The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
strongly condemns the arrest of two journalists Ram Pukar Raut and Pravin
Sharma Jha in Rautahat district, in the eastern plains (Terai) of Nepal on
February 24.
According to
information received from the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), an IFJ affiliate,
the two journalists who bring out a local weekly, The New Times Today,
have been charged with illicit links to a banned underground armed group active
in the Terai. The arrests followed the weekly’s publication of a press
release put out by the underground group.
FNJ sources
believe that the arrests may be in retaliation for a number of…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by reports that police in
China charged a writer with inciting
subversion of state power for distributing “jasmine revolution” information
online.
Sichuan Literature magazine writer Ran
Yunfei, a signatory of the Charter 08 manifesto, was detained by police and may
have been charged according to a February 24 report in German newspaper Deutsche Welle.
Many bloggers,
journalists and dissidents have been detained
by police since the “jasmine
revolution” information began spreading through the internet on February 19,
reports said. Police have…
The European Federation of Journalists today strongly condemned a gun attack and death threat to the Turkish Cypriot newspaper Africa and its editor Sener Levent on Friday evening.
The attack shocked the island’s media community and prompted trade unions and journalists’ groups in both Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities to join together to vigorously protest over this latest act of intimidation against one of the leading independent media voices.
“We join our colleagues in their expression of anger and outrage over this incident,” said Arne Konig, EFJ President. “This sort of intolerance and violent targeting of journalists makes no contribution to…
The
International Federation (IFJ) today called for media reforms and respect of
press freedom as journalists have come under fire over coverage of anti-governments
protests sweeping through the Arab world and the Middle East. The call
follows reports of bans on free movement of journalists and new attacks on
media in Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and Iraq Kurdistan. The authorities have imposed
a media crackdown and are curtailing internet access to try to limit the spread
of information about the current unrest. The IFJ warns that the increasingly
belligerent anti-media rhetoric of the region's embattled leaders is likely to
further endanger the safety of journalists.…
IFJ Condemns Campaign against Media as More Journalists Come under Attack in Uganda
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the planned assaults on at least six journalists by people believed to be supporters of the Mayoral candidate of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) ,Peter Ssematimba. The journalists, who all sustained serious injuries, were covering the local government elections at the Kakeeka polling station in Rubaga Parish in Kampala’s Lubaga Division, on Wednesday, 23 February 2011.
According to the Human Rights Network for Journalists in Uganda, the journalists’ attackers thugs…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes the release of three
reporters who were briefly detained by US-led NATO forces in Kunar province in
eastern Afghanistan.
According
to information received from IFJ affiliate the Afghan Independent Journalists’
Association (AIJA), Syed Abdullah Nezami of the Al Jazeera Arabic news channel
and Sadullah Sahil and Zabihullah of the Afghan TV News Service, were detained
on February 20 in a remote part of the province where a NATO air strike had
reportedly killed up to 50 civilians over the weekend.
The
reporters were investigating the event when they were taken in by NATO forces for
allegedly…
Against
a backdrop of historic political change for the region that has brought the
country to the brink of its own revolution, The International Partnership for
Yemen today releases findings from its joint mission that expose the critical
situation facing the media. The
Partnership, a coalition of press freedom and human rights organisations
including ARTICLE 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression, The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Media Support (IMS), and The
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), visited Yemen
in a week-long advocacy mission in November 2010. The
report, published today and entitled "Freedom of…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is saddened by reports that media staff members
are among those confirmed dead as a result of yesterday’s 6.3 magnitude
earthquake in Christchurch,
New Zealand.
The offices of The Press newspaper and Canterbury Television (CTV) were some of
the hardest hit by the quake, which struck New Zealand’s second largest city six
months after a larger quake caused extensive damage to the region on September
4, 2010. While no fatalities were recorded as a direct result of the September
quake, authorities have confirmed 75 deaths in total from yesterday’s quake,
with more than 300 people still unaccounted…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) joins with the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in condemning the
detention of a Fiji Times journalist by
military officers for his investigative reporting.
Fiji Times journalist Felix
Chaudhary, 41, who is based in Lautoka, on Fiji’s
main island of Viti Levu, was apprehended by military
officers on February 18 when he was reporting on an event where the country’s
regime leader Frank Bainimarama was present, PFF reported.
During his one-hour detention Chaudhary
was told the regime was unhappy with the reports appearing under his byline on
the sugar and aviation industries in Fiji. The journalist was…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by reports that police and
security agents intervened when journalists attempted to cover protests dubbed the
“jasmine revolution” in China
on February 20.
Many non-mainland journalists were
blocked or harassed when covering the protests in Beijing,
Shanghai and Guangzhou on the day.
A Hong Kong journalist told the IFJ he
was closely followed by a security officer who prevented him from making
contact with a number of dissidents in Guangzhou.
The journalist was harassed by the officer when investigating the case of a
human rights lawyer, who was injured in a beating by…
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
Press Release
21 February, 2011
IFJ Condemns Shooting of Journalist on Election Day in Uganda
The international Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today condemned the shooting of a journalist on polling day for the general elections which took place last week in Uganda. Freelance journalist Julius Odeke who writes for the Kampala based tabloids The Red Pepper and Raser newspapers was seriously injured after a bodyguard of Minister in the President’s Office, Ms Beatrice Wabudeya, shot at him in a scuffle at a polling station in Budadiri East, Mbale.
“We condemn the use of…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is shocked to hear of the killing
of Abdost Rind, a 27-year-old journalist in the Turbat area of Balochistan
province in Pakistan’s
south-west.
According
to information received from IFJ affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists
(PFUJ), Rind – a reporter with Daily
Eagle, an Urdu-language newspaper – was shot four times by unidentified
assailants on motorcycles as he returned home from work on the evening of
February 18. He died immediately.
He is the
second media worker to be killed in Balochistan this year, after the death of Ilyas
Nazar, who was found dead in Pidarak on…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is
disturbed to learn that four journalists in the Philippines have received death
threats after covering controversial issues recently near the capital Manila and
on the southern island of Mindanao.
Three journalists based in Tarlac City, north of
Manila, received death
threats via SMS (text message) after writing a series of articles on alleged
scams related to the ongoing construction of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union
Expressway, according to a report made to IFJ affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
(NUJP).
People’s Journal and People’s Tonight correspondent…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is
deeply concerned by reports of large funding cuts to Voice Of America’s (VOA)
Chinese language services.
The United States
Government’s Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees the operation
of VOA and several other international broadcasters such as Radio Free Asia,
announced a 57 per cent reduction in staff numbers to its Mandarin service and
closure of all Cantonese-language programming, VOA reported on
February 16.
According to a proposal before the
United States Congress, the BBG would reallocate funds to enhance the agency’s
global satellite transmission…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and
its regional organisation, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), have
today called for the investigation into the disappearance and probable murder
of Ukraine investigative Journalist, Vasyl Klymentyev, to be removed from the
hands of the local police force. Six months after Klymentyev's disappearance, the
official investigation into ‘premeditated murder' has failed to make any
progress. Meanwhile serious concerns have arisen about police conduct including
harassment of Klymentyev's partner, Valentina Udovenko, and illegal searches
and seizures of documents on the premises of Klymentyev and his…
The EFJ wrote today to Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor to express its great concern on the latest draft of Croatian penal code's rules regarding "crimes against honor and reputation" and their impact on journalists' rights and press freedom.
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused the Hamas
Government in Gaza of intimidating journalists after a Gaza -based member of
the Palestinian Journalists' syndicate (PJS), Yousef al Ostaz was called in for
questioning over his activities in the union. "This is an
outrageous interference in media affairs which must stop immediately," said
Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "The Hamas authorities have no business to
investigate the role of an elected leader's work for his union. This reckless
behavior risks disrupting the important work the union is engaged in to unite
journalists in the West Bank and Gaza." According to
the PJS, the Hamas authorities in…
Report of the EFJ Mission to Romania, 3-4 February 2011
On 3-4 February 2011, the European Federation of Journalists carried out a mission to Romania following an invitation by its affiliate, the Romania Federation of Journalists MediaSind.
While Europe's attention is focused on precise issues such as the Media Law in Hungary or the conflict of interest of Italian's Prime Minister, the situation of journalists in Romania remains problematic in many ways, not least from a crisis of undue political influence and the evidence of the regular and serious attacks on journalists and their media by political groups. Over the two days, the mission met journalists' leaders, policymakers,…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called for an
investigation into the attack on Lara Logan, a reporter for the American TV cable network CBS, last Friday in Tahrir square, Cairo. CBS has confirmed
that Logan was the victim of "a brutal and sustained sexual assault and
beating." "This is a shocking attack which must not go unpunished," said Jim
Boumelha. "The Egyptian Prime Minister has promised to investigate attacks on
media during the protests and this is one the most serious incidents which need
to be looked into." Media reports say Logan, who works on the CBS "60 minutes" programme, returned to Tahrir square on
Friday evening to report on the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the
Iraqi authorities in the city of Mosul to launch an immediate investigation
into the murder of journalist Hilal al Ahmadi who was gunned down yesterday morning
outside his home. "We condemn the shocking murder of our colleague and call for his
killers to face justice," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "This crime
shows there is a still a long way to go to achieve safety of journalists in
Iraq." The Iraqi Journalist Syndicate (IJS) says two gunmen struck early morning,
shooting dead Ahmadi, a father of four, as he was stepping out of his home on
the way to work. The 50 year old journalist
wrote…
EFJ Focus is a monthly bulletin of the European Federation of Journalists, produced by the Secretariat in Brussels.
The newsletter is available in English, and French and German.
Further Information: Tel: 32-2-235.22.15/02 Fax: 32-2-235.22.19 E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]
EFJ Focus is a monthly bulletin of the European Federation of Journalists, produced by the Secretariat in Brussels.
The newsletter is available in English, and French and German.
Further Information:Tel: 32-2-235.22.15/02 Fax: 32-2-235.22.19 E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]
EFJ Focus is a monthly bulletin of the European Federation of Journalists, produced by the Secretariat in Brussels.
The newsletter is available in English, and French and German.
Further Information: Tel: 32-2-235.22.15/02 Fax: 32-2-235.22.19
E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is disturbed to learn of an attack on foreign
journalists who attempted to interview a prominent activist and lawyer in China’s
east.
CNN journalists Stan Grant and Steven Jiang reported on February 16 that guards threw stones and pushed
and shoved them after ordering them away from the entrance to Dongshigu Village, Shandong
Province, where human rights activist Chen Guangcheng and his wife are
under house arrest.
“I demanded to know the reason we were barred from the
village…the ‘big guy’ kept shoving Stan away from the checkpoint, as his partner
knocked [fellow journalist] Brad's…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused Iranian authorities
of targeting media amid signs of solidarity in the country with protests which
toppled regimes in Egypt and Tunisia. At least four journalists working for
reformist newspaper were arrested last week ahead of demonstrations called by
the opposition to support recent popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. "The Iranian regime
is attempting to intimidate journalists out of fear for the publicity anti
governments protests have had in the Middle East," said Aidan White, IFJ
General Secretary. "Gagging media is further proof that the authorities are
failing to heed calls for democratic change in the…
Christopher
Warren, immediate past President, International
Federation of Journalists, and Federal Secretary, Media, Entertainment &
Arts Alliance to the Lasantha Wickrematunge commemoration, Colombo, Sri Lanka, February 15, 2011.
These last few weeks have been
exhilarating for those of us who believe in democracy, human rights, freedom of
speech and the press.
First Tunisia
and now Egypt
have embarked on the exciting, tumultuous journey to free and democratic
societies. There can be no doubt that the most difficult part of that journey
is still to come and those countries – and the dominos that will inevitably
follow them – will require…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) demands that authorities in the Philippines
take immediate steps to ensure the safety of journalists in Palawan
province, who remain under serious threat of assassination following the murder
of broadcaster Gerado Ortega last month.
IFJ affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has received information that two more
journalists have been targeted by those behind Ortega’s January 24 murder.
Rodolfo Edrad Jr, purportedly the link
to the alleged mastermind of the Ortega killing who surrendered to police on
February 5, told authorities that two more Palawan
journalists are next in…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused the
Jordanian government of stifling calls for democratic change after the
country's intelligence service disabled a news website and removed a letter to
the King demanding political reforms. The IFJ backed protests by journalists' leaders and others who
joined a protest after the country's biggest news website http://www.ammonnews.net/ was hacked
into and a report over the letter was taken down. Leaders of the IFJ affiliate,
the Jordanian Press Association(JPA), joined the demonstration which was held
outside the union offices in central Amman. "This is a sinister development that shows how vulnerable free…
The international Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused Russia of
stepping back into the shadows of censorship and political intolerance after The Guardian's Moscow correspondent Luke Harding was expelled from the country,
apparently in retaliation for writing a story linked to material provided by
the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. Harding was refused entry at Moscow airport when he returned to the city
yesterday. Immigration officials put him on the next flight back to London and
told him he was barred. The Guardian says the action comes after the newspaper published reports from
diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, including an article from Harding…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
welcomes the release of Aung Kyaw San, writer and publisher of the Myanmar
Tribune, from Taunggyi prison in the Burmese state of Shan, in the
country’s east on January 26.
San was
sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment under the country’s Unlawful Association
Act for his involvement as a volunteer in helping in the search and burial
efforts after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, according to Burmese media portal
Mizzima, operated in exile from India
and Thailand.
The sentence
was reduced to two years on appeal, with Sun serving two years and seven months’
jail, including the time he was held…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is
concerned at the serious lack of progress in the investigation into the death of
Umesh Rajput, a reporter with the Hindi daily Nai Duniya, a fortnight
after he was murdered outside his home in Chura village, near the state capital
of Chhattisgarh state.
Rajput was
called out of his home on the evening of January 23 by two unidentified men and
shot dead as he emerged. A note left at the site had a message written in
Hindi, which said that the murder was the consequence of stories the reporter
had been filing.
Since then
a local doctor and his assistant have been taken into custody. Two weeks before
his murder…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is encouraged to learn that a suspect allegedly involved in
the January 24 murder of broadcaster Gerado Ortega in the Philippines is in custody.
A key suspect in the murder, Rodolfo
Edrad Jr, alias Jun-Jun Bomar, turned himself in to authorities in Quezon
province about 10pm on February 5, according to news reports the following day.
Ortega, a prominent news anchor and
commentator with dwAR, was shot in the head at about 10am on January 24 as he
was shopping in the San Pedro district of Puerto Princesa City, the capital of
the country’s far-western island province
of Palawan.
Gunman Marlon de…
The International Federation of Journalists today mourned the loss of the first journalist to die in the social unrest in Egypt. Journalist Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud died in hospital in Cairo from injuries sustained after he was shot in the eye by a sniper on Monday last week.
The journalist, aged 39, worked for the A’wada newspaper, a part of the Al Ahram media group. His death comes after a week of continuing unrest that has seen journalists and media staff among those targeted by groups loyal to the regime of President Hosni Mubarak.
“This loss is the inevitable tragedy and consequence of reckless violence and confrontation,” said Aidan White, IFJ General…
Letter from IFJ President
Brussels, 4th February 2011 Dear colleagues, I write to ask you to join us in our effort to stop the
attacks against journalists in Egypt. As you may be aware, dozens of journalists were arrested, attacked and beaten yesterday
in one of the biggest witch-hunts against journalists in recent years. In
several cities, the Egyptian government and its supporters embarked in a
violent campaign to intimidate and stop the international media from reporting
recent events in Egypt. Some journalists were arrested,
others were beaten and had their cameras smashed and some abducted at
knifepoint. There were reported assaults on journalists for CNN, CBS, the…
Welcome to the inaugural
issue of a monthly media wrap up of happenings, events, information and
resources for Pacific journalists and media practitioners. Follow the latest
news on development trends, people on the move, agency and regional organisation
news and more. This regional media newsletter is aimed at keeping readers in
touch with the ‘Niusbeat’ in our Pacific community and we want to hear from you
– drop us a line for the March issue.
***
Fight
self censorship! New workshops for media: Self-censorship has been identified as a key threat to freedom of
expression and independent media in the Pacific.…
Today the
European Federation of Journalists expressed its concern about severe threats
to press freedom and violent attacks against several
journalists in Albania following last week protest in Tirana. "The
situation in Albania makes it impossible for journalists to work freely," said EFJ President Arne König. "A violent
environment is already a challenge for media professionals, but if the police
and authorities add physical violence and legal abuses, then we end up in an
intolerable situation for journalists. Albanian and foreign public have to right to know what is
happening in the country and it is the role of the authorities to guarantee the
exercise of the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins
its affiliate, the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA), in
condemning an attack on Radio Payam in the northern Afghanistan
province of Baghlan.
According to
information available to the AIJA, the radio station was attacked by seven unidentified
men early in the morning of January 31. Some of the facilities were damaged but
the main objective seems to have been theft, with equipment worth an estimated
USD 30,000, including the station’s transmitter, reportedly removed by the
intruders.
The local
leadership of the Taliban and the Hezb-e-Isalami have denied any involvement in
the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins with
the Pacific Freedom Forum in calling for a self-regulatory system to be
established for media in Tonga,
as defamation proceedings continue in the country this week.
Tonga's Minister of Public
Enterprises and Revenue Clive Edwards filed a defamation case against Kele’a newspaper following a report in
the lead up to the kingdom’s first democratic elections on November 25.
The report, published on the
newspaper’s front page on November 24, a day before the elections, alleged that
a number of candidates had formed a “secret” political party backed by the then
government, Taimi…
The European Federation
of Journalists (EFJ) today called for the A1TV television network in Macedonia to
be allowed to continue broadcasting following political and judicial pressure
that threatens the future of independent and critical journalism in the
country. Journalists working
at A1 TV, and the newspapers Vreme, Shpic and Koha e Re, have issued calls for
help following action to freeze the accounts of their company and in the face
of a court action that they claim is in violation of the country's
Constitution. Since January 27 A1 TV
has been airing its programmes from the street in front of the Government
building, at sub-zero temperatures, in protest over the freezing…
View the NUJ Copyright glossary (2011) by clicking on the link below which will take you to the website:
http://www.londonfreelance.org/fl/1108glos.html
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on Egypt
to end the crackdown on journalism and media which has led to numerous beatings
of media staff and censorship of television and communications networks. As the
political crisis has intensified with renewed protests in the streets the
regime of President Hosni Mubarak has become ever-more desperate to stop media
coverage of the uprising. Media reports say that the Government last week blocked websites and the
Qatari- based international broadcaster, Al-Jazeera has been taken off the air.
Its office in Cairo has been shut down and staff were arrested, their film
confiscated. The studios of the French public…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
strongly condemns an arson attack on the offices of LankaENews, a popular news portal
operating out of a suburb of the Sri Lankan
capital city of Colombo.
According
to information made available to the IFJ, a group of unidentified people broke
into the office of the news portal at about 2am on January 31 and set fire to all
the fixtures and equipment they could find. Reports received as late as 8am
mentioned that the office building was still ablaze and could be completely
gutted. The extent of damage caused has been estimated at LKR (Sri Lanka Rupee) 15 million (about USD 135,000).
It has
also been reported…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned by the January 28
conviction of Anish Trivedi, a one-time columnist for the Mumbai-based
afternoon daily Mid-Day on charges of causing offence to communities
disadvantaged by India’s
traditional caste hierarchy.
In a
column published in 2006, Trivedi argued that the dismal performance of many of
India’s
institutions of governance was a consequence of the policy of affirmative
action, which assured disadvantaged communities representation in the staffing
of all these institutions. He followed up this assessment with remarks on individuals
belonging to these communities that aroused serious…
Addendum: Tran Thuy Lieu, wife of
journalist Le Hoang Hung surrendered herself to authorities
on Februrary 20 and is being detained as a suspect in her husband’s murder,
according to local media reports.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls
for an immediate investigation into the January 30 death of journalist Le Hoang
Hung, ten days after he was set on fire while sleeping at his
home in Tan An near the Vietnamese capital Ho Chi Minh City.
Hung, a
veteran reporter with The Worker
newspaper, sustained burns to 50 per cent of his body after being doused
with chemicals and set alight in the January 20 attack. Local media…
A new International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) report has uncovered scores of restrictive
orders issued by China’s
authorities in 2010 that block information on public health, disasters,
corruption and civil unrest.
Voices
of Courage: Press Freedom in China
2010, released today by IFJ
Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong, outlines more than 80 restrictive
orders issued last year by authorities in China. The orders are a mere sample
of the vast array of controls on information that journalists and media workers
are known to grapple with when reporting the news.
“The IFJ has uncovered a series of orders
issued by China’s propaganda
machine in…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply
concerned to learn that China’s
Central Propaganda Department interfered in a newsroom by forcing an outspoken journalist
and commentator to resign and the removal of three other journalists from their
roles.
Journalist Zhang Ping (a pen name), 40, was forced to leave Southern Metropolis Newspaper by its
editor-in-chief on January 27 after the vice director of the Central Propaganda
Department visited the office the week before.
Zhang’s columns have been suspended from Southern Metropolis Newspaper and Southern Weekly since July 2010 without
reason. At a meeting on January 27 newspaper…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Wednesday joined its affiliate in Argentina,
the Argentinean Federation of Press Workers (FATPREN), its regional organisation, La
Federación de Periodistas de América Latina y el Caribe (FEPALC) and other
national organisations to mark the 14th anniversary of the murder of
Argentinean photographer José Luis Cabezas and to condemn the impunity for his
killers. The activities,
held in the coastal city of Pinamar, included a march which took place on one
of the principal highways leading to a monument in Cabezas' honour. "The
unresolved murder of José Cabezas demonstrates the continued…
The leading voice in European Copyright Policy, Commissioner Michel Barnier, has given strong backing to the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its members in their fight to protect journalists' authors' rights.
On 24 January, Mr Barnier, the Commissioner responsible for the Internal Market and Services in the European Union took the opportunity of a meeting with EFJ representatives to underscore the important role journalists play in Europe's democracy and cultural diversity.
"Journalists have a key role to play in upholding Europe's democracy, and make an invaluable contribution to Europe's economy and cultural industry," said Commissioner Barnier: "We are…
The leading voice in European Copyright Policy,
Commissioner Michel Barnier, has given strong backing to the European
Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its members in their fight to protect
journalists' authors' rights. On 24 January, Mr Barnier, the Commissioner
responsible for the Internal Market and Services in the European Union took the
opportunity of a meeting with EFJ representatives to underscore the important
role journalists play in Europe's democracy and cultural diversity. "Journalists have a key role to play in upholding
Europe's democracy, and make an invaluable contribution to Europe's economy and
cultural industry," said Commissioner Barnier: "We are in the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
today accused the Yemeni authorities of waging a campaign of intimidation
against media after journalist Tawakul Karman was arrested by security forces on
Saturday night and detained before being released on Monday. The authorities
claimed she was held over allegations of "organising
unauthorised gatherings and marches and inciting riots and disorder". "The journalist is the latest victim of the
Yemeni government-led campaign to stifle public debate on the country's affairs,"
said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "Journalists are citizens and are
entitled to express their opinion without being harassed." According to the Yemeni…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins with affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
(NUJP) in condemning the murder of radio
anchor Gerardo Ortega, a
commentator with dwAR, in the country’s far-western island province Palawan on January 24.
Ortega was shot in the head at around 10 am as he was
shopping in the San Pedro district of Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan province. He is the 142nd media worker
to be killed since the end of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 and the second to
be killed during the administration of current president Benigno Aquino III.
Police apprehended Manila
resident Marvin Alcaraz…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins
its affiliate, the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA), in
condemning a brutal attack on senior journalist Abdul Razaq Mamoon on the
evening of January 18.
Reports
from the AIJA indicate that Mamoon was entering his home in the Microrayon-3
area of Kabul when
he was attacked by a lone assailant who sprayed acid on his face and fled. Police
reportedly found knives and other lethal weapons left by the attacker as he
fled.
Mamoon was
hospitalised with serious burn injuries to his face, though his vision and
other vital functions are unimpaired.
“The IFJ
condemns this…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the arrest on 18 January 2011 of Nyambe Muyumbana, an assistant station manager of Radio Lyambai, a private station based in the western Province in Zambia over allegations of inciting violence.
“Accusations of inciting violence against journalists must not be made lightly and the authorities should first establish what happened in this case,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office. “Journalists have a right to oppose and criticize the Government’s policies and any attempt to intimidate them constitutes a serious violation of freedom of expression and press freedom which are…
As protests
in Sri Lanka mark the
anniversaries of the murder of Sunday
Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and disappearance of cartoonist
Prageeth Eknaligoda, the International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demands that the Government of Sri Lanka
expedite investigations into these cases and immediately disclose any findings.
The Alliance
of Media Organisations, which includes IFJ affiliates the Free Media Movement
(FMM) and the Sri Lanka Working
Journalists’ Association (SLWJA), staged a protest in Colombo on January 18 to mark two years since
the death of Wickrematunge and one year since Eknaligoda’s disappearance.
Wickrematunge was murdered…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) today announces the release of a new report available in
English and Nepali, the result of a 12 month project conducted in partnership
with IFJ affiliate the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ).
Reporting for All: Challenges for the Media in
Nepal’s
Democratic Transition is the
outcome of media monitoring, training workshops and focus group discussions
with a wide cross-section of the country’s journalists.
“This report shows that Nepal’s
democratic transition is far from complete with journalists and media organisations
continuing to face key challenges in the current…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused the
authorities in Paraguay of a "scandalous smear" after police in Asunción
claimed an explosion outside the offices of Channel 9 television network on January 12 was
linked to an industrial dispute over the sacking of a journalists' union leader. According to the journalists' union, the Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay (SPP), an explosive device was set off last week outside the offices of
Channel 9 but there were no casualties. In the aftermath, the deputy head of
the national Police, Idalino Bianconi, told reporters that the attack could be
linked to internal tensions at the station where workers…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused the authorities in Paraguay of a "scandalous smear" after police in Asunción claimed an explosion outside the offices of Channel 9 television network on January 12 was linked to an industrial dispute over the sacking of a journalists' union leader.According to the journalists' union, the Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay (SPP), an explosive device was set off last week outside the offices of Channel 9 but there were no casualties. In the aftermath, the deputy head of the national Police, Idalino Bianconi, told reporters that the attack could be linked to internal tensions at the station where workers have…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls
on the management of the Utusan Melayu newspaper in
Malaysia to respect the rights of working journalists
to freely discuss industry issues, amid concerns the paper is victimising
the leader of the country’s journalists’ union.
Utusan Melayu initiated a domestic inquiry into
the actions of Ha’ta Wahari, an employee of the paper and president of the National Union of Journalists of Malaysia (NUJM), which was scheduled for January 17.
However,
after 30 minutes of argument from NUJM
General Secretary V. Anbalagan, the inquiry chairman Mohd Bashir Abdul Rahim abandoned the inquiry for…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today welcomed the
pledge from Tunisian President Ben Ali to allow press freedom and to end internet
censorship, saying the move vindicates the long-running campaign for
independence by journalists led by the Syndicat national des journalistes
tunisiens (SNJT), an IFJ affiliate. "We welcome this commitment to press freedom by President Ben Ali," said
Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "It is long overdue and now he must make good on
his promises." Boumelha said the President's new policy, a major reversal of long-time
opposition to independent journalism by the government, would not have happened
without the commitment and spirited…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today warned of a campaign of intimidation in Uganda after the arrest and detention on 11 January 2011 of Mustapha Mugisa, editor and publisher of the Review magazine Summit Business for allegedly publishing a cartoon of President Yoweri Museveni in October 2010.
“This arrest constitutes a serious violation of freedom of expression which is a fundamental right enshrined in Uganda’s Constitution,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office. “We have reason to believe there is a deliberate campaign to intimidate journalists, especially with the approach of the elections scheduled next…
