The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by two
separate attacks on media which occurred in Hong Kong and Mainland China last
week.
According
to reports received by the IFJ, four masked men entered the office of Hong Kong
news outlet Inmedia and smashed three computers, a television and chairs on
August 8. Chu Hoi-Dik,
Chairman of Inmedia, told the IFJ that the perpetrators were highly organised
and ‘professional’, having convinced employees of the media company to provide them
with the office street address. When they arrived, they reportedly told two
interns to move aside saying “We will leave when we finish.”…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins partners and
affiliates in India in condemning the August 11 violence in the western Indian
metropolis of Mumbai, which left three photojournalists seriously injured.
Information obtained from sources at the Indian Journalists’ Union
(IJU), an IFJ affiliate, and the Brihan-Mumbai (Greater-Mumbai) Union of
Journalists (BUJ), indicates that the journalists were targeted by a crowd that
had assembled at an open field in the south of the city, to protest against the
killing of members of the religious minority in recent communal violence in the
north-eastern Indian state of Assam and the Republic of…
The International Federation of Journalists today has called on the authorities
of Sierra Leone to investigate and bring to book the attacks against two print
journalists by serving members of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces.
« We have vigorously condemned these attacks against the two
journalists, and we welcome the investigation announced by the Minister for
Defense to punish those who caused the attacks, » said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ
Africa Office Director.
According to Sierra-Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), an IFJ
affiliate, Poindexter Sama and Alie Turay, two journalists with Awoko a daily independent
newspaper were…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
(NUJP) in welcoming the
arrest of Niel
Guimeroy, a suspect
in the 2011 murder of broadcaster Niel “Lito” Jimena in Negros Occidental
province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.
According to reports,
police arrested Niel Guimeroy at around 6 a.m. in Isabela town, Bacolod City, southern Philippines. Guimeroy and Joel
Calungsod - a former militiaman who remains at large - have reportedly been
charged with murder.
Jimena
was shot five times by unknown assailants on August 23, 2011. At the time
of his murder, Neil…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its partner and
affiliate the Maldives Journalists’ Association (MJA) in condemning the August
7 attack on the studio and broadcast facilities of Raajje TV, which left vital
equipment badly damaged, forcing the channel off the air for several hours. We
call on the Maldivian authorities to conduct a swift and independent
investigation into the incident.
During the early hours of August 7, the Male office of
Raajje TV was broken into and critical cables were severed, effectively
terminating the station's nationwide service.
This latest incident follows a series of attacks on
Raajje TV - the only…
The first-ever All-African conference on gender and media, with the theme “Empowering African women journalists, and sub-theme, Stepping up to the challenge of gender and equality” began at 10:03 am on August 26, 2011 in Kigali, Rwanda with the arrival of His Excellency Dr Vincent Biruta, President of Rwandan Senate and Hon. Protais Musoni, Minister of Cabinet Affairs of the Office of the Prime Minister of Rwanda. The Rwandan national Anthem was played. The session was moderated by Omar Faruk Osman, the President of the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ). Omar welcomed everyone and thanked…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the suspension of a
local newspaper by the local Beijing Government in alleged retaliation for
their investigations into the underreporting of the death toll from the storm
that hit in China’s
capital city on July 21 by the government’s Flood Control and Drought Relief
Headquarters.
According
to a Radio France Internationale report, The
Economic Observer -a weekly newspaper based in China’s
eastern Shandong province and with offices in Beijing
and Shanghai -
was ordered to “suspend” its work on August 6 by the local Beijing Government’s
Cultural Bureau. The…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has commended today the
Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the African Union for committing to
support the UNiTE Campaign to End Violence Against Women in Africa.
“This
campaign is about our lives and our societies; the media organisations should
empower the newsrooms and reporters who have been covering gender and gender
base violence”. Said Beth Costa, General Secretary of the IFJ.
The UN
Campaign UNiTE to End Violence Against Women was launched in 2008
by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon and will end in
2015. The Africa UNiTE Campaign launched in 2010…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused Hamas security forces of harassing elected officials of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate (PJS) in Gaza. In a letter to Ismael Haniyeh, Prime Minister in the Hamas government, the IFJ President said that journalists' leaders in Gaza have been subjected to a campaign of intimidation and threats designed to force them to stop their union work. Some of them are now facing charges of illegal activities and a travel ban after they refused to give in to pressure."We consider the accusations against our colleagues of illegal activity and theft of the union identity a malicious accusation which should be dropped immediately,"…
The Federation of African
Journalists (FAJ), the regional organisation of the International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ), has today reaffirmed its commitment to support the UN Women
Campaign to End Violence Against Women in Africa.
“The campaign against
gender based violence is at the heart of our role in gender mainstreaming in
the societies that we belong to,” said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Director,. “We
will contribute resources to gear our gender programmes towards
addressing the campaign to end violence against women.”
The Campaign ‘UNiTE to End
Violence Against Women’ was launched in 2008 by the…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned to learn of threats made against two
media practitioners in the Bicol Region of the Philippines.
IFJ’s affiliate, the National Union of
Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP),
was informed that Mayon Times Publisher, Leonard “Leo” Balsarza,Jr, received a .38 calibre bullet in a brown
envelope with the words “Doronela and Balsarza Warning” written on the front in
red ink.
The 63 year
old publisher said his son found the envelope at the front door of their family
home in Lagazpi City on the morning of July 27. Balsarza also said a witness saw a
person wearing…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the Chinese Government’s censoring of
questions at a press conference on July 25 that related to the official death
toll from the severe storm that hit the country’s capital, Beijing, on Saturday July 21.
Beijing was hit by a severe storm which killed approximately 77 people and caused
severe economic loss. The local government held a press conference the following
day, during which it released the official death toll. However, it was believed
by many that this figure significantly under-reported the true number of
deceased.
On July 25, another press
conference was held in Beijing
by…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by the decision of the Republic of China
(Taiwan)’s National Communications Commission (NCC) to approve the expansion of
the services of media giant Want Want China Times Group, in Taipei on July 25,
2012.
Want Want China Broadband, a
subsidiary of the Want Want China Times Group, already owns several newspapers,
magazines, and both terrestrial and satellite television stations in Taiwan. It
is reported that the new expansion would see the company purchase an additional
10 cable television companies for TWD 76 billion (approximately USD 2.6 billion),
allowing the company to secure 23…
Download EFJ Focus July 2012 now. It is available in English and French and German.
EFJ Focus is a monthly bulletin of the European Federation of
Journalists, produced by the Secretariat in Brussels.
Further
Information: Tel: 32-2-235.22.15/02Fax: 32-2-235.22.19E-mail:
[email protected] and [email protected]
Download EFJ Focus July 2012 now. It is available in English and French and German.
EFJ Focus is a monthly bulletin of the European Federation of Journalists, produced by the Secretariat in Brussels.
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) hails the compensation payment finally made to Ram Prasad
Dahal following his unfair dismissal from the Rajdhani daily in 2005, as a historic triumph for press freedom in
Nepal.
According to information received
from IFJ-affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of Nepal (NUJ-N), Dahal
met with the Chairman of the media group that publishes the Rajdhani daily on July 18 2012, in the
presence of officials from the Bagmati Regional Labour Office in Kathmandu. The
amount decreed by Nepal’s Labour Court, as compensation due for unfair
dismissal, was paid to Dahal after the meeting. The settlement came after the…
The International Federation of
Journalist (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ)
in expressing serious concern over the threats reportedly against a journalist by
a staffer of the District Veterinary Office in Panchthar District, in Nepal’s
Eastern region on July 18, 2012.
Since the District Veterinary
Office is an establishment under the Nepal government, the offender here is a
public servant, subject to the relevant rules of discipline.
According to representatives of
FNJ’s Panchthar Chapter, Deepak Dulal, affiliated with radio station Eagle FM
was visiting the office to investigate complaints of poor service…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is deeply disappointed by reports that Hong Kong’s newly appointed Secretary of Education failed to publically
disclose his official visit to China, in a shift in policy from the Hong Kong
Government’s traditional practice of transparency.
According to various reports in the
Hong Kong media, Secretary of Education Eddie Ng Hak-Kim made a secret trip to
visit the Ministry of Education in Beijing on Monday 16 July. Neither Hong
Kong’s Ministry of Education nor the Department of Information publically disclosed
any information on the trip until after a press release had been released by…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) is informed by partner organisations and affiliates in Sri Lanka of an
alarming decision by the Ministry of Mass Media and Information to levy a
registration fee on news websites and charge them an annual fee for renewal of
registration.
According to a press
release published on the website of the Ministry on July 13, the cabinet
had two days earlier approved the proposal to levy a registration fee of LKR
(Sri Lankan rupees) 100,000 (approximately USD 750) on websites that carry news
and current affairs content on the country. These websites would moreover be
liable to pay an annual renewal fee of LKR 50,000…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its regional organisation, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), today demanded the release of Anton Surapin, a Belarus journalist who was arrested on 13th July after he was the first to publish photos of Swedish teddy Bears that had landed on Belarus soil.
He has since been charged with assisting a Swedish Public Relations Company with invading Belarus airspace (illegal trespassing) before dropping the teddy bears and, if convicted, faces up to seven years in jail.
"This incident would be almost funny if it wasn't that an ordinary journalist may have to pay with seven years of his freedom in order to satisfy the pride of a…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) joins partners in Bangladesh in strongly condemning the arrest
and subsequent alleged custodial torture of Mostafizur Rahman Sumon, a crime
reporter with the web-based news portal, justnewsbd.com.
Sources in Bangladesh have informed the IFJ that
Sumon was arrested on July 13 in the vicinity of a computer store in the capital
city of Dhaka. He was taken to an unknown location by the Detective Branch of
the local police and held for two days, during which he was allegedly severely
tortured.
The president and general secretary of the National
Press Club, Kamal Uddin Sabuj and Syed Abdal Ahmad, have in a joint…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is deeply frustrated by reports that China’s Central
Propaganda Department has blocked all media reporting of the anniversary of
2011’s deadly high-speed train crash in Wenzhou, in China’s eastern Zhejiang
Province.
On the evening of July 23, 2011, two
high-speed bulletin trains collided in Wenzhou, killing
40 people and injuring at least 192 others. During the rescue, government officials
quickly ordered the burial of the train the wreckage, drawing criticism from
the public for their attempts to cover-up the incident.
Only state-owned
media organisations, including Xinhua news agency…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by the recent
removal of senior staff from two Chinese newspapers, both in apparent responses
to political pressure.
Lu Fumin,
Editor-in-Chief for Xin Kuai Daily (New Express in English), a newspaper based
in China’s southern Guangdong province, and Publisher Lu Yan and Vice-Publisher
Sun Jian of the Shanghai-based Dong Fang
Daily were reportedly removed or suspended from their duties within the
last two days.
It is
reported that Lu Fumin was removed from his post at Xin Kuai Daily and moved to sister newspaper, the Yangcheng Evening Post, as an editor on
Monday July 16. The…
The International Federation of Journalists joins
its affiliate the National Union of Philippines (NUJP) in expressing disappointment
in the delayed and minor punishment given to the perpetrator of an assault on a
radio journalist in the Philippines in June 2011.
The IFJ reported on the incident, in which Kalinga Governor Jocel Baac forced himself into the
announcer’s booth of radio station dzRK in Tabuk, Kalinga on June 7 last year,
and hit radio commentator Jerome Tabanganay,
of the government-owned station,
several times using a microphone. Before leaving the booth Baac also threatened
Tabanganay, saying “talk again and I will kill you”.
The…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins partners and
affiliates in India in condemning the attempt on the life of Tonggam Rina, Associate
Editor of the Arunachal Times, in
Itanagar, capital of the north-eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, on
June 15.
According to information received from the IFJ-affiliated Indian
Journalists’ Union, Rina was shot, sustaining a serious abdominal injury, as
she entered her office that evening. She was taken to a local hospital for
treatment and her condition was described by the head of the state police force
as “out of danger”.
Rina has reportedly
faced threats in the recent past…
The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the African regional
organization of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), today expresses
its concern regarding the 18-year prison sentence to journalist ?Eskinder
Nega, handed down on Friday, 13 July by Ethiopian court in Addis Ababa.
Eskinkder Nega and 23 opposition figures were found guilty of terrorism
related charges on 27 June. Nega, 44, was arrested in September 2011 and
accused of supporting US-based political group, Ginbot 7, which is banned in
Ethiopia.
The journalist was also accused of provoking “violence”, “hate” and
encouraging Arab spring revolution to unseat the…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National
Union of Journalists Philippines (NUJP) in expressing strong support for the striking
employees from Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) in
Davao City, southern Philippines who are protesting the RMN management’s
on-going refusal to negotiate with their representative union the RMN Davao Employees Union (RDEU).
According
to the NUJP, the decision of the RDEU members
to strike in front of the station on July 10 follows two years of RMN management refusal
to recognise the legitimacy of the RDEU and negotiate with them in good faith for
minimal improvements to the pay and working…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins partners and
affiliates in India in calling for full disclosure of the circumstances in
which a shocking incident of the public molestation of a young girl by a mob of
more than twenty men was captured on video camera by a news channel reporter.
Video images of the incident, which occurred late evening on July 9 in
the city of Guwahati in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, soon went
viral on the web, provoking mass public outrage and questions over the role of
the news reporter in the incident.
The Journalists’ Union of Assam (JUA), a constituent unit of the
IFJ-affiliated Indian…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its partner the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in expressing concern
regarding the reports of interference with media reporting by electoral
officers in two provinces of Papua New Guinea (PNG).
In a report first published by the PNG Media
Workers association, it is alleged that in two separate incidents journalists
at polling centres in PNG’s Western Highlands and Morobe provinces were impeded
in reporting on election results by returning officers.
On Monday 9th July, the returning officer for
the Huon/Gulf electorate in Morobe demanded payment for the release of
information on electoral results…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) today condemned the brutal attack and kidnapping of a journalist by armed
men in Mali.
According to independent sources including AFP,
journalist Saouti Haïdara, Publisher of L’Indépendant a
private daily newspaper, was arrested on Thursday, 12 July, in Bamako by
armed men who came in the offices and opened fire in the newsroom. He was forcefully
taken away from his office to an unidentified location, but later freed after
several hours of detention. Haïdara, who was later released by his captors, is
still admitted in hospital.…
The
Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the African regional group of the
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) declared today that African
Governments have the duty to guarantee the safety of journalists.
Attending
the 19th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African
Union (AU), the delegation of FAJ has intensified the campaign for the adoption
of a binding resolution on the safety and protection of journalists in Africa.
The
FAJ delegation is made up of the President, Omar Faruk Osman, the Vice
President Foster Dongozi, and the Africa Director for the International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Gabriel Baglo. They…
Threats by a senior official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Greece to cut off a newspaper's
access to information after one of its journalists refused to reveal his
sources have been condemned by the European Federation of Journalists today. The threat was made by Mr. Bob Traa, Senior IMF Resident
Representative in Athens, who was reacting to a story by Greek journalist
Zois Tsolis for the TO VIMA newspaper. On 24 June 2012, Tsolis published an exclusive report in the weekly
newspaper that included facts and data on an increase in the number of public
servants in some ministries over the last two years, despite contrary
recommendations in the memorandum of understanding…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) in expressing concern over the
latest reports of threats against a journalist by a police officer in Lahan, in
Nepal’s eastern Siraha region on July 10, 2012.
Mithilesh Yadav, a Lahan-based journalist for Nagarik Daily was allegedly threatened
by a police constable over news published about continuing criminal activities
such as beatings, abductions and explosions in Lahan in the last five months.
Yadav reported that he was manhandled while he was on
assignment following up his report at the Police Office. Yadav alleges that
Senior…
Today, 250 collecting societies manage the rights of creators in the EU. 83% of revenues collected go to the music sector.
The European Commissions' proposed Directive on collective management of copyright and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in musical works for online uses in the internal market will apply across the whole creative industry, ie music, audiovisual and publishing.
he proposal follows a two-fold objective:
- greater transparency and improved governance of collecting societies through strengthened reporting obligations and rightholders' control over their activities
- encourage and facilitate multi-territorial and multi-repertoire licensing…
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ),
the largest organisation of journalists in Europe, has welcomed yesterday's
decision by the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education to propose
a ban on buy-out contracts. This decision is the result of a vote on a report
on the online distribution of audiovisual works in the European Union drafted
by French Euro-MP Jean Marie Cavada. The report backs a series of provisions
supporting authors, including the concept of an unwaivable right to remuneration
for all forms of exploitation of their works. It also calls on EU Member States
to ban buy-out contracts. These contracts, widely used in the media industry,
allow for…
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the largest organisation of journalists in Europe, has welcomed yesterday's decision by the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education to propose a ban on buy-out contracts.
This decision is the result of a vote on a report on the online distribution of audiovisual works in the European Union drafted by French Euro-MP Jean Marie Cavada.
The report backs a series of provisions supporting authors, including the concept of an unwaivable right to remuneration for all forms of exploitation of their works. It also calls on EU Member States to ban buy-out contracts. These contracts, widely used in the media industry, allow for…
Today, 250 collecting societies manage the rights of creators in the EU. 83% of revenues collected go to the music sector.
The European Commissions' proposed Directive on collective management of copyright and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in musical works for online uses in the internal market will apply across the whole creative industry, ie music, audiovisual and publishing.
The proposal follows a two-fold objective:
- greater transparency and improved governance of collecting societies
through strengthened reporting obligations and rightholders' control
over their activities
- encourage and facilitate multi-territorial and…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) in condemning the murder of
Santosh Gupta, Media Owner and Managing Director of Birgunj based Bindas FM, in
the Central Region of Nepal on July 6, 2012.
According to news reports, Gupta had
established Bindas FM three months ago and was found dead with severe injuries
to his body in Musouriya village in Bihar State, India.
The management of Bindas FM allege
that Gupta went to Bihar after an unidentified person called and requested he
come to him talk about advertising for the FM station.
It is reported that Bihar’s…
The international Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
today in an open letter to US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, requested her
personal intervention in investigating allegations over the presence of missing
Gambian journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh in the US.
“We write to request that Mrs. Clinton investigate the
allegations by the Gambia Government that journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh is
alive and lives in the US,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director IFJ Africa Office.
Chief Ebrima Manneh, a former reporter of the
pro-government Daily Observer has been missing since 6 July 2006, following his arrest by plain clothes
police officers of the…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its partner the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in condemning the threats
and intimidation directed towards newsroom staff at the East Sepik office of Papua
New Guinea’s National Broadcaster, NBC.
According to a PFF report, on Wednesday July
4, NBC staff were confronted by an angry mob led by East Sepik Governor and
Member for Yangoru/Saussia, Peter Wararau Waranaka. The Governor, his driver
and a group of supporters converged on the NBC East Sepik broadcast compound,
where they singled out, abused and threatened radio Journalist Greogry Pegines,
station manager Anna Klawe and other news journalists…
ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, was rejected on 4th July by the European Parliament with a great majority.
This decision means that ACTA cannot come into force in the EU.
"The decision to reject ACTA was not taken lightly" said Martin Schultz, President of the European Parliament. "It followed an intensive, inclusive and transparent debate with civil society, business organisations, national parliaments and many other stakeholders. The vote against ACTA was not one against the protection of intellectual property. On the contrary - the European Parliament staunchly supports the fight against piracy and counterfeiting, which harm European companies and pose…
ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, was rejected on 4th July by the European Parliament with a great majority.
This decision means that ACTA cannot come into force in the EU."The
decision to reject ACTA was not taken lightly" said Martin Schultz, President of the European Parliament. "It followed an intensive,
inclusive and transparent debate with civil society, business organisations,
national parliaments and many other stakeholders.
The
vote against ACTA was not one against the protection of intellectual property.
On the contrary - the European Parliament staunchly supports the fight against
piracy and counterfeiting, which harm European companies and pose a…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) in expressing
concern over reports of threats and attacks directed towards the media in Nepal
in the last week.
Reports indicate that on July 2, 2012, death
threats were issued to two journalists from the Nigarani Daily and that the following day the paper’s press was
vandalised.
According
to reports, the Nigarani Daily ‘s Editor Milan K. Raut and correspondent Tejan Khadka were threatened by
activists from UCPN,
a Maoist affiliated labour union, because of a story they published in Urlabari, Morang, in Nepal’s
Eastern…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is informed by
affiliates and partners that the Communications Authority of the Maldives (CAM)
is delaying the grant of a broadcast licence to the independent television channel
Raajje TV.
Sources inform the IFJ that Raajje TV had applied for satellite uplink
permission in mid-June and been assured that its request would be processed in
accordance with established rules. Later, the CAM pleaded that it would only be
able to grant a temporary licence for uplinking, for possibly a period of six
months. On July 1 though, the CAM informed the Raajje TV management that their
application for a satellite uplink would not be…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed frustration at the blocking of
the official website of the financial news organisation Bloombergwithin China
by the country’s authorities in apparent retaliation for the publication of an
article which referred to the assets of the relatives of China’s Vice-President
Xi Jinping.
On June 29, an
article with the title “Xi
Jinping Millionaire Relations Reveal Fortunes Of Elite” was published on
Bloomberg’s website. The report revealed that Xi’s extended family have
millions of dollars of assets. Although the article clearly states that there
is no indication that any…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European group the Federation of
Journalists (EFJ) have welcomed the decision of the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) on 28 June in case of protection of sources brought by
journalists against France, following the searches of the newsrooms of the
French newspapers, L’Equipe and Le Point, and the confiscations
of material conducted on 13 January.
“This is a victory for all
European journalists,” stated Stephen Pearse, EFJ General Secretary. “But it is
also a wake-up call for the political, judiciary and police authorities of all
Member States, particularly France, which haven’t…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by the
management of the Xi’an Evening Newspaper ‘s decision to suspend one of its journalists after he reported on corruption
allegations made against the Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party for the
township of Dali, in China’s northern Sha’anxi province.
On June 30, Shi
Junrong, journalist for the Xi’an Evening
Newspaper, was suspended from duty after
he had raised allegations of corruption against the Secretary of the Chinese
Communist Party for the township of Dali on June 26.
In the
report, Shi queried how Dali’s Secretary can…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the detaining by Hong Kong Police of a
journalist after asking Chinese President Hu Jintao a question about the
Tiananmen Square massacre during his official visit to Hong Kong to mark 15
years since the territory’s handover to China and to oversee the inauguration
ceremony of the fourth term of Hong Kong’s Government.
On June 30, Rex Hong
Yiu-Ting, journalist for the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, shouted a question to Hu Jintao as he passed him
at a distance of about 10 metres. Hong asked Hu if he was aware of the Hong
Kong people’s calls for justice for the victims of the 1989…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union
of Journalists (PFUJ) in strongly condemning the attack on the office of
Pakistan’s AAJ TV in the country’s southern city of Karachi on Monday June 26,
2012.
According to media
reports, at least two employees of the private TV channel were injured when
four armed men opened fire at the main gate of AAJ TV office at Gurumandir in
Karachi.
Tehrik-i-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), an Islamist militant umbrella group based in Pakistan, has
claimed responsibility for the attack. In a phone call to AAJ News, TTP
spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan threatened attacks…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today described a ruling by the High Court in Addis Ababa which found guilty of terrorism journalist Eskinder Nega as a gross miscarriage of justice. Delivering his decision, Judge Endeshaw Adane said that "Freedom of speech can be limited when it used to undermine security and not used for the public interest.""Journalists the world over will be outraged at this ruling on terrorrism trumped-up charges against Eskinder Nega," said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Office Director. " This decision confirms that press freedom and freedom of expression remain as elusive as ever in Ethiopia and has made plain the authorities' agenda to suppress dissent…
A new report published yesterday lays bare the problems facing journalists in their efforts
to report freely in Europe. A background paper presented to the Council
of Europe's Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media gives an
analysis of the state of press freedom in Europe. Welcoming the initiative, the President of
the European Federation of Journalists, Arne König, said: "This report shines a
light on the many serious cases in which press freedom is being undermined in Europe.
It includes the most obvious examples, including threats to journalists in
Russia, the imprisonment of around 100 journalists in Turkey and the grave
concerns that surround Hungary's media…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its affiliate the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HJKA) in
expressing disappointment at the increase in self-censorship by media revealed
in a recent media survey and moves by the government of Hong Kong to tighten
flows of information and news coverage.
On June 24, the HJKA released a press freedom survey of 663 respondents, indicating a growing prevalence of censorship in the reporting activities of Hong Kong’s media.
The most worrying result is that the report from the HKJA noted that 92.7% of media personnel said that they believe press freedom in Hong Kong is reducing due to the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its
affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in expressing
deep concern over recent threats made to four journalists and a newspaper
publisher.
According
to NUJP reports, the media personnel were threatened in separate incidents immediately following
articles and on-air statements made concerning illegal logging activities in
Mindanao, in the southern Philippines.
Two commentators from the RMN-dxBC 693 AM radio
station based in Butuan City - Sasie Babar and her co-anchor Gerry Campos of
the daily morning radio program ’Straight to the Point’ - were threatened via…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) extends its support to
its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of India – NUJ(I) - in its
campaign seeking a national law to protect journalists.
On June 25, the NUJ(I) organised a series of
demonstrations across India, to highlight the rising trend of violence against
journalists and demand a comprehensive law to deal with the range of hazards faced
by media practitioners. All state-level units of the NUJ(I) presented memoranda
to the relevant governmental authorities to focus attention on this demand.
The national leadership
of the NUJ(I) and elected office-bears of the Delhi unit attended…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) today called for the immediate release of Lamin Njie, editor of the Daily News newspaper and the Assistant Secretary General of the Gambia
Press Union, (GPU).
Lamin Njie has been detained at the state central
prisons at Mile Two, last Friday, 22
June, in relation to a story he had published concerning the bail application
of three officials of the Gambia Revenue Authority.
“We bemoan the highhandedness of the Judge’s
decision in this matter,” said Gabriel
Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. “The treatment
meted out to our colleague is too harsh and unacceptable, most…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its regional organisation, the European Federation of Journalists, today condemned the arrest of Andrzey Poczobut, journalist from Hrodna, for repeated libel of President Lukashenka. Pocsobut already served three months in prison in 2011 while awaiting judgment on earlier charges of libel and insult. Last July the court acquitted him of insult, before finding him guilty of libel and handing down a three year suspended prison term. Following his arrest on Thursday 21 June, Pocsobut now faces new charges of libelling (repeatedly) the President in articles published by Charter 97 and Belarusian Partisan and faces up to five years…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has said that recommendations by the Special Rapporteur on extra judicial killings and summary executions to the 20th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council are a step in the right direction but urged the Council to hold states to their international obligations.This followed the report of Christof Heyns , the UN Special Rapporteur on extra judicial killings and summary executions, to the Human Rights Council yesterday in Geneva. In his report, Mr. Heyns focused on the killings of journalists whom he warned "are killed at an alarming rate by States and non-States actors while others are intimidated into self-censorship."His…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned in the strongest
terms the ruling of the Provincial High Court in Cankuzo Province in
Burundi which
sentenced to life imprisonment Hassan Ruvakiki, a journalist with Bonesha radio
and a local correspondent of Radio France International.
According
to the Union of Burundi Journalist (UBJ), an IFJ affiliate, the court convicted
the journalist with “terrorism” based on the accusations which had been leveled
against him for interviewing a rebel leader and broadcasting the interview.
“This is a
shocking ruling which has no basis whatsoever and our colleague is a victim of
a…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and its affiliates and
partners in the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN), are deeply grieved
at the death on June 15 of photo-journalist Tarun Sehrawat, after he contracted
multiple infections on assignment in the Abujmarh region of India’s
Chhattisgarh state.
Sehrawat was on assignment with the weekly news and current affairs
magazine Tehelka and with his
colleague, reporter Tusha Mittal, spent a week early in May in the thickly
forested area, believed to be among the main operational bases of the Maoist
insurgency that has been active in parts of Chhattisgarh and neighbouring
states in recent…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its regional group the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today called on the Russian authorities to investigate reports of threats made by the Head of the Russian Investigative Committee to a senior journalist of Novaya Gazeta newspaper. According to Novaya Gazeta, the leading investigative newspaper in Russia, the Head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, threatened to kill the paper's deputy editor, Sergey Sokolov, because of his inquiries into the Committee's investigations."We are deeply concerned about these shocking threats which must not be taken lightly, coming from someone in such a powerful…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its partner the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in condemning threats
and intimidation directed towards a film crew working in Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s
capital, Port Moresby, on Sunday June
10.
According to the PFF,
EMTV Journalist Mick Kavera and camera operator Gesoko Adrian were threatened
with physical violence and forced to delete their footage by members of a
government-appointed investigative task force.
The two were on assignment at Port Moresby’s Jackson
Airport Terminal to film the arrival of alleged illegal immigrants being
accompanied by members of the government-appointed…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its regional group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), today condemned the call by the Azeri government for a show of ‘public hatred' against independent media. The call was made by Ali Hasanov, spokesperson for the Presidential Administration on 31 May, in a speech attacking the role of international NGOs for their interference in Azerbaijan affairs.
"This call by one of the government's most senior spokespersons, is designed to increase the climate of fear and tension in which violence and impunity flourish,' said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "It is an attack on journalism and the public's right to…
