regulation of the information market.
This should be seen in the context of the burgeoning alliance between the current government and the major communications media which, led by the Clarín Group, have put forward numerous objections to this law since it was approved in 2009.
The initial effects of deregulation have begun to be seen, for example in the acquisition of the cell-phone company…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the continued airing of ‘confessions’ by state-owned media in China. The IFJ calls on the government to immediately end the practice that violates media ethics.
On February 25, Wenzhou Television, a state-owned media outlet, aired a ‘confession’ from Christian human rights lawyer, Zhang Kai, who had been detained since August 25, 2015. In the confession, Zhang said that he had violated Chinese laws including disrupting social order and endangering China’s national security. Zhang was detained in 2015 on accusations of provoking social order and illegally obtaining state secrets for foreign organisations, he was also accused of…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expresses strong concern for new administrative regulations aimed at China-based foreign media outlets and joint ventures. The IFJ calls on the government to reevaluate the rules which will negatively impact on press freedom and foreign media.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the new regulations, Online Publication Service Management Regulations, which will be effective from March 10. According to rule 10, “Sino-foreign joint ventures, Sino-foreign cooperative ventures, and foreign business units or non-territorial organisations and individuals shall not engage in online publishing services.” If they wish to…
Journalists and media workers in Turkey regularly face heavy pressure when carrying out their duties.
Since January 2016, many local journalists working for IMC TV and DIHA as well as foreign correspondents (Politiken in Denmark) have been attacked, arrested or deported because of their coverage of the Kurdish situation in Southeastern Turkey.
Italian colleagues from FNSI organised a protest action in Rome to support prosecuted Turkish journalists who published Charlie Hebdo’s covers.
An international coalition of leading free expression and press freedom organisation (including EFJ-IFJ) called for the release of Can Dündar and Erdem Gül imprisoned for the publication of…
The Ukraine and Russian journalists unions met under the mandate of OSCE special rapporteur for media freedom Dunja Mijatovic on 11-12 February in Vienna.
Since April 2014 the OSCE has been hosting the meetings with the unions and leading journalist figures from the two countries to discuss the challenges and obstacles to reporting the conflict in East Ukraine.
The process has seen a number of joint actions in support of journalists in a unique example of co-operation that our members can be rightly proud of. A summary of the conflict, and how our members have responded to it can be found in the Safety and solidarity for journalists in Ukraine 2014 available in English,…
The EFJ recently launched a new tool to monitor jailed journalists in Europe.
To date, 44 journalists in four countries (Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine) have been kept behind bars for more than 50.000 days, according to the EFJ database.
The Federation regularly updates the database thanks to its affiliates. Missing cases, new arrest of journalists in Europe? Let us know!
Where are women? * Celebrating International Women’s Day, marked on 8 March, may seem useless: do women really need a special day in the year? Of course, within the IFJ, our mission is to remind people that gender equality remains elusive around the world. And yet, we do know that women play a crucial role in news rooms and within the trade union fight.
Today, more and more women are leaders of our affiliate organisations, something we want to see continue. In order to do so, men need to provide space for women and work with them on identifying their place in the workplace and in journalists’ organisations. As trade unionists, it is our duty to promote equal opportunities and working…
The Union of Journalists in Paraguay (SPP), together with the Regional Alliance of IFEX members in Latin America (IFEX-ALC), gave a presentation to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva requesting action to deal with the impunity of crimes against journalists and to improve protection measures aimed at media workers and human rights defenders in the country.
As a result, the Paraguayan government accepted to speed up the formation of a "special commission in the public prosecutor’s department to bring to justice those responsible [for attacks against journalists and human rights defenders] ".
During the first quarter of 2016, the following journalists were killed as a result of their work: Anabel Flores Salazar (Mexico), Marcos Hernández Bautista (Mexico) and Ricardo Durán (Venezuela).
Anabel Flores Salazar (Mexico): a journalist for El Sol de Orizaba and El Buen Tono, was kidnapped from her home by a group of armed men on 8th February and her body was found the following day, tied up and showing signs of torture. Marcos Hernández Bautista (Mexico): a journalist for Imagen de Oaxaca and Noticias Voz, was covering the precarious situation of community and indigenous radios in the region. He was found dead after being shot alongside his car in the…
On 24 April, the IFJ will be celebrating as usual the World Copyright Day. It will be the moment to highlight among international organisations, such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and UNESCO, but also to newspaper owners, that contractual freedom is damaging to authors' rights/copyright and has to be challenged in order to guarantee a balance of power when negotiating contracts.
All too often, our colleagues are forced to accept contracts in which they forego any additional remuneration when their work is reused in the same media group, in other media, in databases or other platforms.
Apart from the devastating effects that such clauses have on the…
Every week the International Federation of journalists (IFJ) is compiling a list of the top news articles from across the world in which it is mentioned.
Read some of the news highlights from Friday 19th to Friday 26th February:
1. Court: Turkey’s detention of Dündar, Gül violates rights
2. Apologetic Bangladeshi editor hit by multiple court cases
3. La FIP condena el bombardeo que ha matado a un fotoperiodista en un suburbio de Damasco
4. Eastern India journalists conference at Guwahati
5. Freedom of the press only way to protect protesters’ rights, says Journalists Association
6. JNU crisis plays out
7. 'Attempt to crush independent media'…
Preparations are steaming ahead in order to welcome some 300 delegates who will converge on the Conference Centre in Angers, France, from 7 to 10 June 2016.
The deadline for registration is 18th March and the congress website is now operational.
This 29th congress, which will mark the 90th anniversary of the IFJ’s existence, will offer an opportunity to reflect on the future of journalism across the world and how to reinforce the security of media professionals in their mission to inform. The consolidation of trade unions in the profession and notably among young people will also be discussed, along with ensuring trade union structures are open and reflective of their…
Turkish journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül have been released today after 92 days in jail. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) warmly welcomed the ruling of Turkey’s Constitutional Court on 25 February stating that the rights of Cumhuriyet newspaper journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül had been violated. The court also pointed at the lack of justification for jailing the 2 journalists.
Dündar, editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, and Gül, the newspaper’s Ankara bureau chief, were arrested on 26 November 2015 on charges of aiding a terrorist organisation, espionage and disclosure of classified documents.
The decision of the Constitutional court…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the conviction and sentencing of a Tibetan writer on February 17. The IFJ demands the Chinese government ends its attack on media freedom.
According to reports, Druklo, who goes by the penname of Shokjang, was sentenced to three years after he was convicted of inciting separatism and endangering social stability by the Intermediate Court in Tongren of Huanggan in Qinghai. His sentencing, which was part of a closed-door trial, comes after ten months in detention. Druklo’s conviction and charges were based on several articles that he authored regarding the conditions of schools in Ganhcha County in Hebei, which is a Tibetan…
IFJ’s Australian affiliate, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) has begun in a community campaign demanding the restoration of government funding for the public broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
In 2014 the Australian government cut funding by USD180 million resulting in the loss of about 400 jobs and the cancellation of programming and services.
The campaign calls on the community to write to their local member of parliament.
Find more information here.
In a letter addressed on 11 February 2016 to the Croatian authorities the IFJ asked for the revision of the decision made by the Minister of Culture to abolish state subsidies for non-profit media. The IFJ joins its affiliates in Croatia the Croatia Journalists’ Association (HND) and the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (SNH) in condemning this decision, as well as the Minister of Culture dissolution of the Expert Committee for Non-profit Media before the end of his mandate.
The decision to abolish state subsidies was announced by Croatian Minister of Culture, Zlatko Hasanbegović on the 27th of January 2016.
“Non-profit media in Croatia arose as an oasis of critical and professional…
New legislative changes to public service broadcasting (PSB) law allow the Minister of State Treasury to directly appoint and dismiss members of the broadcaster’s supervisory and management boards. The EFJ completed a two-day fact-finding mission to Poland by calling on Polish journalists to stand together in defense of press freedom.
The IFJ and EFJ are concerned that Poland is violating European law on media freedom. The European Commission decided to launch an action against Poland under the Rule of Law framework.
Ricardo Gutierrez, EFJ General Secretary, called for firm action from EU institutions to guarantee the independence of public broadcasting service in Poland. “What’s…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate Minpororen (JFCBWU – Japan Federation of Commercial Broadcast Workers Union) in voicing serious concern over recent comments by Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Minister about the country’s broadcasters. The IFJ calls on the Japanese Government to withhold from any actions that seek to control and influence with the media and, instead, urges the government to take steps to guarantee press freedom in Japan.
On Tuesday, February 9, Sanae Takaichi, the Internal Affairs and Communications Minister for Japan, said that the government can order broadcasters to suspend operations if they continue to air TV…
The body of the editor and reporter from Azadiya Welat Newspaper was among bodies recovered from the scene of a massacre in the Turkish southeastern town of Cizre. Rohat Aktaş went missing in the city where he had been injured on the arm while covering relief effort to help victims of clashes between Kurdist separatists and Turkish forces. He was identified from DNA samples provided by his family.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Federation of Arab Journalists (FAJ) and the Yemen Journalists’ Syndicate (YJS), an IFJ affiliate, adopted on 23 February a safety action plan for Yemeni media following a solidarity meeting in Amman, Jordan.
The solidarity meeting, hosted by another IFJ affiliate, the Jordan Press Association (JPA) under the umbrella of the YJS, was attended by senior Yemeni journalists, editors and union leaders to discuss the challenges confronting journalists in the country and to agree on common principles and strategies that will help protect journalists, strengthen solidarity in the media sector and start the…
A Syrian freelance photojournalist was killed on 19 February while covering fighting in Damascus suburb of Daraya, according to media reports quoting the Anadolu Agency, one of the news outlets he contributed to. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns this killing, saying this is a reminder of the perilous environment Syrian journalists have been working for over five years of the conflict.
Read more here:
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in partnership with UNESCO’s Office in Beirut and in collaboration with the Directorate of Higher Education at the Lebanese Education Ministry, ran a regional conference on 15-16 February in Beirut, Lebanon to discuss a “Model university course on the Safety of Journalists”.
The conference aimed to create an enabling environment for future journalists, allowing them to cover news in a safer and more professional way, taking into consideration the local contexts, as well as international standards in place. It also served to update journalism curricula in universities, through adapting and integrating different components of the…
A Syrian freelance photojournalist was killed on 19 February while covering fighting in Damascus suburb of Daraya, according to media reports quoting the Anadolu Agency, one of the news outlets he contributed to. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns this killing, saying this is a reminder of the perilous environment Syrian journalists have been working for over five years of the conflict.
“We send our sincere condolences to his family and colleagues for their loss,” said IFJ President Jim Boumelha. “Syria has been a killing field for journalists who, for over five years now, put their lives on the line every single day to report on one of the deadliest conflicts…
The 21-year-old freelance photojournalist was killed while covering fighting in Damascus suburb of Daraya, according to media reports quoting the Anadolu Agency , one of the news outlets he contributed to.
A colleague working from Anadolu Agency said that Diraniwas killed photographing the shelling and aerial bombardments of Daraya, which has been under siege by the Syrian army since 2012. He worked as a freelance journalist for Anadolu Agency since December, the media house said, and was also a contributor to a local media group dedicated to reporting news from the district called Darayya Media Center.
In December 2015, the IFJ AP wrapped up its 6th digital campaign skills workshop in South Asia. The workshops are part of the IFJ AP’s United Nation Democracy Fund (UNDEF) project, South Asia Media for Democracy.
It aims to give orientation to journalists on how to develop a national level campaign with e-advocacy component, skills to integrate digital platforms in campaign and to increase the journalist unions’ digital-platform based participation in regional and global campaigns on freedom of expression and journalist rights.
Workshops were held in Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, as well as a regional SAMSN workshop also in Sri Lanka. Through the workshop, the…
The cameraman for Yemen's Shabab in Taiz was killed by a sniper while covering events in Alhasb city, according to the Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate (YJS), an IFJ affiliate. The YJS blamed the al Houthi group for the killing, saying the shooting was part of a long series of attacks by the rebels on the press and journalists in Yemen.
The 49-year-old reporter for radio station dxWO Power99 FM was killed when he was shot twice in the chest at his home in Zamboanga del Sur as he was preparing dinner for the evening. He was rushed to hospital but died on arrival. Police are yet to establish a motive for the killing. According to Ordaniza’s colleagues, he had been reporting about the problem of illegal drugs and illegal gambling in the town of Pitogo where he worked.
A cameraman was killed on 16 February by a sniper in the Yemeni city of Alhasb while covering events, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)'s affiliate, the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate (YJS). The IFJ joins the YJS in condemning the second killing of a media staff in Yemen in 2016 and backs its demand to investigate the latest attacks against media workers in the country.
The YJS said that cameraman Ahmbed Shaibani was working for Yemen´s Shabab TV in Taiz when he was shot dead, blaming the Houthi group for the shooting. He is the second media staff killed this year in Yemen following the killing of the journalist Almigdad Mojalli on 17 January in an air…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly criticises the new guidelines for Thai media (M) visas for foreign journalists released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, February 18. The IFJ calls on the Thai military government to revise the guidelines and guarantee media freedom in Thailand.
On Thursday, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press statement announcing new guidelines for issuing media visas for foreign journalists and media correspondents applying to work in Thailand for more than three months. According to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand, under the revisions some journalists who have received M visas in the past may…
The bureau chief of the Jan Sandesh Times, a Hindi newspaper in Sultanpur, in eastern Uttar Pradesh, was driving to Sultanpur with his uncle when two unidentified people on a motorcycle stopped the car and opened fire. Mishra was rushed to hospital but died on route. According to the Uttar Pradesh journalist union, Mishra was potentially targeted for his writings about illegal black market activities in Uttar Pradesh, sometimes referred to as the ‘mud mafia’.
On 17 February, the Federation of Colombian Journalists (FECOLPER), an IFJ affiliate, and another organisation called ‘La defensoría del Pueblo de Colombia’ (defence of the Colombian people) condemned threats from criminal groups and local authorities in Barranquilla and Yopa against journalists, human rights defenders and syndicalists to leave these areas within 72 hours or risk losing their lives.
Read the full article in Spanish here.
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Every week the International Federation of journalists (IFJ) is compiling a list of the top news articles from across the world in which it is mentioned.
Read some of the news highlights from Friday 12th to Friday 19th February:
1.At least 2297 media staff have been killed since 1990 - IFJ reports
2.Près de 2300 journalistes tués en 25 ans
3.Journaliste en Palestine occupée : un héroïsme quotidien
4.Sobrevivir a la noticia
5.Asia-Pacific home to 3 - including PH - of 10 deadliest countries for journalists
6.‘Dead air’ as Guinean media honours slain journalist El Hadj Diallo
7.Journaliste tué en Guinée: une "journée sans presse" en…
The IFJ called today on its affiliates worldwide to join their sister union in Palestine, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, to demand that the Israeli authorities release journalist Muhammad al-Qiq who entered his 83rd day on hunger strike.
According to his family, al-Qiq currently hospitalised at the Emek Medical Center in Afula is at risk of heart attack, stroke or total organ failure as he has been taking only water and refused all treatments.
“Mohammed is now in a critical situation and the IFJ calls on journalists unions and their members worldwide to join forces with his wife Faihaa and the union to save his life,” said IFJ president, Jim Boumelha.
Following complex…
The Federation of Colombian Journalists (FECOLPER) is negotiating with the government a compensation package for journalist victims of the conflict with the FARC.
The organisation marked eight years of work at its annual meeting in Bogota on 5-6 December. The main focus of debates was the compensation package being negotiated with the government for journalist victims of the conflict that forms part of the FARC peace process. Negotiations will lead to a media reform programme to guarantee a free, safe and democratic media as ‘compensation’ for the years of tyranny and hardship journalists have suffered across the country.
“Journalists have suffered terribly during the conflict as they…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in condemning the murder of a radio broadcaster in the southern Mindanao on Tuesday, February 16. The IFJ and NUJP demand the government and the police national media killing investigation unit, Taskforce Usig, immediately launch a full and robust investigation.
On Tuesday at 8pm, Elvis Ordaniza, a 49-year-old reporter for radio station dxWO Power99 FM was killed when he was shot twice in the chest at his home in Zamboanga del Sur as he was preparing dinner for the evening. He was rushed to hospital but died on arrival. Police are yet to establish a motive for…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum (BMSF) in expressing serious concerns over a barrage of legal cases filed against the editor and publisher of an English daily newspaper in Bangladesh. The IFJ said the attempts to pursue coordinated legal proceedings against the editor was a clear attempt to intimidate the media and muzzle press freedom in Bangladesh.
At least three dozen cases, including six sedition pleas and a dozen defamation cases, were filed in the past weeks against The Daily Star editor and publisher Mahfuz Anam in 17 districts of Bangladesh by various individuals and political groups.
The legal actions were…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Indian Union of Journalists (IJU) in condemning the attack on journalists at the Patiala House Court premises in New Delhi, India on Monday, February 15. The IFJ calls on the Indian government to launch an inquiry into the declining safety conditions for the country’s media.
According to reports, during the court hearing of sedition charges against the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Student Union president Kanaihya Kumar, lawyers asked JNU teachers and students to vacate the front seats in the court room. When the teachers and students refused, they were attacked by the lawyers. Following the incident, the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in partnership with UNESCO’s Office in Beirut and in collaboration with the Directorate of Higher Education at the Lebanese Education Ministry, ran a regional conference on 15-16 February in Beirut, Lebanon to discuss a “Model university course on the Safety of Journalists”.
The conference aimed to create an enabling environment for future journalists, allowing them to cover news in a safer and more professional way, taking into consideration the local contexts, as well as international standards in place. It also served to update journalism curricula in universities, through adapting and integrating different components of the new…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) in strongly criticising the use of force by police officers during the arrest of a journalist in the capital Male on February 13. The IFJ urge the local authorities to investigate the incident.
According to reports, on Sunday, February 13, Hussain Fariyaz, a sports journalist for the opposition-aligned Rajje TV, was arrested when plain clothed police officers entered the Rajje TV newsroom. Fariyaz was arrested without a court warrant and detained for two hours. When he was released, police reportedly admitted to making a mistake with his arrest. Photos of the arrest show…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliates the National Union of Journalists - India (NUJI) and the Indian Union of Journalists (IJU) in deploring the brutal murder of a journalist in Uttar Pradesh in northern India on Saturday, February 13. The IFJ joins the NUJ(I) and IJU in demanding urgent action from state and national governments to end a culture of violence against the media in the country. Last year six journalists were killed in the country, three of them in Uttar Pradesh state.
On Sunday, journalist Tarun Mishra, bureau chief of the Jan Sandesh Times, a Hindi newspaper in Sultanpur, in eastern Uttar Pradesh, was driving to Sultanpur with his uncle…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliates the National Union of Journalists - India (NUJI) and the Indian Union of Journalists (IJU) in deploring in the brutal murder of a journalist in Uttar Pradesh in northern India on Saturday, February 13. The IFJ joins the NUJ(I) and IJU in demanding urgent action from state and national governments to end a culture of violence against the media in the country. Last year six journalists were killed in the country, three of them in Uttar Pradesh state.
On Sunday, journalist Tarun Mishra, bureau chief of the Jan Sandesh Times, a Hindi newspaper in Sultanpur, in eastern Uttar Pradesh, was driving to Sultanpur with his uncle…
In a letter addressed on 11 February 2016 to the Croatian President, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Ministry for Culture as well as high representatives of the Croatian Parliament, the IFJ asked for the revision of the decision made by the Minister of Culture to abolish state subsidies for non-profit media. The IFJ joins its affiliates in Croatia the Croatia Journalists’ Association (HND) and the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (SNH) in condemning this decision, as well as the Minister of Culture dissolution of the Expert Committee for Non-profit Media before the end of his mandate.
The decision to abolish state subsidies was announced by Croatian Minister of Culture, Zlatko…
A married couple of two local media workers and their three kids were killed on 9 February in the capital, Sana’a, in an air strike by the Saudi led coalition. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), representing around 600,000 journalists in the world, joins its affiliate, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS), to mourn the deaths of yet more innocent civilians who are victims of the conflict in Yemen.
According to the YJS, journalist and programming Monir al Hakeimi and administrative TV staff Suad Hajerah, both working for the state-owned Yemen TV, and their three kids were killed after their house was bombed by a Saudi led coalition’s air strike on Beit Miaad…
Journalists across Greece stopped broadcasting on 11 February from 18:00 until 01:00 in a protest against government plan to reduce the number of TV licences in Greece to only four national commercials broadcasters. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) and its Greek affiliates (JUADN, PFJU, ESPIT and ESIEMTH) demand the Greek government to withdraw immediately the proposal and guarantee media pluralism and transparency in media ownership.
According to the draft law voted on 11 February, the number of TV licences issued to commercial broadcasters will be limited to four. The independent authority (National…
Turkish journalist Füsun Erdogan visited the IFJ/EFJ offices today to share the latest developments of her trial to be set in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, on 23 March.
On 2 November 2013, Füsun Erdogan was given a life sentence and charged with being a member of an alleged terrorist organisation. Her trial in the appeal court will take place on 23 March. The IFJ and the EFJ ask the Turkish government to ensure a fair trial and set the journalist free.
Founder of the radio station Özgür Radyo (Radio Free), Erdogan has often defended political, religious and ethnic minorities. On 12 september 2006 she got arrested by police troops and spent 8 years in Gebze prison near Istanbul. She is…
Some masked people have attacked pro-governmental Turkish daily newspapers Yeni Safak and Yeni Akit with bombs and guns on February 11 in Istanbul.
According to media reports, a group of unidentified 3-4 masked people attacked with Molotov cocktails and guns the headquarters of Yeni Safak daily newspaper at 5 am in Istanbul. At around 5.30 am, the building of Yeni Akit newspaper in Istanbul experienced the same type of attack with Molotov cocktails thrown at the parking area. No physical casualties were reported and the local police started an investigation.
The Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC) condemned the attack in a statement.
The…
The Director of Venezuela TV and a member of the journalists’ organisation in Venezuela the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Prensa (SNTP) was killed outside his home by people who have not been identified.
The journalist, who worked for broadcast newslets and Noticias Voz in Oaxaca, was found dead near his car with a gunshot wound in the town of San Andrés Huaxpaltepec.
Bautisa reported closely on the precarious situations of community and indigenous radio stations in the region. In particular, he had covered the closing down of a cultural radio for indigenous community, XEJAM by the National Commission for the development of indigenous people. Furthermore, the journalist had spoken of fear in his newsroom as a result of their reporting on local and national politics.
The reporter El Sol de Orizaba y El Buen Tono, who was held captive in her home by armed men on 8 February, was found dead the following day with her hands tied and her body showing signs of torture.
According to the Spanish News Agency EFE, staff at the El Bueno Tono had reported death threats from the crime cartel called Los Zetas because of the investigations report in the newspaper.
Every week the International Federation of journalists (IFJ) is compiling a list of the top news articles from across the world in which it is mentioned.
Read some of the news highlights from Friday 5th to Friday 12th February:
1.Killing journalists does not kill the truth
2.Another Reporter Just Got Kidnapped in Mexico's Most Dangerous State for Journalists
3.Murder rate and crimes against journalists on rise
4.Guinea: Journalist Shot Dead
5.Television offices attacked in Lahore, Pakistan (IFJ - International Federation of Journalists)
6.IFJ Speaks On Safety In Journalism
7.Journalist shot dead in Guinea (IFJ - International Federation of…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists (India) in condemning the attack on journalist Malini Subramaniam in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, India on Sunday, February 7. The IFJ is outraged by the attack and demand immediate action from the local government to guarantee the safety of Subramaniam and the local media community.
On Sunday evening, a group of 20 people gathered in front of Malini Subramniam’s residence, a correspondent of the independent English-language news site Scroll.in. The mob shouted abusive slogans including ‘death to Malini Subramaniam’, as well as pelting rocks at her home, which shattered her car windows. The…
Today the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Australian affiliate the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) launched the IFJ 25th Killed List report, Journalists and Media Staff Killed 1990-2015: 25 years of contribution towards Safer Journalism at a special Asia-Pacific launch event in Sydney. The IFJ is the global voice of journalists representing more than 600,000 media workers around the world.
The report charts the trajectory of the safety crisis in journalism globally, including a regional report card for the Asia-Pacific on the state of journalism safety over that period.
“When the IFJ began collecting records on journalist casualties 25 years ago, one…
La Federación Internacional de Periodistas (FIP) denuncia con consternación el crimen de la reportera Anabel Flores Salazar, trabajadora de los medios El Sol de Orizaba y El Buen Tono.
Flores Salazar, quien había sido secuestrada en su hogar por un grupo de hombres armados el día 8 de febrero, fue encontrada sin vida, maniatada y con signos de tortura en la mañana del martes.
Según reporta la Agencia EFE, los trabajadores del diario El Buen Tono denunciaron recibir amenazas de integrantes del Cartel de Los Zetas (grupo criminal ligado al narcotráfico) en represalia por la publicación de investigaciones.
La Fiscalía de Veracruz, sin embargo, al momento de investigar el secuestro y…
La Fédération Internationale des Journalistes (FIJ) s’est jointe à la journée sans presse organisée le 9 février par son affiliée, l’Association des Journalistes de Guinée (AJG), et d’autres associations de la presse du pays afin de condamner l’assassinat du confrère Elhadj Mohamed Diallo, abattu le 5 février au siège national de l’UGDG dans la capitale, Conakry.
Les associations de la presse guinéenne (AGUIPEL, URTELGUI, AGEPI, UPLG, REMIGUI, AJG) ont informé l’opinion nationale et internationale qu’elles se constituaient partie civile dans le dossier relatif à l’assassinat de Diallo. En conséquence, il a été demandé à tous les journalistes de s’abstenir de donner la parole à…
Mme Dilek Dundar, l’épouse de Can Dundar, le rédacteur en chef du quotidien turc d’opposition Cumhuriyet, emprisonné depuis le 26 novembre avec son confrère Erdem Gül, a été reçue lundi au Ministère des affaires étrangères. Mme Dundar était accompagnée d’une délégation de journalistes turcs et de représentants des syndicats de journalistes français, membres de la Fédération internationale des journalistes (FIJ, 600 000 adhérents).
Lors de cette réunion, tenue en présence du porte-parole du Quai d’Orsay Romain Nadal, Mme Dundar a souligné la « situation alarmante » qui prévaut en Turquie pour la liberté de la presse et en particulier pour les deux journalistes de Cumhuriyet, accusés…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists Peninsular Malaysia (NUJM) in strongly criticising the proposed changes to the Official Secrets Act (1972) (OSA) by the Malaysian Attorney General. The IFJ and NUJM call on the Malaysian government to guarantee the rights of journalists to protect sources without fear of reprimand.
In an interview on February 6, Malaysian Attorney-General, Tan Sri Mohd Apandi Ali announced that he was proposing an amendment the OSA to seek harsher punishment against whistle-blowers who leak official secrets. The proposed changes would expand the scope of the law to include journalists. According to…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) promoted on 9 February the launch of the 2015 annual report on media freedom violations in Colombia, signed by the Federación Colombiana de Periodistas (FECOLPER), an IFJ affiliate.
The report alerts over 23% more violations than 2014 and a significant increase of work obstruction and stigmatization of journalists.
The report is produced as part of the co-operation programme between FECOLPER, the IFJ, the Swedish Journalists Union and the Union to Union programme that has been supporting FECOLPER since its launch in 2007.
Read all the conclusions of the report (in Spanish) here.
For more information, please contact IFJ on + 32…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) in condemning attacks on several journalists covering riots in Hong Kong on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. The IFJ calls for an investigation into the incident and those responsible be brought to justice.
According to reports, several journalists, including cameramen and photographers were attacked and injured as they reported on a riot in Mong Kok. The media workers from Cable Television, Television Broadcasting (TVB), Hong Kong Radio Television (ETHK), E Weekly, Ming Pao and Next Media Group, were covering a riot from a local political…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in condemning the attack on the office of the City 42 News television channel on Sunday, February 6, in Lahore, Pakistan. The IFJ demands an immediate investigation into the attack and actions against those responsible.
According to reports, two unidentified suspects, who were armed and riding motorcycles opened fire on the offices of the private news channel on Jail Road in Lahore. Immediately following the attack the assailants fled the scene. There were no reports of injuries to staff, only damage to the office. The incident has been registered with local police, who…
A journalist from the online media Guinee 7 was shot dead in the Guinean capital, Conakry, on Friday 5 February. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), representing 600,000 journalists across the world, joins its affiliate in Guinea, the Association des Journalists de Guinée (AJG), in calling for an independent investigation into the killing and the perpetrator(s) to be brought to justice.
Journalist Elhadj Mamadou Diallo, 30, was shot while covering a meeting of the main opposition party, the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG). According to the Reuters News Agency, Diallo was killed at the headquarters of the UFDG when violence broke out between supporters, as the…
The reporter who worked for the news websites Guinée7 and Afrik was shot and killed during clashes between rival factions of the West African nation's main opposition party, according to witnesses and the government quoted in media reports.
"He was shot at point-blank range. I'm here next to the body at the morgue right now," said Ibrahima Sory Traoré, publishing director of Guinee7.com for which Diallo worked.
Reports said El Hadj Mohamed Diallo was killed at the headquarters of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) in the capital Conakry during violence which broke out after one member who had been excluded from the party attempted to force his way in with his…
