Read on this page some of the last news received by the PEC from other concerned organizations (PEC members, RSF, IFJ, IFEX, INSI, CPJ, IPI, UPF, UNESCO, UN, OSCE, Freedom House, Article 19, MADA, JED) - in connection with PEC activities - Direct LINKS on our page CONTACT-  for PEC statements, please click (left) on PEC NEWS - Notice: the views expressed in this page do not necessarily represent the views of the PEC

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***27.07.2010. ICRC. How does international humanitarian law protect journalists in armed-conflict situations? Media professionals are increasingly at risk of being wounded, killed, detained or kidnapped while reporting in armed-conflict situations. Robin Geiss, an ICRC legal expert, talks about the protection to which they, as civilians not taking part in the fighting, are entitled under international humanitarian law.

Please go to the following link for the interview:

 www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/protection-journalists-interview-270710?opendocument

***26.07.2010. IRAQ. IFJ Condemns Impunity as Iraq Suicide Strike on Al-Arabiya Kills Six

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned a suicide bomb attack in Baghdad on the Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya in which four employees and two members of the public were killed.
The Federation says journalists remain prime targets for terrorists in Iraq and the government must act now to counter impunity in the killings of journalists.
The suicide bomber blew up a vehicle at around 9.30am local time in front
of the station's bureau in Baghdad's city centre, leaving a massive crater. Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said three guards and a cleaning woman were killed in the blast that left another 10 injured.
"This attack comes after clear threats from terrorists that they intend to target media," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "It is a shocking incident that reinforces the concern over the dangers faced by journalists and media. More must be done to ensure the safety of all media personnel."
The attack occurred a month after officials warned that insurgents opposed to the channel, which is funded from Saudi Arabia, planned to strike against the network.
"This attack is a further challenge to the authorities," said White.
"Previous killings of journalists have not been investigated or have been dealt with casually, creating an intolerable regime of impunity. The government must change its approach and ensure that the killers of journalists and media staff will be brought to justice."
This is the latest in a series of attacks on Al-Arabiya. In September 2008, its Baghdad bureau chief, Jawad Hattab, escaped unharmed after spotting a bomb, which would-be assassins had attached to his car, before it was detonated by remote control.
In October 2006, a car bomb targeting the channel's then bureau killed seven people and wounded 20. And in February 2006, Al-Arabiya presenter Atwar Bahjat and two colleagues were kidnapped and murdered in Samarra north of Baghdad over coverage of the bombing of a Shiite shrine, an attack by al-Qaeda that sparked a new round of sectarian bloodshed.
"This attack puts a media perspective on the recent falling levels of violence against civilians," said Aidan White. "For all journalists and media staff, the dangers in reporting Iraq's tense political situation remain as great as ever."

***22.07.2010. SOMALIA: AMNESTY REPORT. Journalists under attack in Somalia as government steps up media crackdown

Amnesty International has called on Somali authorities and armed opposition groups in the country to respect freedom of expression amid a growing government crackdown on independent journalism.

A campaign of harassment and intimidation has seen a spate of arrests and
interrogations of journalists since June. Media workers already face serious threats from armed groups, with 10 reporters killed in the last 18 months.

Amnesty International's new briefing paper, Hard News: Journalists' lives in danger in Somalia, launched on Somali Human Rights Day (22 July), documents the targeting of journalists in the country.

"Somali journalists are being prevented from informing the local population about daily violence that affects their lives - a service that is particularly vital in a conflict too dangerous for consistent international media reporting," said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International's Africa deputy director.

"Somalia's authorities must investigate the attacks and harassment of journalists, both by armed groups and members of their own government, and ensure that freedom of expression is respected."

Somalia's internationally backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) controls only a small part of the capital Mogadishu, while the rest of southern and central Somalia is under the control of armed groups.

The two largest are al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam, which are allied against the TFG but have also engaged in fighting against each other. While the armed groups are the most deadly threat to journalists in the country, media workers have come under increased pressure from the TFG in a recent clampdown on independent journalism.

On 26 June, New York Times correspondent Mohammed Ibrahim fled Somalia
after threats from government security forces, following the publication of an article alleging that government forces included child soldiers.

On 29 June, several journalists were wounded when missiles were fired on a press conference being held by Al-Shabab in Mogadishu. Local journalists at the scene believe they were indirectly targeted by the TFG, who did not want the press conference to go ahead.

On 1 July, police detained journalist Mustafa Haji Abdinur and freelance cameraman Yusuf Jama Abdullahi for taking pictures of their colleague, photojournalist Farah Abdi Warsame, who had been hit in the crossfire during fighting in Mogadishu.

The journalists were interrogated and forced to delete their photographs.
Warsame was only able to get medical treatment after being interrogated.

"Rather than protecting journalists from feared armed groups such as al-Shabab, the Somali authorities are increasing the problems for media workers by adding to the harassment they face," said Michelle Kagari.

Armed groups opposed to the Somali government now control many towns in the country. They have killed, harassed and intimidated journalists, shut down radio stations, restricted what local media can report on and frequently prevent journalists from publishing information which they believe is unfavourable towards them. This makes it almost impossible to disseminate vital information on the situation in Somalia.

On 5 May - the most recent journalist killing - three gunmen shot dead
broadcast journalist Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey as he was returning home from
the state-run Radio Mogadishu.

He was abducted by the gunmen near his home in southern Mogadishu and then
shot repeatedly in the head. Members of al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the killing.

In 2009, nine journalists were killed, the highest total in any one year since 1991, when armed conflict broke out after the collapse of ex-President Siad Barre’s government.

In the first five months of 2010, in addition to the killing of one journalist, many more were abducted and harassed by armed groups.

The TFG was backed militarily by Ethiopian troops who remained in Somalia until early 2009. TFG officials and institutions are now protected by the African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM.

The TFG is opposed by a number of armed Islamist groups. Groups on both sides of the conflict often overlap, forge or shift alliances, or divide into separate groups.

***18.07.2010. ISRAEL. MADA condemns the Israeli attacks against journalists, and the security services raid of WATAN TV

The Israeli occupation forces continued their attacks on Palestinian journalists, whom covering the peaceful marches, where they threw tear gas and sound bombs at a group of journalists, on Friday, 16 July 2010, they include: Associated Press photographer Abdul Hafiz Hashlamoun, France Press Agency photographer Mousa Alshaér, Pal Media cameraman Samer Hamad, Maan News Agency photographer Luay Sababa, and Al-Quds TV cameraman Akram Natshe; while they were covering a peaceful march in the village of Alma’sara near Bethlehem city. Yesterday, 17 July 2010 The Israeli occupation forces attacked the photographers of: Agency France Press Hazem Bader, Reuters Agency Abdul Rahim Al-Aqusini, and Associated Press Abdul Hafiz Hashlamoun, as they also detained Associated Press photographer Iyad Hamad, while they were covering a peaceful march in the town of Beit Omar Near Hebron.

Hashlamoun said he went on Friday with a group of journalists to cover the
weekly march of Alma’sara near the city of Bethlehem, where the Israeli army started throwing sound and gas bombs between the legs of journalists, causing them not to focus in photography and a serious bottleneck from gas smell. Hashlamoun added: "There were a group of Israeli soldiers their mission was to impede the journalist’s work and to evacuate them from the area."

"Yesterday was the fiercest against journalists", Al-Aqusini said - who is still lying in Al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron – who also said that he was standing with a group of photographers to cover the march of Beit Omar, during that time one of the Israeli soldiers throw a sound bomb from a close distance at him, so it hit him under his left ear, which caused him the loss of consciousness and a hole in his left eardrum and his main auditory nerve. Al-Aqusini added: "I’m still hearing a sensation in my ears and sometimes I feel the inability to focus".

Bader said: "Yesterday was very bad for journalists; we were targeted irectly by the officer and soldiers. Personally the officer threatened me then he beat me with a stick on my face and legs, causing me a wound in my nose and cheek and bruises on my left leg, and I wasn’t able to stand, the harder thing was when the officer prevented my colleagues from helping me. The officer also struck my colleague Hashlamoun with iron sound bomb on his back causing him bruises in the back. "

Form his part, Hamad said that the Israeli soldiers arrested him because he protested about the beating of his colleague Bader, where the soldiers took him and made him sit on the ground for two hours under the sun. During that the Israeli settlers who were in the area insulted and provoked him. The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns the Israeli continued targeting of Palestinian journalists, especially during their coverage of the weekly marches in the West Bank. Since the violations have become a major threat to the lives of journalists and their safety. MADA also demands the international community and human rights organizations to intervene immediately to stop these attacks.

On the other hand MADA strongly condemns the raid of WATAN TV headquarters
by members of the Palestinian security forces yesterday in Ramallah, after the television broadcast images of Hizb Al-Tahrir political party march, which was yesterday in Ramallah. WATAN director Muammar Orabi said that armed individuals in civilian clothes who identified themselves as security and intelligence members raided WATAN headquarters yesterday around 5:00 PM, demanding the arrest of the journalists who covered the march of Hizb Al-Tahrir, they also wanted to confiscate the tape that they have recorded. Orabi added: "After a verbal argument and some calls they have gone back and evacuated the building."

Contact: Riham Abu Aita - Public Relation Officer - Ramallah
riham@madacenter.org www.madacenter.org

***29.06.2010. SOMALIA. NUSOJ Condemns bomb attack on 8 Journalists in Mogadishu 

At least 8 journalists have been critically wounded in a bomb attack today
Tuesday, 29 June 2010, which occurred at a police school in Abdiasis district of northern Mogadishu. The journalists were wounded after a bombardment in the police training facility where an Al-Shabaab spokesman was holding a press conference after they took over the base yesterday. The wounded journalists were covering the press conference.

Four of the wounded journalists have been identified as: Muse Mohamoud Jisow, Ilyas Ahmed Abukar, Abdinasir Idle, and Abdirisak Elmi Jama. One of the wounded journalists told the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) that the people who bombed the scene knew that a press conference was taking place and that journalists were in attendance.

NUSOJ has condemned the attack as wasteful and cowardly act that only targets the harmless journalists who are only armed with pens and cameras and notebooks. NUSOJ promised to soon distribute the complete list of names of the journalists injured in the blast and their respective media houses.

NUSOJ called on all parties in the conflict in Mogadishu to cease hostilities and to desist from taking their bloody conflict to the journalists and un-armed civilians.

“Warring sides have made it their habit to bombard or attack places with a
congregation of journalists ostensibly to eliminate their enemy’s claims of political gains. But we must remind them of their responsibility to protect journalists and civilians. Once they commit such otherwise avoidable atrocities they then take their war to the people,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary-General.

***29.06.2010. Rwanda: Pre-Election Violence and Intimidation Must Stop

ARTICLE 19 calls upon the Government of President Kagame to investigate all incidents of violence against activists, journalists and human rights defenders, in the lead up to Rwanda’s August elections, and ensure they are able to carry out their legitimate activities in safety.

Following the killing of Leonard Rugambage, deputy editor of “Umuvugizi”
newspaper, on 24 June 2010, ARTICLE 19 is greatly concerned by increasing
threats to activists and media workers in Rwanda, particularly those perceived to be critical of the Government. On the morning he was killed Rugambage published an online article alleging that the Rwandan Government was behind the attempted murder of one of their most outspoken critics, former General Faustin Kayumba, who is now lying critically injured inside a South African hospital. Shortly after 10 pm Rugambage was shot dead in his car.

“We condemn the killing of the late Leonard Rugambage and call upon the  
Government to ensure that those who committed this heinous act face justice. At the same time we wish to remind the authorities of their primary responsibility to provide security for the people of Rwanda” says Dr. Agnes Callamard, Executive Director, ARTICLE 19.

“The loss of life, under whatever circumstances, is deplorable and particularly troubling during what should be a democratic election. The continued intimidation of dissenting voices in Rwanda shows the extent of the current regime’s intolerance and prevents political commentary, directly limiting the ability of opposition parties to participate” adds Dr. Callamard.

ARTICLE 19 calls on Rwanda’s Government to bring those responsible for
Rugambage’s death to justice without delay. In addition ARTICLE 19 appeals to the authorities to ensure that opposition voices are not excluded from Rwanda’s political process, compromising freedom of expression during a pivotal period in the country’s development.

***27.06.2010. RWANDA. JED demande aux autorités de lancer une enquête impartiale suite à l'assassinat de son correspondant. 

Journaliste en danger (JED) condamne l'assassinat de Jean Léonard Rugambage, rédacteur en chef adjoint de "Umuvugizi", un journal paraissant à Kigali, capitale de la République du Rwanda et correspondant de JED au Rwanda. JED demande instamment aux autorités rwandaises de diligenter une enquête impartiale et crédible afin de faire toute la lumière autour de ce crime. En effet, JED craint que ceux qui auraient commis le forfait soient justement ceux-là qui conduisent les enquêtes.

JED estime que ce meurtre d'un journaliste courageux et respectable qui a refusé maintes fois de partir en exil en dépit de menaces sérieuses est un signal négatif de trop à l'approche des prochaines élections présidentielles.

Selon les informations recueillies par JED, Jean Léonard Rugambage a été tué, dans la nuit du jeudi 24 juin 2010, par des inconnus qui lui ont tirés quatre balles à bout portant devant son domicile dans le quartier populaire Nyamirambo à Kigali alors qu'il revenait, au volant de sa voiture, d'une visite familiale en province. Le 25 juin au matin, selon un journaliste local contacté par JED, la police aurait ramassé sur le lieu du crime quatre douilles.

Correspondant de JED au Rwanda depuis plusieurs années, Rugambage avait, dans son humour légendaire, le courage de ses idées et n'avait pas sa langue en poche au sujet des dérives totalitaires du pouvoir à Kigali. À la veille de sa mort tragique, il a publié sur le site du journal "Umuvugizi" un article dans lequel il a cité un haut responsable des services de sécurité rwandais qui aurait demandé à son chauffeur d'achever, en échange de récompense, le général Kayumba Nyamwasa (en exil en Afrique du Sud), hospitalisé après une tentative d’assassinat.

JED note également que Rugambage et son journal était depuis plusieurs mois la cible des autorités rwandaises. Le Haut conseil des médias (HCM), instance de régulation des médias au Rwanda, avait suspendu, le 13 mars 2010, "Umuvugizi" et "Umuseso", deux principaux journaux indépendants paraissant à Kigali pour une durée de six mois pour "incitation de l'armée et de la police à l'insubordination aux ordres de leurs chefs, publication d'informations portant atteinte à l'ordre public, diffusion de rumeurs ainsi que pour diffamation et immixtion dans la vie privée des gens".

***20.06.2010. Journalists in Exile 2010 - At least 85 journalists fled their home countries in the past year in the face of attacks, threats, and possible imprisonment. High exile rates are seen in Iran and in the East African nations of Somalia and Ethiopia (CPJ)

At least 29 Iranian editors, reporters, and photographers fled into exile over the past 12 months, the highest annual tally from a single country in a decade, a new survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists has found. CPJ also found a significant spike in the number of journalists fleeing violence and harassment in East Africa.

“My photos were seen as political criticism of clerics in Iran,” said photographer Mohammad Kheirkhan, who, like other Iranian journalists, went into exile after being harassed and interrogated by authorities for coverage of the unrest that followed the disputed 2009 presidential election. “The punishment for criticizing clerics is prison, torture, and even execution.”

Worldwide, at least 85 journalists fled their home countries over the past 12 months, CPJ found in its annual survey, which marks World Refugee Day, June 20, and highlights the plight of journalists who are forced to leave their homes in the face of attacks, threats, or the possibility of imprisonment. This year’s total, which counts journalists who went into exile from June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010, is double the number recorded in the prior 12-month period. The tally is comparable to the decade’s previous high of 82, which CPJ recorded in 2007-08.
Data on exiled journalists closely track other press freedom indicators such as deadly violence and the threat of imprisonment. The countries with the highest exile rates over the past 12 months—which include Ethiopia and Somalia, along with Iran—have long records of press repression. 

“It wasn’t a single incident that pushed me to leave Ethiopia—it was numerous incidents over the course of several months,” said Mesfin Negash, who served as editor of the independent Ethiopian newspaper Addis Neger. Government security forces, intent on silencing criticism before the May 2010 elections, intimidated staff members and threatened criminal charges. Finally, Negash and several other staffers closed Addis Neger and fled the country. “We had hoped the harassment and intimidation would stop, but it never did because [the government] thought that if we stayed in Ethiopia we could influence the outcome of the elections.”

Hundreds of journalists in exile over the past decade

Since 2001, when CPJ began compiling detailed records on journalists in exile, more than 500 journalists have fled their homes. Illustrating the extraordinary dangers facing these journalists at home, 454 remain in exile today. 

African journalists have been at particular risk throughout the past decade, but the exile rate tripled over the past 12 months. At least 42 African journalists, most of them from Somalia and Ethiopia, fled their homes in the past year. A majority sought refuge in Kenya and Uganda, where they hoped to resettle to a third country through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The process can be lengthy as well as financially and emotionally grueling. “It is difficult to even plan when you are in this situation of exile and relocation,” said Negash, who has relocated elsewhere on the continent. “It is tormenting because everything is out of your control.”

Journalists find themselves in a legal limbo, unable to work and often the targets of ethnically motivated violence and police harassment. They live in a constant state of anxiety about the family members who are still back home. Negash’s exile has been devastating for his wife and mother, who depended on him but were forced to stay in Ethiopia when he fled. “It has been so difficult that sometimes I can’t even call them because they are so emotionally disturbed,” said Negash, who continues to help his family financially, sending whatever amounts he can spare from the small aid he receives from international organizations.

At least half of the Iranian journalists who fled this year are in a similarly precarious situation in Turkey. Several of those journalists told CPJ they have been approached by individuals they believe are working for the Iranian regime who have warned them that colleagues and relatives back home will suffer consequences if they discuss Iranian politics publically. Kheirkhan’s photographs of street protests were considered political criticism of Iranian clerics.

Kheirkhan, 24, whose photographs of the Iranian political unrest for United Press International were seen worldwide, had to travel through Afghanistan and Italy before resettling in the United States. “I wasn’t happy to be far away from my country, my family, and my friends,” he said when asked about his decision to petition for asylum. “But safety is the first thing that everybody must think about in his or her life.” He said he hopes to continue working as a journalist in California, where he now resides.

In exile, journalists face obstacles in continuing work

That will not be an easy path. CPJ research shows that less than a third of exiled journalists are able to continue to work in their profession. Throughout the world, exiled journalists face lengthy bureaucratic procedures as they establish their new legal status, along with significant language and cultural adjustments as they rebuild their lives. Many accomplished journalists are forced to take whatever employment opportunities are available.

Luis Horacio Nájera, a Mexican reporter with almost two decades of experience covering criminal gangs and political corruption, has been working as a janitor in Vancouver, Canada, since leaving his home country in 2008 in the face of death threats.

“It has been really hard to work here because no one recognizes my experience and I don’t speak English well,” he told CPJ in an interview conducted in Spanish. “There aren’t many opportunities, and you have to stand in a very long line of other refugees, so you end up doing things that you never thought you would have to—cleaning houses and washing bathrooms—because there is nothing else that you can do.” Nájera, above on assignment in Mexico, was an accomplished reporter in his home country. (Courtesy Luis Horacio Nájera)

Nájera and his family filed for asylum in 2009, and are awaiting an answer from Canadian authorities. If approved, Nájera said, he will study English, enroll in school, and find other work, although he does not think he will go back to journalism. Neither does he plan to return to Mexico. “I am very hurt with my country,” he told CPJ. “I did all that I could to help Mexico through my work as a journalist, and Mexico has not responded—it has not even been able to keep me and my family safe.”

Nearly 50 percent of journalists who have been forced into exile since 2001 have done so after being attacked or threatened with violence. Another 30 percent fled because of the possibility of imprisonment, while 20 percent left following prolonged harassment, CPJ research found.

Violence was the primary reason for an exodus of Iraqi journalists earlier in the past decade. As the death toll in Iraq has dropped to its lowest point since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, so too have the numbers of journalists seeking exile. CPJ documented just one Iraqi exile case in the past 12 months. Until this past year, Iraq had seen the largest single-year exodus of journalists.

CPJ’s survey counts only those journalists who fled due to work-related persecution, who remained in exile for at least three months, and whose current whereabouts and activities are known. It does not include the many journalists and media workers who left their countries for professional or financial opportunities, those who left due to general violence, or those who were targeted for activities other than journalism, such as political activism. Other groups using different criteria cite higher numbers.

***19.06.2010. PHILIPPINES - Two broadcasters killed in separate incidents (CMFR) 

As the Arroyo administration neared the end of its term this June 30, two other broadcasters were killed in separate incidents in the regions of Northern Luzon (Region I) and Southern Mindanao (Region XI). If found to be work-related, these will raise the number of journalists/media practitioners killed in the line of duty
during President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's watch rise  to 78, more than
twice the combined number of journalists killed in the terms of the three
previous Philippine Presidents.

The Philippine National Police in both regions announced the formation of task forces to investigate the killing of radio broadcasters Desidario "Jessie" Camangyan in Manay town, Davao Oriental (June 14) and Jovelito Agustin in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte (June 15).

Camangyan, a blocktimer at Sunrise FM-Mati City, was killed at around 10 p.m. (local time) while hosting a singing competition in Old Macopa village, Manay town. Manay is a town in Davao Oriental, approximately 1,021 kilometers south of Manila.

In a 15 June 2010 interview, Philippine National Police Southern Mindanao spokesman Superintendent Querubin Manalang said initial police investigation showed that Camangyan had just taken his seat after introducing a contestant when the gunman came from behind him and shot him in the head.

Manalang said the suspect came and fled through the cornfield/plantation behind the makeshift stage.

Sunrise FM station manager Bobong Alcantara said Camangyan and his two co-hosts in "Hotline Patrol" had been invited by the village captain f Old Macopa to host the competition. But only Camangyan came. Camangyan was with his wife and his six-year-old son when he was shot.

Manalang, in a phone interview with the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility last June 15, said Police Task Force Camangyan is still looking into the possible motives in the killing of the broadcaster.

But members of the local media community say they believe the killing was work-related. Alcantara said the killing could be due to Camangyan and his partners' commentaries on illegal logging activities in the "east coast" of Davao Oriental. He said they have been receiving threats. The threesome had been discussing the problems of illegal logging in the province for almost four weeks now, Alcantara said.

"Hotline Patrol" is a blocktime program hosted by Camangyan, and his colleagues Frank Gupit and Nonoy Bacalzo.

In the northern part of Luzon, police have yet to complete their investigation into the killing of dzJC Aksyon Radyo's (Action Radio) anchor Jovelito Agustin. Agustin died at a local hospital a few hours after two unidentified men on a motorcycle shot him four times in Laoag City, the capital of Ilocos Norte.

Nick Malasig of dzJC said Agustin was driving home from the radio station on a motorcycle when the suspects intercepted and attacked him. Agustin had come from his daily public affairs show which usually dealt with problems in the province as well as election issues like the disqualification of some candidates. Ilocos Norte is a province approximately 402 kilometers north of Luzon.

The online news organization GMANews.TV reported that, according to Laoag City Police Chief Senior Superintendent Sterling Blanco, the nephew of Agustin who was riding home with him "could not give other details on the suspects."

Malasig told CMFR in a 16 June 2010 interview that Agustin said he ad received threats prior to the killing. In fact, some unidentified men shot at Agustin's house in Bacarra town during the campaign period for national and local elections last May. No one was hurt. Agustin had suspected a local politician as the one behind the shooting incident in May 2010.

Local and international media organizations have called for speedy investigations into the killings. Several groups also called on incoming Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to decisively act on the numerous killings and attacks against journalists, media practitioners and human rights activists.

***18.06.2010. UN EXPERT CALLS ON VENEZUELAN AUTHORITIES TO WITHDRAW ARREST WARRANT OF TV CHANNEL PRESIDENT AND SECURE THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Frank La Rue, urged the Venezuelan authorities to withdraw the arrest warrants against Guillermo Zuloaga, president of the private TV news channel Globovisión, and his son. “No Government in the world has the right to silence critics or those who oppose the State with criminal proceedings,” Mr. La Rue said.

“This latest act of harassment against Mr. Zuloaga is symptomatic of the
continuous deterioration of freedom of the press in the country,” noted the independent expert mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council to monitor the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

The Special Rapporteur said that he is troubled by the arrest warrants issued on 11 June 2010 by a prosecutor in Caracas against Mr. Zuloaga and his son, allegedly for business irregularities. It is feared that these warrants are politically motivated, aimed solely at silencing Mr. Zuloaga who has been critical of President Hugo Chavez.

“This is not the first time that staff members of Globovisión, including Mr. Zuloaga, are criminally prosecuted because of the exercise of their right to freedom of expression,” he said. Since 2001, Globovisión’s personnel have been subject to acts of harassment and intimidation, which in 2008 led the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to order provisional measures to protect its employees.

“I urge the Venezuelan Government to take all necessary steps to secure the right to freedom of opinion and expression of all persons, in accordance with fundamental principles as set forth in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and recalled in article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights*, to which Venezuela is a party,” stressed the Special Rapporteur.

“I would like to reiterate my request to visit Venezuela in order to make an in-depth assessment on the ground of the state of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in the country,” Mr. La Rue said. “This request regrettably remains unanswered.”

***17.06.2010. KYRGYZSTAN: MEDIA OUTLETS INCINERATED; TOO DANGEROUS TO REPORT - PEC CONDEMNS ATTACKS AGAINST UZBEK MEDIA  (IFEX/RSF/PEC)

An estimated 2,000 have been killed in interethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan since 10 June, say news reports. In response to the unrest, authorities in the southern city of Osh ordered local television stations to cease transmission, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The Public Association of Journalists (PAJ), based in Bishkek, is currently working to provide humanitarian assistance to journalists in the southern part of the country.

Violence first erupted between Uzbek and Kyrgyz youth in Osh on 10 June, leading to major riots. Armed gangs drove through neighbourhoods in Osh and Jalal-Abad, setting houses and stores on fire and shooting at people trying to escape, report Human Rights Watch and CPJ. In response, the government declared a curfew and sent security forces to the region, granting shoot-to-kill authority. News reports say tens of thousands of ethnic Uzbeks have fled the two cities and crossed the border into Uzbekistan to escape the violence.

Meanwhile, local media are being trampled by the fallout of the revolution. Osh residents now only have access to state television channel KTR and several Russian television channels, reported the independent news agency Zpress. Mezon TV and Osh TV were stopped from broadcasting, says the independent news site "Ferghana". The buildings of Osh TV and JTR TV in Osh and Jalal-Abad were burnt down, reports International Media Support (IMS).

PAJ and IMS are working to deliver food and medical supplies to about 100 journalists and their families in the Osh and Jalal-Abad regions. Media coverage of events in the southern part of the country is limited as journalists fear attacks while reporting in the streets.

(RSF) - As violence continues, the media are increasingly being prevented from working in the south of Kyrgyzstan. News is being reported only sporadically as infrastructure is targeted and journalists obstructed by clashes.

Initially, local television stations in Osh were targeted. TV Osh, Mezon and Akhborot were ransacked, with the second two torched and wrecked, leaving computers and databases unusable. All three stations are Uzbek-language, targeted since the start of the clashes.

Before the events of 10 June, a large number of journalists were attending a seminar in Osh. In the current chaos, it is not known how many of them have been evacuated and which media they were working for. Concordant sources confirm that media in the south of the country have been advising their journalists to stay at home and not to put themselves in danger by covering the situation. Local and foreign journalists do not or rarely venture into the urban Uzbek areas for fear of being attacked.

Some news is filtering out however through journalists reporting from their windows on the current state of the troubles. They are also managing to send news to websites such as ferghana.ru, by telephone.

In Uzbekistan, on the other side of the border, which has now been closed, Reporters Without Borders voiced its relief at the news of the release on 16 June of prominent freelance Uzbek journalist, Alexei Volossevich.

Police arrested Volossevich on 13 June when he came to cover the arrival of hundreds of refugees of Uzbek origin, fleeing from neighbouring Kyrgyzstan. He was placed in a detention centre for people without ID or fixed address (His papers were in a bag that he did not have the time to grab at the moment of his arrest). The authorities said they would release him as soon as they had checked his identity. Although his colleagues brought his passport the following day, he was not freed until 16 June.

Reporters Without Borders welcomes the release of Alexei Volossevich, but regrets that the authorities prevented him from doing his work. Even in the current situation, the government of Islam Karimov has not let up in its attacks on journalists. The arrest and detention of Volossevich could be seen as a warning to all journalists seeking to cover these events. Could this be a continuation of the campaign against the press that saw an upsurge in January this year?

***04.06.2010. ISRAEL. IFJ Demands Inquiry as One Journalist Is Confirmed Dead in Gaza Ships Attack

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), with the backing of its affiliate in Israel, today called for a special inquiry into the killing of a journalist and injuries to others during the Israeli assault on a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid which took place on June 1.
"We now know that one journalist died and at least one other is seriously injured in horrifying circumstances that remain unexplained," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "We are also gathering information about the treatment of journalists and the confiscation of their material, all of which raises new concerns about the violations of their rights."
The IFJ says that a specific inquiry into the treatment of journalists is required because around 100 of the people detained by the Israeli authorities were thought to be journalists from across the globe including Australia, Algeria, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, the UK, Italy, Iran, Germany, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia ,Pakistan and UAE.
The media victims are Turkish journalist Cevdet Kiliclar, killed by a shot in the head, and Indonesian cameraman Sura Fachrizaz who was shot in the chest and seriously injured. Fachrizaz is in a hospital in Haifa and his injuries are not considered life threatening.
The IFJ is in touch with reporters involved as well as a number of unions representing media staff and is compiling information on material that has been confiscated by the Israeli authorities.
Marcello Faraggi, a journalist who was on board the Mediterranean Sea, a cargo ship which was part of the aid convoy and was later detained in the Israeli prison of Bersheva, told the IFJ that journalists were subjected to body search and stripped of their equipment during their detention.
A special information collection point has been established to prepare a dossier on the incident which will form the basis of journalists' claims for compensation in the aftermath.
The IFJ affiliate in Israel, the National Federation of Israel Journalists (NFIJ), which has been assisting journalists and gathering information, should also be involved in any inquiry into the treatment of journalists, says the IFJ.
The NFIJ section in Jerusalem, the Journalists Association in Jerusalem, has specifically urged the Israeli government to give back immediately all the equipment that was confiscated from the journalists on the boats.
"Journalists on duty should be left out of any confrontation and should have the full freedom to cover the events in a professional way," they said in a statement.
Further concerns have been raised about the broadcasting by Israeli authorities of material confiscated from journalists which is being used to project their version of events.
"This is shocking disregard for the rights of journalists," said White.
The confiscation and then unauthorized use of journalists' footage shows
the contempt that the Israeli authorities have for journalism."

***02.06.2010. ISRAEL. At least 60 journalists were aboard flotilla, most still held (RSF)

Reporters Without Borders reiterates its urgent appeal to the Israeli authorities to release the journalists who were accompanying the Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla that was intercepted on 31 May. According to the latest information available to the press freedom organisation, at least 60 journalists were aboard.

“We point out that the journalists were there to do their job, which was to cover what happened,” Reporters Without Borders said. “They should not be confused with the activists. Three hundred of the flotilla’s passengers are about to be deported but journalists are still being held. We call on the Israeli authorities to free all the detained journalists and return their equipment, which was seized by the military.”

Three hundred passengers are currently at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, from where they are to be deported today. Some journalists are among them.

Reporters Without Borders has also learned that the Al Jazeera crew that was aboard the flotilla, including correspondent Abbas Nasser and cameraman Isaam Zaatar, was expelled yesterday.

Reporters Without Borders is aware of 16 journalists being held at Be’er Scheva detention centre. They are Svetoslav Ivanov and Valentin Vassilev of Bulgaria’s BTV, Muna Shester of the Kuwait News Agency, Talat Hussain of Aaj TV, Paul McGeough and Kate Geraghty of the Sydney Morning Herald, Mario Damolin of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, David Segarra of teleSUR, Ayse Sarioglu of Taraf, Murat Palavar and Hakan Albayrak of Yeni Safak, Sümeyye Ertekin, Ümit Sönmez and Ersin Esen of TVNET and Ashwad Ismail and Samsul Kamal Abdul Latip of Astro Awani.

Reporters Without Borders has tried repeatedly to get in touch with them, so far without success.

***01.06.2010. ISRAEL: Israel needs to heed international calls for free flow of information (Article 19) 

ARTICLE 19 is calling for an open, international, independent and impartial investigation into the use of lethal force by the Israeli Defence Forces which resulted in a number of deaths onboard the Gaza-bound flotilla on 31 May.

The blocking of all communication channels, including mobile phones, shortly after the assault, followed by the arbitrary detention of journalists, human rights monitors and others who were travelling onboard the flotilla, are evidence of censorship and a news blackout by Israeli state authorities. Such actions curtail the free flow of information, as protected by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil on Political Rights to which Israel is party.

The one-sided information originating from official Israeli sources on the
circumstances surrounding the assault and the deaths restricts the right to information and minimises the possibilities for international public scrutiny of the actions of the Israeli Defence Forces and thus for accountability.

As early as 1946, at its very first session, in the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 59(I) which states that “Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and ... the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated.”

Freedom of expression, including access to information, is also essential to the realization of what is commonly referred to as the “right to truth.” The UN Commission on Human Rights, at its 61st session, adopted Resolution 2005/66, which ‘‘Recognizes the importance of respecting and ensuring the right to the truth so as to contribute to ending impunity and to promote and protect human rights.’’

The investigation into the assault against the flotilla must be open, international, impartial and independent. It should focus on the legality of the Israeli assault in international waters and thus the legality of the blockade, and the proportionality of the use of force. An international investigation team should be allowed access to government-held information on the matter, as well as direct access to
those involved in the assault, witnesses and those subsequently detained.

***01.06.2010. IFJ Calls for Immediate Release of Journalists Detained by Israeli Military

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called upon the Israeli authorities to release without delay all journalists and media staff who were detained on board the Gaza bound aid convoy on Monday morning. Up to a hundred journalists are believed to be among the passengers currently being held by the Israeli Defence Forces.
"The Israeli authorities must not play cat and mouse with professional journalists who are doing their job, not just for the company they serve but in the service of a worldwide audience," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.
The Israeli authorities have given reassurances that they will treat all professional journalists the same way as politicians who accompanied the flotilla and seek their early release and deportation.
Reports state that up to ten people were killed and many more injured during clashes between the military and passengers when the flotilla was boarded by the Israeli Defence Forces in the early hours of Monday morning.
" We are grateful for the tremendous efforts being made by leaders of the
National Federation of Israeli Journalists to defend the rights of working
professionals who have been caught up in this series of tragic events," added White. " We will continue to work with our Israeli affiliate and others who have expressed concern about the detention of their journalists and media staff."

***31.05.2010. IFJ Condemns Gaza Attack and Demands International Inquiry after Reports of Media Casualties

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today reacted with shock at the news of the brutal attacks on civilians, including journalists, by Israeli forces in the assault on a flotilla that yesterday tried to breach the military blockade of the Gaza coastline in Palestine.
The IFJ said that reports of casualties - including possible deaths of media staff - were unconfirmed and a curtain of secrecy drawn around the incident by the Israeli authorities was increasing anxiety among friends and relatives.
The IFJ is calling for an urgent and comprehensive international investigation into the incident and for the information blackout to be lifted.
"We join the European Union in demanding a full inquiry which must be independent in order to be credible. We condemn any attempt at the blackout and censorship of news by the Israeli authorities which is hindering journalists from giving an accurate account of what is happening," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President.
The IFJ believes that 20 journalists and media staff from a number of different countries were on board when the attacks took place, according to Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. He said the IFJ is fully investigating the incident and plans to raise the issue at a special meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council planned in Geneva on Wednesday.
The IFJ is also writing today to the Israeli government warning them about their responsibility vis-à-vis the security of the journalists on the flotilla and is asking its member union in Israel to take the matter up with the authorities.
"The international community must respond immediately to this outrage," said White. "The rights of journalists in conflict zones have been particularly highlighted by the United Nations and members states cannot stand by when one state acts in a reckless and dangerous manner."

***20.05.2010. Thailand: Attacks on Media Must Stop (Article 19)

Following the surrender of “Red Shirt” leaders and the imposing of curfew in Bangkok, all sides must stop attacking the media in order to allow the media to report freely on the development of the crisis. The media must also uphold the professional standards of objectivity to gain public trust and credibility.

Protests across Thailand have continued today following weeks of growing
conflict. Yesterday the Thai army surrounded and used live arms to disperse protesters calling for the dissolving of parliament and announcing early elections, killing many. Members of the Red Shirts, largely consisting of rural poor, have in recent weeks targeted national media houses claiming that they are biased towards the urban elite. The government, on the other hand, has blocked around 4,500 websites and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Twitter feed amongst other censorship measures.

On Wednesday, the Red Shirts stormed national TV station Channel 3 and set
cars on fire. Journalists at The Bangkok Post and The Nation also evacuated their building in fear of their safety. Following the crackdown, some protestors also turned on the media, threatening photographers taking pictures of retreating Red Shirts in particular.

The crisis has taken a heavy toll on journalists. International and national journalists have been killed and injured in the course of the crisis. In Wednesday’s army crackdown, Fabio Polenghi, an Italian photojournalist was killed by gunshot. He is the second journalist to have lost his life after Japanese cameraman for Reuters, Hiroyuki Muramoto, who was fatally shot on 10 April. At least five other international journalists from the Netherlands, USA, Canada and the UK, and a Thai photographer working for Australian Broadcasting Corporation have been injured thus far. Besides journalists working for foreign media, two local newspaper photographers - one working for Matichon and the other for The Nation – also suffered injuries in recent clashes.

“Such attacks, as well as threats to journalists and media censorship, seriously undermine a free media environment much needed at this critical moment when the public needs updated information from all sources to understand the situation,” says Dr Agnes Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director.

ARTICLE 19 calls on both sides to end the attacks on journalists and media
censorship, and to ensure the right to information and right to expression are not compromised.

ARTICLE 19 also urges journalists to adhere to the professional standards of reporting, upholding objectivity and refraining from inciting violence.

***20.05.2010. THAILAND: BANGKOK ABLAZE; TWO JOURNALISTS KILLED AND SEVERAL OTHERS WOUNDED (IFEX)

Downtown Bangkok has spiralled into a flaming battleground after close to two months of anti-government protests, with at least 39 dead, including two journalists killed in clashes, and hundreds wounded. Thai troops broke through the encampment of red shirts today, cracking down on the movement and triggering more violence, report the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and other IFEX members. The media have taken a heavy toll - several media outlets were targeted or closed down to protect staff, and other journalists have been shot and wounded. The government has imposed a night-time curfew across the country.

Although several red shirt leaders surrendered and called off the protests, protesters reacted by setting fire to the stock exchange, Southeast Asia's second-biggest department store complex, banks, and attacking newspaper offices and a television station. The protests have now spread to northeast Thailand where demonstrators torched more buildings.

Throughout this red shirt fury over social injustice, the media has been under constant attack from all sides. The government has tried to control the flow of information by blocking websites, and shutting down satellite TV channels that it claims were inciting violence and promoting red shirt propaganda. Journalists and media outlets have been attacked by protesters who accused the media of biased coverage.

Italian photojournalist Fabio Polenghi died after being shot in the chest during the recent offensive, and at least three demonstrators were killed. A Dutch reporter Michel Maas and a US documentary filmmaker suffered from gunshot wounds. The army shoots "everything that's moving and don't ask if you are a reporter before shooting," said Maas. Another journalist was wounded in a grenade attack in the capital on 19 May.

Rioters set fire to the Channel 3 building, a government TV station, and set 10 news vehicles ablaze, reports SEAPA. Several media organisations, including the "Bangkok Post" and "The Nation", sent staff home, fearful that mobs would attack the compounds.

"About 100 employees of the Channel 3 TV station were trapped on the roof of their high-rise office, but most were later rescued by helicopter," reports "The Guardian". Meanwhile, radio stations sympathetic to the red shirts have aired "incendiary commentary," says SEAPA.

After government troops cordoned off the protesters' site by cutting off water and electricity and setting up roadblocks to prevent red shirts from joining their comrades last week, three journalists were wounded in skirmishes on 14 May. Canadian journalist Nelson Rand, working for France 24 TV channel, was shot three times. Subin Namchan, a photographer for the Thai-language newspaper, "Matichon", and Supawat Wanchantha, cameraman for Thai Voice TV Channel, were both shot in the legs. The next day, Thai reporter Chaiwat Poompuang, working for "The Nation", was also shot in the leg while covering clashes.

On 13 May, "International Herald Tribune" reporter Thomas Fuller narrowly missed being killed when a sniper fired a bullet into the head of a red shirt rebel commander whom he was interviewing. On 10 April, Reuters journalist Hiro Muramoto was shot and killed while covering fighting between protesters and security forces.

Attacks on the press "will ultimately deprive Thais of the information, news and commentary they need to understand and navigate these perilous days," said SEAPA. The press freedom organisation is also urging journalists to not take sides and to provide reliable information.

***17.05.2010. ALERT THAILAND. THE PRESS EMBLEM CAMPAIGN (PEC) GRAVELY CONCERNED: JOURNALISTS INJURED DURING BANGKOK CLASHES

Safety issues raised as casualties among journalists covering Bangkok clashes increase (SEAPA/IFEX/PEC - 17.05.2010) 

Journalists covering the renewed clashes between Thailand's security forces and the anti-government Red Shirt protesters have found themselves literally caught in the crossfire. 

SEAPA maintains its stand that the violence directed against the media in Thailand is indefensible. These attacks will victimize not only the press, but also the Thai public in general, which both need free media, unintimidated journalists, and a healthy environment for news, commentary, and information to help understand and determine their options especially in these days of crisis. 

As of Sunday, 16 May 2010, 33 people have already been killed with 239 injured, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Emergency Health Service Center.
 
Of this number, five journalists were wounded by gunfire as troops fought with protesters after the government gave out orders to cordon off the protesters' rally site in Ratchaprasong intersection on Thursday night. Power and water supplies were cut off, Skytrain and subway lines were stopped and roadblocks set up to prevent more Red Shirts from reinforcing their comrades in Bangkok's commercial district. The Center for Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES) also announced that soldiers are now authorized to fire live rounds one shot at a time in case the use of rubber bullets to dissuade armed protesters would prove to be ineffective. The troops, the government said, are to shoot only at the legs of any resisting protesters. 

However, three journalists on Friday, 14 May, found themselves shot in the leg when they covered the skirmishes in Wireless Road, Bangkok's Embassy Row, which runs parallel to Lumpini Park, occupied by the protesters since 12 March. 

Canadian national Nelson Rand, who works for France 24 TV channel, was shot three times - in the abdomen, in one of his legs and another in one of his wrists. He was rushed to Chulalongkorn Hospital where he underwent surgery. 

Subin Namchan, a photographer of the Thai-language newspaper, "Matichon", sustained a gunshot wound in the thigh at the Sarasin-Wireless intersection. He was brought to Bumrungrad Hospital. 
 
Meanwhile, Supawat Wanchantha, cameraman for Thai Voice TV Channel was also shot in the leg and was brought to Rama 9 Hospital. 
 
Witnesses said some of the injured journalists were covering the action near the lines of the protesters. It is not clear, however, if the three journalists - all sustaining a gunshot wound in the leg - were deliberately shot or were just victims of stray bullets. 
 
The following day, Chaiwat Poompuang, a veteran photojournalist of "The Nation" newspaper, was shot in the leg when he was covering the fighting at the Din Daeng intersection near Ratchapraprop Road between some 300 Red Shirts and the soldiers manning the barricade. 

On Sunday, 16 May, a PTV cameraman's life was saved by the bulletproof vest he was wearing while lying on the ground at around 4 pm near the Lumpini Tower in Rama 4 Road. Phutthapong Chusaeng said he felt a severe pain in his back when the bullet impacted his vest. His colleague from another TV station, Thai PBS, said the bullet did not pierce the vest. 
 
These incidents underline the physical dangers faced by journalists in the on-going political crisis in the Thai capital, which started on 12 March this year. 
 
On 13 May Thursday, a reporter for the "New York Times" came within a hair's breadth of death on Lumpini Park near Rama 4 Road when the man he was interviewing, renegade Maj. Gen. Katthiya Sawasdipol alias "Seh Daeng", was hit in the right temple by a bullet fired by a sniper. 

Thai reporters have started wearing safety equipment like ballistic helmets and bulletproof vests in the aftermath of the violent April 10 dispersal of the Red Shirts in Ratchdamnoen Road. Japanese journalist Hiro Muramoto, who worked as a cameraman for British news agency Reuters, was killed after he was shot in the chest. 

A freelance photographer for ABC news, Winnai Ditthajorn, suffered from a gunshot wound to his left leg in the same incident. 
 
Thai reporters and photographers have lobbied their respective media employers to equip them with these two items as fighting between the troops and the protesters continued to heat up. Sources said that it came to a point where some journalists even threatened to stop their news coverage if not issued a helmet and a vest. 

Prior to this, the only protection the journalists had was a green armband distributed by the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) identifying the wearer as a member of the media. 
 
The TJA has repeatedly issued statements the past months calling on both parties to spare journalists from threats, harassment and physical attacks while they are covering the political conflict. 
 
In the aftermath of these recent shooting incidents, the TJA and the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA) called on journalists to exercise caution during coverage and urged them to look first after their own safety. 
 
SEAPA observed in a prior press statement that the attacks on journalists "serve no purpose but to intimidate all media practitioners, and will ultimately deprive Thais the information, news, and commentary they need to understand and navigate these perilous days". 
 
However, even the reporters' abode is increasingly at risk, too. An AFP photographer, Pedro Ugarte, said that the hotel he was staying in, the Dusit Thani Hotel on Rama 4 Road, sustained bullet hits and several rounds from what were believed to be rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at dawn of 17 May, forcing the hotel to ask its guests to check out at noon for their own safety. Foreign correspondents billeted in a nearby hotel had also reportedly checked out earlier due to increased dangers brought on by the fighting. 
 
As of press time, the CRES issued an ultimatum to the remaining protesters, especially women, children and the elderly, in Ratchaprasong to leave the area even as it braces for a determined resistance from the hardcore elements of the Red Shirts. The TJA and TBJA also called on the media to pull out of the protest zones and other areas declared as "illegal" by the CRES for their own safety. 

Three journalists injured in Bangkok clashes (IPI - 14 May 2010)

(IPI) - Vienna, 14 May 2010 - Three journalists have been injured in clashes between government forces and protesters in Bangkok, Thailand.

The injured journalists - Nelson Rand, a Canadian working for broadcaster France 24; a local journalist working for Thai newspaper Matichon and a cameraman working for Thai broadcaster Voice TV - were injured in separate outbreaks of violence in the Thai capital today, according to media reports. Rand was reportedly shot thrice, in the leg, abdomen and wrist, and is reported to be in "serious condition."

Thai news outlet The Nation reports that protesters briefly surrounded a mobile van belonging to broadcaster Channel 3, alleging that the station's broadcasts were biased against the protestors, called "Red Shirts." The protesters dispersed after a discussion with the news staff and no one was hurt in the incident.

Journalists on the micro-blogging site Twitter, which has emerged as one of the most current sources of information on the protests, warned of attempts being made to steal cameras from photographers.

On Thursday, Thomas Fuller, a reporter for the International Herald Tribune, described how opposition figure Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdipol was shot in the head as Fuller was interviewing him. Fuller told CNN that he was standing only a few feet away from Sawasdipol when he was shot. Sawasdipol was transported to hospital and is in grave condition.

"Journalists covering the clashes in Thailand at the moment are extremely vulnerable to danger," said IPI Director David Dadge. "We ask soldiers and protestors to respect the independence of the media and to ensure that they do not become targets for violence in this volatile environment."

Earlier this week, IPI reported that over a month after Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto was killed in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, officials have yet to identify his killers.

Citing the current political tension in Thailand, editor of The Nation, Tulsathit Taptim, suggested at the time that the government may have chosen to not yet reveal the results of any murder investigation to avoid inciting further violence and, possibly, because the information may be inconvenient or embarrassing for the government.

"It is very difficult for any independent investigation to be conducted under these circumstances," Taptim said. "Any outcome would be politicised and used by one side or the other."

The deepening political crisis in the country has resulted in at least four deaths today, according to media sources, and over 30 people are said to have died in the clashes between the Red Shirts and government soldiers.

The wave of protests against the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva began on 12 March when Red Shirt protesters took to the streets. Three days later, demonstrators splashed blood under the gates of Government House in a sign of protest against the current leadership.

The government responded by blocking several websites and an opposition broadcaster People TV.

The Red Shirts do not recognise Abhisit Vejjajiva's leadership, charging that the prime minister came to power illegitimately following the 2006 coup against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Who are firing the shots that are injuring journalists? (RSF 16.05.2010)

Reporters Without Borders called on the Thai Army and the Red Shirts to guarantee the safety of journalists covering ongoing clashes in Bangkok after three reporters were injured: a cameraman for France 24, a photographer for Thai newspaper Matichon, and a photographer for the Thai daily The Nation.

“The confusion reigning in various parts of Bangkok do not suffice to explain the shooting injuries sustained by several Thai and foreign journalists since April,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Both camps must comply fully with the requirements of international law, according to which journalists cannot be military targets. We also call for an investigation to establish who gave the orders to shoot a rebel general as he was being interviewed by journalists.”

The press freedom organisation added: “We note that Thailand has just got itself elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council, and we urge the government to guarantee the safety of civilians and put an end to news censorship, in particular, the blocking of the Prachatai website.”

Nelson Rand, a Canadian reporter employed by the French TV news station France 24, was badly injured today by automatic gunfire near the Suan Lum night bazaar. Cyriel Payen, France 24’s Bangkok bureau chief, said he was hit in an exchange of shots between soldiers and Red Shirts. A photographer with the Thai newspaper Matichon also sustained a gunshot injury in the same place.

“He underwent a very long operation and came out of the operating room at about 6 pm,” Payen said about Rand. “He is slowly recovering consciousness. He was hit three times by shots from an assault rifle. Once in the leg, causing the loss of a lot of blood. Once in the abdomen and once in the hand, causing multiple fractures. The doctors say his condition is now stable.”

A third journalist, working for The Nation, Chaiwat Pumpuang, was shot in the right leg on 15 May as the army tried to disperse Red Shirts blocked a road at Din Daeng in Bangkok. Continued shooting in the area prevented the photographer from being taken to hospital for half an hour.

A journalist working for Voice TV, a Thai cable station that supports the Red Shirts, was also reportedly injured in Bangkok. Red Shirt protesters harassed a TV crew working for Thailand’s Channel 3, accusing them of supporting the government. After an argument, the journalists were able to leave the scene.

Hiroyuki Muramoto, a Japanese cameraman working for the Reuters news agency, was fatally shot and a France 24 cameraman was injured in clashes in Bangkok on 10 April. The results of the official investigation into Muramoto’s death have still not been released.

Reporters Without Borders is also shocked by the methods used by the army to eliminate the pro-Red Shirt general Khattiya Sawasdipol, who was shot in the head yesterday while being interviewed by International Herald Tribune reporter Thomas Fuller. Another journalist who was there said the shot appeared to have been fired by a sniper.

Fuller told CNN: “I was facing him, he was answering my questions, looking at me and the bullet hit him in the forehead, from what I could tell. It looks like the bullet came over my head and struck him.”

***10.05.2010. HONDURAS. VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS: UNITED NATIONS EXPERTS CALL UPON HONDURAS TO PROTECT MEDIA STAFF

GENEVA – A group of United Nations human rights experts* called upon the Honduran Government to take urgent action to address the increasing vulnerability faced by journalists operating in the country. In the past six weeks, seven journalists have been killed, and several others have been threatened, reportedly for their activities in defence of human rights in the country.

“We urge the Government to take all necessary measures to thoroughly investigate these killings and threats, prosecute those responsible, and ensure the physical and psychological integrity of all journalists under threats”, the independent experts said. “In particular, we call upon the Government to establish an independent inquiry aimed at shedding lights on these issues, as well as at identifying measures that could be taken to better protect journalists and prevent the occurrence of such acts in the future”.

Journalists José Bayardo Mairena Ramírez, Manuel Juárez, Nahun Palacios
Arteaga, David Meza Motesinos, Joseph Hernández Ochoa, Luis Antonio Chévez
Hernández and Jorge Orellana “recently lost their lives while exercising their legitimate right to freedom of opinion and expression”, stressed the United Nations Special Rapporteurs.

Several journalists continue to receive death threats, despite precautionary measures ordered by the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights to protect journalists in Honduras.

“Journalists play a critical role in strengthening human rights through their work”, the independent experts said. “Silencing them not only curtails freedom of opinion and expression, but also jeopardizes the enjoyment of all rights and freedoms of society as a whole.”

“We call on the Honduran authorities to take all necessary steps to protect the right to life and secure the right to freedom of opinion and expression of all persons, including journalists and human rights activists, in accordance with articles 6 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”, the Special Rapporteurs said. “The international community will closely scrutinize the response of the Government to this tragic situation.”

(*) Frank la Rue, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of
the rights to freedom of opinion and expression; Mr. Philip Alston,
Special Rapporteur on summary, extrajudicial or arbitrary executions; and
Ms. Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
defenders.

***06.05.2010. PAKISTAN. Twenty-six IFEX members join the Pakistani Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in condemning suicide bombings

Twenty-six IFEX members and the PFUJ appeal to the leaders of the Taliban, to the jihadist movements and to Al-Qaeda in Pakistan to put a stop to all further suicide bombings in public gatherings:

"We, the undersigned journalists of Pakistan and defenders of free expression around the world, condemn with the utmost firmness all recourse to suicide bombings in the middle of crowds of civilians that result in the deaths of innocent people including media workers.

In April, two fellow-journalists working for Samaa TV were killed in the space of two days in suicide bombings in Pakistan. They were both covering stories at the time and paid with their lives for doing their duty to report the news. These bombings have made Pakistan one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the press.

As the Pakistani Muslim scholar Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said in March, there is no place for the martyr in Islam. In a 600-page fatwa, he did not hesitate to describe the perpetrators and instigators of suicide bombings as enemies of Islam.

"They cannot claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim umma [Islamic community]," Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri said. "No, they become the heroes of hellfire and they are leading towards hellfire. There is no place for any martyrdom and their act is never, ever to be considered jihad [holy struggle]."

As journalists, we have to cover official events first hand but that does not mean that we support any specific politician or public figure. By targeting large gatherings, the organisations that use suicide bombings are endangering the lives of innocent civilians and reporters. This is not acceptable.

We appeal with the utmost urgency to the leaders of the Taliban in Pakistan, to the jihadist movements and to Al-Qaeda in Pakistan to put a stop to all further suicide bombings in public gatherings.

We can no longer accept that our fellow journalists lose their lives."

***05.05.2010. SOMALIA. NUSOJ Condemns Assassination of Veteran Journalist in Mogadishu

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) today condemned the mindless and merciless targeted assassination of veteran journalist, Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey, in Mogadishu, on Tuesday night, 4 May 2010.

Hooded men with pistols followed the late journalist Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey, 52, who was working for Radio Mogadishu – Voice of Somali Republic, a government owned Radio station, and killed him near his home in Wardhigley district.

“We condemn the assassination of Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey who is another victim of mindless and merciless brutality against journalists” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. “Somali journalists are being murdered for just reporting their stories independently or their journalistic work with particular media house”.

Journalists in Mogadishu believe that Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey was murdered
because of his leading role and journalistic work with Radio Mogadishu which is owned and managed by Transitional Federal Government. The government officially accused Al-Shabaab armed group for committing this heinous crime. “The loss of this experienced journalist is heartbreaking for his family and colleagues, but it is also a blow to the entire Somali people” Omar declared.

NUSOJ says the latest assassination shows how journalists continue to face
daily risks in Somalia where violence and terrorism has become an increasingly routine part of daily life. “We again call on all sides in the conflict to stop manipulating media to suit their own political interests which became major source of media victims” Omar Faruk added.

Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey joined the profession in 1988 as a reporter with former Somali National News Agency (SONNA), especially in the foreign news service. In the past ten years he worked for several media houses in Mogadishu such as HornAfrik radio, Somali Television Network (STN), East Africa Radio and recently radio Mogadishu.

Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey didn’t move from his home when he started working for Radio Mogadishu as other journalists working for Radio Mogadishu moved to the premises of the Radio in fear for their security. The late Sheik Nur was well-skilled journalist who worked as producer, reporter, presenter and even technician.

***03.05.2010. Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) - International Press Freedom Day: 69 violations of media Freedoms in oPt since the beginning of the year

Let’s stand a minute of silence in respect to the souls of killed Journalists in Palestine and the whole world

Since Eighteen years ago, the world celebrates the Third of May as the International Press Freedom Day, which approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1993.The significance of the celebration is to highlight the violations practiced against Journalists and media institutions in all parts of the world, and promote freedom of expression culture. Especially; because the freedom of speech is missing in a lot of countries.

The occupied Palestinian territories are suffering from a lot Freedom of expression violations, where the media sector workers have been paying a high price for their hard insistence to cover events by word and image, which made them subjected almost to daily violations by Israeli occupation forces, and the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on the other hand.

Palestinian Center for Development and media Freedoms (MADA) monitored 69 violations against Journalists in the first four months of this year; 57 violations were committed by the Israeli side, and 12 violations were committed by the Palestinian side.

This number is a serious and significant predictor at the low level of press freedom in the Palestinian territories. At the same period of the last year the number of violations was almost the same; 62 violations (41 were committed by the Israeli side, and 21 violations were committed by the Palestinian side). While on 2008 year witnessed 90 violations at the same period (64 were committed by Israeli side, and 26 by the Palestinian side). MADA monitored 173 violations during the last year.

Since the beginning of 2008, Five Journalists were killed by the Israeli occupation forces. Those are: Fadel Shana’a, Ihab Wahidi, Basil Faraj, A'la Murtaja, and Omar Silawi. As there have been no cases of murder were committed by the Palestinian side.

The continuing violations of media Freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territories left negative effects on the Palestinian Journalists and the media landscape in Palestine, and the free access to information. The Palestine TV correspondent Haroon Amyreh, who had suffered from several violations by the Israeli occupation forces since the beginning of this year said: “The violations have a positive and negative impact on the Journalist, the positive effects that it increases the insistence of the Journalist to convey the truth to the whole world, and it gives him a greater motivation to continue covering the events, despite all the risks. While the negative effect is the feeling that there is no lasting security, where the beatings and insults by the Israeli occupation forces become as a routine for me.”

"The lack of security in the Journalistic work, make the journalist life like a hell and kill the motivation of work and creativity inside him”, said the freelance Journalist Mustafa Sabri, who expressed his feelings toward the multiple violations he had subjected by the security forces in West Bank. Where the several arrested times makes him living in state of fear and horror about his wife and his eight children.

Alhayat Aljadedeh correspondent in Gaza Strip “Nufouth Al-Bakri" has expressed her resentment from some officials who refused to give her information when they know that she is working with Alhayat Aljadedeh Newspaper ; Also, she complained about her permanent suffering from security agents in the dismissed government during her coverage of the press conference. It is worth mentioning that Al-Bakri home was raided two separated times by unknown individuals who said that they are belonging to the Interior Ministry and Ministry of Information.

In its efforts to develop its work to reduce the suppression of media freedoms in Palestine ,MADA will start in conjunction with the world press Freedom day, to defend Journalists by providing two lawyers in West Bank and Gaza Strip to defend them, and to give them legal consultancy. MADA will also work to increase the awareness of Journalists about their legal rights by holding workshops, printing a legal guide that related to the Journalist work in Palestine.

MADA will work to promote and to enhance freedom of expressions culture in the Palestinian society through the media .MADA will also launch an updated version of its website that contains new links about media freedoms violations.

MADA center calls the International community to exercise a real and effective pressure on Israel authorities to stop the continuing attacks on Journalists, and also demands the authorities in West Bank and Gaza to stop all forms of Suppression of media Freedoms. MADA also demands the release of all detained Journalists in Palestine and all over the world, and to provide a safe working environment for Journalists. And to respond to the UNESCO request to stand a minute of silence for the journalists who were killed, in order to show the truth, on Monday 3 May 2010, where 36 Journalists from all over the world had been killed since the beginning of 2010 according to Press Emblem Campaign press release.

MADA center offers warmest congratulations to fellow Journalists in Palestine and all over the world on the occasion of the International Press Freedom Day, hoping that Palestine and the entire world will witness a significant development to Freedom of opinion and expression.

Contact:
Riham Abu Aita
Public Relation Officer
Ramallah
info@madacenter.org
madapalestine@yahoo.com
www.madacenter.org

***03.05.2010. WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY. IFJ Highlights Struggle in Iran on World Press Freedom Day

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has marked this year's World Press Freedom Day with a special focus on the situation of journalists in Iran where  dozens of journalists remain behind bars, newspapers closed and where the IFJ affiliate, the Association of Iranian Journalists has had its office closed down.

"The onslaught on media in Iran has been unrelenting since the disputed elections
in June, last year," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "The government has sought to suppress independent media and to shut down all contacts with outside following unprecedented show of public defiance to the regime."

The IFJ says there are still up to 35 journalists in prison since the mass trial of media last August and many more newspapers have been shut down. The office of the Association of Iranian Journalists (AoIJ), an IFJ affiliate, remains sealed since 5 August 2009 with no immediate prospect of being allowed to function again.

The IFJ Executive Committee decided in their meeting in Marrakech, Morocco on 20-21 March to focus World Press Freedom Day activities on raising awareness of the situation of media in Iran and support for the IFJ campaign to free Iranian journalists which has been running since September 2009. In particular, IFJ affiliates, their members and journalists around the world are requested to send the IFJ electronic post card to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling for the release of all detained journalists and the reopening of the AoIJ office in Tehran.

"We need to show solidarity with journalists in Iran all the time," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "But World Press Freedom Day provides the opportunity to focus the minds and send a message to the Iranian government about our determination to stand by our colleagues and fight for their freedom."

The IFJ has also called for global action to promote the safety of journalists following confirmed deaths of at least 27 journalists since the start of the year in countries such as Honduras, Thailand, Nigeria and Pakistan.

"This death toll after just four months ought to shock the world into action," added White. "We are well past the time of words alone in the face of utter indifference on the part of men of violence."

UN Secretary-General Ban KI-moon, in Remarks at World Press Freedom Day Event, Highlights Killings of 77 Journalists, Saying Governments Have Duty to Protect Media Personnel

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the observance of World Press Freedom Day, in New York today, 29 April:

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, enshrined in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  But around the world, Governments and those who wield power use many different ways to obstruct it.
They impose high taxes on newsprint, making newspapers so expensive that people cannot afford to buy them.  Independent radio and TV stations are forced off the air if they criticize Government policies.  The censors are active in cyberspace too, preventing people from accessing websites for political reasons, and arresting citizen journalists.
In some parts of the world, journalists are imprisoned for years, on dubious or non-existent charges.  Elsewhere, they risk intimidation and harassment, and even their lives, simply for doing their jobs.  Simply for exercising their right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas, through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Last year, UNESCO condemned the killing of 77 journalists.  These were not high-profile war correspondents, killed in the heat of battle.  Most of them worked for small, local publications in peacetime.  They were killed for attempting to expose wrongdoing or corruption.

I condemn these murders and insist that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

All Governments have a duty to protect those who work in the media.  This protection must include investigating and prosecuting those who commit crimes against journalists.  Impunity gives the green light to criminals and murderers, and empowers those who have something to hide.  Over the long term, it has a corrosive and corrupting effect on society as a whole.
Our theme this year is “Freedom of Information: the right to know”.  The good news is that there is a global trend towards new laws which recognize the universal right to publicly held information.
But these new laws do not always translate into action.  Requests for official information are often refused, or delayed, for years.  At times, poor information management is to blame.  But all too often, this happens because of a culture of secrecy and a lack of accountability.

We must work to change attitudes and to raise awareness.  People have a right to information that affects their lives.  States have a duty to provide this information.  Such transparency is essential to good government.

The United Nations stands with persecuted journalists and media professionals everywhere.  Today, as every day, I call on Governments, civil society and people around the world to recognize the important work of media, and to stand up for freedom of information.

***29.04.2010. MEXICO. Mexico: International Mission Attacked in Oaxaca
Human Rights Defenders, Activists and Journalists Killed or Missing

Yesterday at 14h30, a convoy of over 40 international and local human rights defenders, activists and journalists were attacked by an armed group in the town of San Juan Copala, Oaxaca State.

Two human rights defenders were killed, Finnish citizen Jyri Antero Jaakkola, and Mexican Beatriz Alberta Carino Trujillo, member of the Centro de Apoyo Comunitario Trabajando Unidos (CACTUS), both died by gunshot wounds.

According to locals, 40 other people in the international human rights mission ran away and two journalists remain missing. The total number of people killed, wounded and missing is yet to be confirmed by Mexican authorities.

The two journalists, Erika Ramirez and David Cilia García are reporters for the journal Contralinea. According to the journal, Erika and David established contact for the last time with their colleagues in Mexico City yesterday at eleven in the morning.

Erika and David were travelling to Oaxaca to investigate the previous killings of Felicitas Martínez Sánchez and Teresa Bautista Merino. Felicitas and Teresa work for the Triqui community radio station “The voice that breaks the silence” in San Juan Copala and were killed on 7 April 2008. No one has been brought to justice for their murders.
According to local sources, one of the main concerns at the moment is that the Triqui region is more or less under siege, with no one allowed to leave, including those in need of hospital treatment.

The mission included human rights defenders coming from Finland, Italy, Belgium, and Germany, accompanied by representatives of local organisation the Red de Radios y Comunicadores Indígenas del Sureste Mexicano, Section 22 of the teachers union, the Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca (APPO) and journalists, including Erika Ramirez and David Cilia García.

Yesterday’s attack adds to the atmosphere of insecurity and political confrontation that has been typical of the region since the beginning of 2007. This has been attributed in part to the declaration in January 2007 by the Triqui people of the creation of the autonomous municipality of San Juan Copala, 350 km away from the state capital. Furthermore, there is information that confirms the presence of paramilitary groups in the area.

ARTICLE 19 expresses its solidarity with the families and colleagues of the victims. We urge the local and federal authorities to undertake all necessary measures to find Erika Ramirez, David Cilia and others urgently and provide all necessary assistance, including medical and repatriation.

ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned about the escalating number of attacks against journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico, and especially about the evident pattern of violence in Oaxaca. We also urge the authorities to launch a proper investigation into the attack and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

***28.04.2010. AFGHANISTAN. Les journalistes de FR3 Hervé Ghesquière et Stéphane Taponier otages des talibans depuis 4 mois. La Presse Emblème Campagne (PEC) s'inquiète de leur sort et demande à nouveau leur libération immédiate. La PEC s'associe à la pétition lancée par RSF:

"Nous, amis et soutiens des deux journalistes et de leurs accompagnateurs afghans comprenons et respectons les consignes de silence et de discrétion autour de leur enlèvement afin de ne pas gêner les négociations qui s’engageraient avec les ravisseurs. Pour autant, nous ne pouvons pas admettre que des responsables politiques mettent en cause la probité professionnelle de nos confrères et amis.
Les journalistes de France Télévision enlevés sont tous deux très expérimentés, avec chacun plus de vingt ans d’expérience professionnelle sur de nombreux théâtres d’opération. Afghanistan, Proche Orient, conflit de l’ex-Yougoslavie, Rwanda, guérillas du Cambodge, ex-URSS, ils ont effectué de nombreux reportages dans des pays en guerre. C’est à ce titre que la rédaction de France 3 leur a confié cette mission d’information en Afghanistan.
Journalistes et amis, nous n’accepterons pas que la réputation de nos confrères soit salie et diminuée alors même qu’ils sont encore aux mains de leurs ravisseurs et qu’ils n’ont pas encore livré le récit de leur enlèvement. Les propos tenus sont outrageants au regard du parcours professionnel de nos confrères, des risques qu’ils ont encourus avec certains d’entre nous pour informer le public lors d’autres conflits et des motivations profondes qui les guident dans l’accomplissement de leur métier. Le dénigrement de nos confrères est en outre très blessant pour les familles. Et puisque la recommandation est à la discrétion, nous aurions souhaité que les responsables politiques soient les premiers à faire preuve de retenue. Loin des contre-vérités et des polémiques. L’Etat doit assistance à tout citoyen français, fût-il journaliste"

signez la pétition sur le site de RSF: www.rsf.org

***22.04.2010. CONSTERNACIÓN EN AMÉRICA LATINA POR SEXTO PERIODISTA ASESINADO EN HONDURAS

La Federación de Periodistas de América Latina y el Caribe (FEPALC) expresa su consternación por el asesinato del periodista Jorge Georgino Orellana, sexto asesinado en los últimos dos meses en Honduras.

La FEPALC denuncia a viva voz la escalada de violencia contra los comunicadores sociales registrada en Honduras, que aumenta de manera delirante el número de víctimas del sector en la región.

Orellana fue asesinado la noche del último martes 20 de abril al salir de las instalaciones del canal de televisión en el que trabajaba, en San Pedro de Sula.
El comunicador dirigía el programa "En vivo con Georgino", un programa de
debates que se emitía de lunes a viernes en Televisión de Honduras.

Lo que más reclama la FEPALC es la celeridad con la que los agentes oficiales descartan –y no sólo en Honduras- el móvil del trabajo periodístico como causa del asesinato. Siempre arguyen altos índices de criminalidad o móviles pasionales, lo que nos parece inaceptable en recogida de evidencias y análisis de circunstancias que no han tomado siquiera 24 horas.

La FEPALC recuerda que otros cinco periodistas fueron asesinados en marzo en la peor escalada de ataques de este tipo en Honduras: José Bayardo Mairena Ramírez y Manuel de Jesús Juárez, comunicadores de Canal 4 y Radio Excélsior de Juticalpa, Olancho (26 de marzo); Nahúm Palacios Arteaga, periodista, asesinado en Tocoa el 14 de marzo; David Meza, reportero radiofónico, asesinado el 11 de marzo en La Ceiba; y Joseph Hernández Ochoa, presentador de televisión, asesinado a balazos el 1 de marzo en Tegucigalpa en un atentado en el que una colega suya, también periodista, resultó gravemente herida.

A lo acontecido en Honduras, la FEPALC suma su enérgico grito de no a la
impunidad a los crímenes contra la periodista María Isabella Cordero, ex conductora de la cadena Televisa, en Chihuahua, en México y el reportero gráfico Arsenio Zambrano Ocampo, en Colombia, victimados en las últimas dos semanas.

Nuestra organización ante tan dramática situación demanda a los Estados
hondureño, mexicano y colombiano tomar medidas certeras que garanticen la
vida y seguridad de los periodistas.

Es terrible que a la fecha a consecuencia de la indiferencia y la ineficacia de los gobiernos sólo sumemos víctimas, una tras otra, sin que sea posible identificar a los culpables.

Honduras se ha convertido en el país con el mayor número de periodistas-víctimas en lo que va del 2010, seguido de México y Colombia.

Celso Schroder
Presidente FEPALC

Zuliana Lainez
Secretaria Derechos Humanos FEPALC

FEDERACIÓN DE PERIODISTAS DE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE (FEPALC)
Federación Argentina de Trabajadores de Prensa (FATPREN); Federación
Nacional de Periodistas (FENAJ); Sindicato Nacional de Periodistas de
Costa Rica (SNP); Federación Colombiana de Periodistas (FECOLPER); Federación Nacional de Trabajadores de los Medios de Comunicación Social de Chile (FENATRAMCO); Sindicato de Periodistas y Similares de El Salvador (SINPESS); Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Prensa y Similares de Honduras
(SITINPRES); Sindicato Nacional de Redactores de Prensa de México (SNRP);
Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay (SPP); Asociación Nacional de Periodistas del Perú (ANP); Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Prensa de la República Dominicana (SNTP); Asociación de Prensa Uruguaya (APU); Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Prensa de Venezuela (SNTP).

***21.04.2010. Appeal for Press Freedom Day silence to honour world journalist dead (INSI)

London, 21 April - The International News Safety Institute supports a call for a minute's silence in newsrooms around the world to honour more than 1,500 journalists and other news media who have died trying to cover the story over the past 14 years.

UNESCO has called for the gesture of respect to take place this and every year on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, "to denounce the murder of journalists and to demand an end to impunity" for their killers.

An INSI global inquiry into the deaths of news professionals, Killing The Messenger, recorded 1,000 deaths between 1996 and mid-2006. A further 500 have died since then, maintaining an average of more than two deaths every week. Twenty-four are confirmed killed this year so far, with an additional 14 cases under investigation to determine whether the killings were connected with the victims' work.

INSI and other news support organisations have found than in more than eight out of 10 cases no one is ever brought to justice. In some countries the prosecution rate is virtually zero.

"This is the dreadful hidden price of our world news," said INSI Director Rodney Pinder. "The death toll is a shocking indictment of States that fail in their duty to protect their journalist citizens -- and of other countries who profess a staunch commitment to freedom of expression but stand aloof when journalists die just trying to do their job.

"One minute's silence in newsrooms on World Press Freedom Day surely is the least we can do to remember our friends and colleagues who have fallen as well as those who still put their lives on the line daily to keep us informed."

The UNESCO proposal was adopted by the Intergovernmental Council of the
Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) at its 27th session in Paris last month. The IPDC aims to mobilise the international community in support of media development in developing countries.

A Decision adopted on the safety of journalists stressed the responsibility of States to comply with their obligations under international law to end impunity and prosecute those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law.

It called on member States to inform the Director-General of UNESCO of actions taken to prevent impunity as well as the progress of judicial inquiries into the murders of journalists.

The Decision also sought to place a priority on projects that support local capacity building for the safety of journalists. (INSI noted in this regard that it had provided free safety training for more than 1,595 news media staff in 21 countries.)

The Decision concluded by proposing UNESCO convenes an inter-agency meeting of all relevant UN agencies to formulate "a comprehensive, coherent and action-orientated approach to the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity."

***20.04.2010. PHILIPPINES. Statement of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility on the Agra order to drop the multiple murder charges against Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy Ampatuan Zaldy and Mamasapano Mayor Datu Akmad Ampatuan in connection with the Ampatuan Massacre

THE ORDER of acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra for state prosecutors to drop the multiple murder charges against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan in connection with the Ampatuan Massacre of 2009 has understandably aroused suspicions of political interference.

Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar has described these suspicions and outright allegations as “an obscenity.” But the real and current obscenity in this country is the fact that the alleged president for whom Olivar speaks has become central to the major issues that beset this country, most particularly that of whether there will be a change in its putrid leadership rather than more of the
same despite the 2010 elections.

Why the country has reached this point is clear: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has demonstrated time and again that no method is too mean and no tactic too low for her to use in her drive to remain in power, and that includes committing the worst travesties against the very institutions—whether the police, the military or the justice system—that sustain State power.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would rather that the public forget it, but there is no denying that the Ampatuans were, and could still be, her political allies, and that their help could be crucial in insuring the victory of the ruling coalition’s candidates at both the national and local levels.

The political imperative rather than the legal one is thus evident in Secretary Agra’s attempt to justify his order. His predecessor had ruled that there was “probable cause” that the two Ampatuans were involved in the conspiracy to waylay, abduct and kill the 57 men and women in the Mangudadatu convoy last November 23.

Whether either Ampatuan or both Ampatuans were actually present during the massacre is an incidental issue. If they were part of the conspiracy, their knowledge of and involvement in its planning constitutes the “probable cause” that Agra’s predecessor concluded existed as far as the two Ampatuans were concerned. It is that which must be established or proven false during the trial. Despite all this Agra still issued the order, thus the universal suspicion that
Malacañang had told him to do so.

But there is not much point in belaboring the obvious. In the face of this most recent outrage against both justice and democracy, the media need to take this issue to the rest of Philippine society, and to bring to the attention of the Filipino people the impending travesty the Arroyo regime is once more poised to commit. The press too needs to support the public prosecutors protesting Agra’s order, and it needs to engage law groups as well as the rest of civil society not only in
condemning the order, but even more importantly, in demanding that he
recall it. For this the press and everyone else must take to the streets if necessary.

***16.04.2010. SOMALIA. IFJ Challenges Somali Extremists and International Community over Independent Media

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the global voice of journalists, has expressed fresh concern over efforts on all sides in Somalia to wipe out independent media. The intervention follows a serious deterioration of the situation for private media outlets operating out of Somalia's densely populated and war-torn capital city of Mogadishu.

According to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), an IFJ affiliate, the Somali Islamist insurgent group, Hisbul Islam, has imposed bans on radio stations instructing them not to air music and songs and to refer to foreign fighters fighting the country not as "foreigners", but as "Muhaajiriin". Some 14 radio stations in Mogadishu buckled under this pressure and implemented the Hisbul Islam edict after a ten-day ultimatum.

"This latest action coming after months and years of violent intimidation illustrates the wretched state of press freedom in Somalia," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "Journalists are in the frontline of the struggle for peace and democracy in Somalia and they must be supported."

The IFJ says that the latest censorship is in line with similar actions been imposed on media stations in the southern Somalia regions held by Al-Shabaab Islamic extremists group. Many journalists fled or became Al-Shabaab hostages. This group took over Radio stations in Baidoa and Kismayu.

The IFJ says that media have also suffered as Somali extremist groups have put pressure on some trading companies not to place advertisements with particular media companies. Media and independent journalism have taken a hit too as donor support has diminished.

"The threats and bullying of journalists and the financial uncertainty surrounding private media have created a dangerous and despairing environment," said White. "More must be done to support media and to ensure the survival of independent journalism."

Radio Mogadishu, which is run and controlled by the Transitional Federation Government of Somalia (TFG), was launched to counter propaganda of Al-Shabaab. Newly established Radio Bar-Kulan, broadcasted in Nairobi but transmitted in strong FM station in Mogadishu, with the funding of the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA) is widely believed by the local media to support African Union Peace Keeping Troops in Mogadishu.

"The international community must not reduce its commitment to fund and to
support media nor should it show hesitation in backing the private sector," said White. "These are the vital outlets that reflect the independent voice of the Somali people. If international support is withdrawn it will open the door to new pressure from extremists and the enemies of press freedom."

***13.04.2010. AFGHANISTAN. In Video, Journalist Says French President ‘Must Negotiate Very Quickly, Otherwise We Will Be Executed Soon’ (IPI)

In a video released by the Taliban in Afghanistan on Monday, two French journalists who were kidnapped in December say they will be killed unless the Taliban’s demands are met. 
 
The two journalists, Stephane Taponnier and Herve Ghesquiere, both employed by France 3 television, were kidnapped in December in Afghanistan’s northeastern Kapisa province, along with their driver and Afghan translator.  

One of the kidnappers’ demands was that the video be broadcast on France 3 television.  

France 3 for the first time on Monday revealed the journalists’ names and images. The channel stated that it had so far protected the duo’s anonymity in the interest of their security, but that it had taken the decision to make the information public at the request of their family members.  
 
The video shows one of the journalists reading from a notebook, in English: “This message is the last message for the French government and my TV: France 3. After three months to be prisoner, the Taliban want absolutely that their (will) has to be accepted by French officials.” 

He adds: "The French president, Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, must understand that we are now in danger of death. I repeat, the French president must negotiate very quickly, otherwise we will be executed soon." 
 
The French Foreign Ministry has announced that it is working to secure the journalists’ release. “Given that this could have a direct impact on the security of our two compatriots and the course of our action to secure their release, we prefer to exert the utmost discretion on this point,” spokesman Bernard Valero was quoted by AFP as saying.
 
The video was reportedly released on a Taliban website, alemarah.info, and was accompanied by a statement which announced that the Taliban had sent the French government a list of detainees who were to be released in exchange for the journalists’ safety. 
 
The area of Afghanistan where the journalists were kidnapped is primarily French-patrolled. 
 
In recent times, journalists have repeatedly been kidnapped or taken hostage by nations or non-state actors in hopes of ransom or political mileage. Earlier this month, two journalists of British origin were reportedly kidnapped when they were returning from an interview with Taliban representatives in Pakistan’s restive North West Frontier Province. Last year Iran arrested and tried an American journalist, Roxana Saberi, sentencing her to eight years on espionage charges. She was later released after her sentence was suspended. Also in 2009, North Korea detained two American journalists after it claimed that they had illegally crossed the border from China to North Korea. They were released after a visit to North Korea by former U.S President Bill Clinton. 
 
“It is unacceptable that journalists be used as pawns or as tools for political maneuvering,” said IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills. “Journalists are neutral observers and must be treated as such. They should be allowed to do their job freely and without fear of being kidnapped for political ends. The Taliban must release these journalists unharmed immediately.”

***08.04.2010. IRAQ: US MILITARY WHISTLEBLOWERS SHARE VIDEO OF REUTERS STAFF BEING KILLED

Chilling video footage of the US military killing a dozen Iraqis, including two Reuters staff, was released on 5 April by WikiLeaks, a website that publishes leaked information. The disturbing video was taken from a US Apache helicopter, and includes heartless commentary from soldiers as they fire on civilians in a Baghdad neighbourhood.

Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and his assistant Saeed Chmagh, 40, are seen in the video walking with cameras slung over their shoulders when the voice of a US soldier identifies the cameras as "weapons." Prior to the attack, Chmagh is talking on the phone. Minutes later, a van appears; as two men start carrying a wounded Chmagh to the van, the helicopter fires on the van. Two children were hurt in the subsequent firing.

The US military claims fighting took place between US forces and insurgents. The video shows otherwise. WikiLeaks also spoke to witnesses and journalists directly involved in the episode. "The Guardian" reports the Pentagon has identified WikiLeaks as a threat to national security. Meanwhile, Reuters has been unsuccessful in its attempts to obtain a copy of the video through the Freedom of Information Act.

go to the WikiLeaks website: www.wikileaks.org 

REMEMBER: seven years ago the attack by US forces on Palestine Hotel in Baghdad 

The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) joins journalists and media workers from media organisations across the world and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in commemorating the seven-year anniversary of two attacks by the United States in Iraq which resulted in the deaths of several journalists.

On April 8, 2003, an attack by US forces on Baghdad’s Palestine Hotel killed José Couso, of Spain’s Telecinco and Taras Protsyuk, a Ukrainian cameraman working for Reuters. The hotel has long been known for hosting foreign journalists.
 
On the same day, US forces attacked the offices of the Al Jazeera broadcaster in Baghdad, killing reporter Tareq Ayyoub. 
 
The IFJ and other press freedom groups examined the Pentagon’s November 2004 report on the attack on the Palestine Hotel, concluding it was flawed and unconvincing. 
 
The IFJ calls on US President Barack Obama to now set up a thorough inquiry, in the spirit of his stated vision of hope for peace and stability in Iraq.
 
This year’s April 8 anniversary coincides with publication by Wikileaks on April 5 of a video which reportedly portrays a US military helicopter in July 2007 opening fire on and killing civilians in Baghdad, among them Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and driver Sameed Chmagh.
 
Reuters has repeatedly requested this US military footage under US freedom of information laws, to no avail. The footage can be seen at the following link: www.collateralmurder.com

Today, the IFJ and its affiliates are writing to President Obama requesting that his administration take responsibility to explain the 2003 and 2007 attacks, especially to the families and colleagues of the victims.

In 2006, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1738, which calls on governments to protect journalists and media personnel working in situations of war and conflict, in accordance with their civilian status. 

At the most recent meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva last month, the IFJ alongside Article 19 and the International News Safety Institute (INSI) welcomed a draft resolution on protection of journalists in situations of armed conflict. 

The draft resolution recognises the “vital role played by the press in situations of armed conflict” and highlights “the large and increasing number of deaths and injuries among members of the press in armed conflict”.

***01.04.2010. FIVE JOURNALISTS KILLED IN HONDURAS IN MARCH, UNESCO REPORTS

New York, Apr 1 2010 10:10AM
The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today spoke out against the murders of two radio journalists ambushed last week, bringing the total number of media professionals killed in the Central American nation last month alone to five.

As José Bayardo Mairena and Manuel Juárez, who worked for the radio stations Excélsior and Super 10, drove from hosting a radio programme in Catacamas, in eastern Honduras, their car was sprayed with bullets by unidentified armed men, according to reports.

“Such despicable crimes against media professionals undermine the fundamental right of freedom of information, cornerstone of a democratic society,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/).

Also killed last month were journalist Nahúm Palacios Arteaga in Tocoa on 14 March; radio reporter David Meza on 11 March in La Ceiba; and, on 1 March, reporter Joseph Hernández Ochoa in Tegucigalpa, in a shooting that seriously wounded another journalist.

“I call on the Honduran authorities to make every possible effort to arrest the perpetrators and put an end to this unprecedented and intolerable wave of violence,” Ms. Bokova said.

Reporters Without Borders, a non-governmental organization (NGO), has said that Honduras and Mexico are now the deadliest countries by far for journalists working in the Western Hemisphere.

A new report issued by UNESCO last week found that rising numbers of journalists are being killed worldwide, mostly in countries that are at peace, calling for an end to impunity in the murders of media professionals. Last year set a new record, with 77 murders reported by the agency. The high number is due in part to the murder of some 30 journalists in one day during an ambush in the Philippines on 23 November 2009, the publication says. Sadly, the frequency of acts of violence against journalists is increasing,” it notes. “In most cases, impunity precludes the way of justice, and if this trend prevails, journalists will remain easy targets.

“Needless to say this represents a severe threat to freedom of expression
and to our ability to seek the truth.” 

***26.03.10. UN Human Rights Council: ARTICLE 19, IFJ and INSI Back New UN Action over Safety of Journalists in Armed Conflict (see PEC NEWS)

ARTICLE 19, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the International News Safety Institute (INSI) have welcomed a draft resolution on protection of journalists in situations of armed conflict which has been proposed at the thirteenth session of the UN Human Rights Council by Bangladesh, Egypt and Mexico.

The draft resolution coincides with action at UNESCO where a request was made for an inter-agency discussion to promote a UN-wide action plan on the safety of journalists.

The draft resolution recognises the “vital role played by the press in situations of armed conflict” and highlights “the large and increasing number of deaths and injuries among members of the press in armed conflict”. It calls on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to organise a panel discussion on the issue with “all concerned parties and stakeholders, including relevant press organizations and associations”.

ARTICLE 19, IFJ and INSI welcome the spirit of the resolution, particularly the support from Mexico which has one of highest rate of journalists’ killings over the last three years. They are nevertheless concerned that the process suggested by the resolution (a panel discussion) is inappropriate in view of the gravity of the situation. The resolution also fails to make reference to, and build on, steps taken to date by the international community, and to enforce commitments by member
states which are still to be implemented.

In 2006, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1738 calling on governments to protect journalists in armed conflict situations. The resolution, recalling the frequency of acts of violence, including deliberate attacks in many parts of the world against journalists, media professionals and associated personnel in armed conflicts called on all parties to put an end to such practices.

The Security Council demanded that all parties to an armed conflict must comply with their obligations under international law to protect civilians in armed conflict. It also emphasized the responsibility of States in that regard, as well as their obligation to end impunity and to prosecute those responsible for serious violations. All parties in situations of armed conflict were urged to respect the professional independence and rights of journalists, media professionals and associated personnel as civilians.

Some four years later, the recommendations still have to be fully implemented. Over the past 12 years, more than 1,100 journalists and media staff have been killed in the line of duty. Almost none of these crimes have been prosecuted and impunity for crimes committed against journalists is especially high.

ARTICLE 19, IFJ and INSI call on the three sponsors and all member states
to:
• Comply with their obligations under international law to protect civilians in armed conflicts and end impunity, as highlighted by UN Security Council Resolution 1738 (2006) on violence against journalists, media professionals, and associated personnel in armed conflicts; and other international agreements and initiatives;
• Ensure that a future panel discussion on the topic focuses on the implementation of existing international agreements and commitments, with the view of identifying the gaps and problems with violence and impunity, and effective ways of addressing them.

ARTICLE 19, IFJ and INSI encourage broad participation in this process and
accordingly offer their assistance to all interested parties.

***18.03.10. MEXICO: EIGHT JOURNALISTS ABDUCTED, TWO KILLED

In Mexico, information can be fatal. Eight journalists were abducted in separate episodes between 18 February and 3 March, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Three journalists were later released; one of them died as a result of being tortured. Mexican journalists in newsrooms remain silent about the kidnappings for fear of reprisals from drug traffickers. And in another part of the country also caught in the terror of drug cartels, another journalist was slain on 12 March.

The abducted journalists work for both print and broadcast media and were kidnapped in Reynosa, northern Tamaulipas State. Sources declined to name the victims or file complaints with authorities due to fear of retaliation or further endangering the victims' lives. The abductions come at a time of bloody clashes between two drug cartels in the Reynosa border area, and the press has been intimidated into not reporting on the violence. Local journalists say the cartels are behind the kidnappings and corrupt police are protecting them. "An escalating internal dispute among drug cartel members has claimed over 200 lives in 14 days and contributed to a media blackout," reports the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Reporter Jorge Rábago Valdez, 49, who worked for the Reynosa-based daily "La Prensa" and broadcasters Radio Rey and Reporteros en la Red, was abducted on 19 February. He was dumped on a highway less than two weeks later, and was found alive, but unconscious with signs of torture. He died in a hospital on 2 March. Miguel Angel Domínguez Zamora, a reporter for the Reynosa-based "El Mañana", has been missing since 1 March.

Two reporters from the Milenio media group were assigned to cover drug-related violence in Reynosa. They were abducted on 3 March and freed the next day. A top editor at Milenio, Ciro Gómez Leyva, wrote an op-ed saying they had been injured and their abductors had warned them to avoid any reporting on them. "Journalism in Reynosa is dead. I have nothing more to say," he said.

"As drug trafficking, violence, and lawlessness take hold," said CPJ, "the Mexican media are forced into silence. This pervasive self-censorship is causing severe damage to Mexican democracy."

In a separate incident, Mexican reporter Evaristo Pacheco Solís was found shot to death last week in Chilpancingo, Guerrero State - another area convulsed with open warfare between drug gangs, report RSF, CPJ and the International Press Institute (IPI). A reporter with the weekly "Visión Informativa", Pacheco Solís is the second journalist killed in Guerrero this year. According to press reports, at least 15 people died in a series of violent attacks in Guerrero last week.

"As journalist after journalist is slain there, the Mexican population - who stand at the forefront of the government's violent conflict with drug cartels - are being deprived of their right to information, and courageous Mexican journalists are being brutally deprived of their right to inform," said IPI.

Related stories on ifex.org:
- Eight journalists kidnapped in two weeks :
www.ifex.org/mexico/2010/03/12/tamaulipas_violence/

- Journalist shot to death in Guerrero:
www.ifex.org/mexico/2010/03/16/pacheco_solis_killed/

***16.03.10. IFJ Condemns Spate of Journalists' Murders in Honduras

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today expressed fresh concern over the media crisis in Honduras following three murders in two weeks targeting media. The killings of Joseph Hernández Ochoa, a former TV presenter on 1 March, David Meza Montesinos, a radio reporter who died on 11 March and fellow reporter Nahum Palacios Arteaga murdered three days later were carried out in drive- by shootings.
"This spate of murders targeting journalists in Honduras shows the alarming level of increasing political violence in the country," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "There is a disturbing trend of targeting of journalists in a cold-blooded series of planned assassinations."
According to media reports, all three journalists were killed while driving their cars. Arteaga, 34, a radio reporter, was shot dead on Sunday 14 March in the coastal city of Tocoa. Gunmen blocked his car before firing a hail of bullets - 41 in all - into the car, killing him instantly.
Montesinos, a veteran reporter for El Patio radio station, was killed as he was driving home in the town of La Ceiba when armed men opened fire from another car. He had reportedly received death threats earlier over his coverage of the drug trade.
Ochoa, a former television presenter, also died in a drive-by shooting which also injured a passenger in his car, fellow journalist Carol Cabrera. Their car was sprayed with bullets by gunmen travelling in another vehicle, reports say.
The IFJ says journalists are victims of organised crime as the country struggles to restore political dialogue and law and order in the wake of last year's coup d'état which sparked political unrest in the country. The Federation accused at the time the coup leaders of attacking journalists and closing media in Honduras.
"Journalists are extremely vulnerable in Honduras as impunity is taking hold in the country," added White. "Every effort must be made to protect journalists and restore the rule of law and order to the streets."

***07.03.10. Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) Annual report of violations of media freedoms in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: 173 violations of media freedoms in oPt during the year 2009 - 2009 was a bloody year for Palestinian journalists

Israel's continued occupation of the Palestinian lands has lead to continued violations of media freedoms during the past year (2009). The ongoing conflict between Fatah and Hamas was the main factor in the violations that took place by the Palestinian side, whereas the Palestinian territories are still characterized by the security control of several parties which leads to a multiplicity of actors that violate media freedoms. There are Israeli occupation authorities and settlers On the one hand and security apparatuses in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on the other, in addition to Palestinian armed groups which led to the continued decline of media freedom and freedom of expression available. The excessive practice of self censorship by journalists and media outlets have also led to a decline in the level and professionalism of Palestinian media.
 
In this context, the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) has monitored 173 violations of media freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territories during the past year 2009, 97 of which were committed by the Israeli occupation forces and settlers, and 76 were committed by the Palestinian security apparatuses in the West Bank and Gaza, and the Palestinian armed groups.
 
 Although the size of the violations against the Palestinian Journalists is large and it is considered one of the largest rates at the global level, but it marks a decline in the number of violations compared to year 2008, which witnessed 257 violations monitored by MADA Center. It was noted that despite this decline the past year was a bloody year for the Palestinian journalists who have lost four of their colleagues by the fire of the Israeli occupation forces during the aggression on the Gaza Strip. Those are: Omar Silawi, A'la Murtaja, Basel Faraj and Ihab Al-Wehaidi.

It was noted that violations against Palestinian journalists have been increasing when the inter-Palestinian disputes were escalating. The attacks by the Israeli side have also seriously increased during the aggression against the Gaza Strip during the month of January as well as during the coverage of peace marches against the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank. The Israeli security forces have escalated their attacks against journalists in the city of Jerusalem and banned their entry to the yards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in a clear violation not only to international conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but also to the Israeli law itself which occupation forces forcibly apply in the occupied East Jerusalem.

In the same context, Israel continued its policy of detaining journalists. The number of detainees among them has attained seven journalists. The same was repeated by the Palestinian side where thirty journalists have been detained. The same number was kept in custody by the Israeli and the Palestinian sides for different periods. However, the number of Palestinian journalists who were injured by Israeli occupation forces has attained 34, while the number of injuries due to beating attacks by the Palestinian side has attained six journalists.

In another corner of this scene, last year haunted bombing and destruction of a large number of media institutions and homes of journalists in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli aggression. The Israeli occupation forces have, moreover, prevented the entry of Palestinian newspapers over the past year, in addition to continuing its policy of restricting the movement of journalists from and to the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, the occupation forces continued its old policy of preventing most of the journalists in the West Bank from freedom of movement to and from Israel and Jerusalem, as well as the denial of travel abroad to some journalists.
The Israeli systematic and continued measures against the entire components of the media sector in Palestine prevented many of our colleagues from traveling abroad to receive international and regional awards that were awarded to them due to their objectivity and professionalism in the coverage of the Palestinian reality with all its pains and hopes.

 The persistence of the political divide with all attendant sharpness and rift in the relationship between Hamas and Fatah led to further infringement on press freedoms by the Palestinian security apparatuses in both parts of the country. It also led to keeping many media institutions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip banned from functioning or halted as a result of their staff’s fear of prosecution and attacks, since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in mid-June 2007.

 The continued conflict between the two movements has also led to the promotion of self-oversight among the Palestinians journalist which negatively impacted on the productivity and professionalism of the Palestinian media. Tow concepts became dominating the mentality of a big number of journalists: fear or courtesy, the fear of Hamas or courtesy to it as well as the fear of Fatah or courtesy to it.
 
In regard to kidnapping of journalists, the Palestinian arena and for the second consecutive year did not see any cases of abduction of journalists, which predicts the demise of this phenomenon that prevailed in the Palestinian territories for several years, and produced very negative impacts on the work of the media outlets, especially the international ones. It is noted in this regard that such a phenomenon had also a negative and dangerous impact on the status of the Palestinian cause. When a foreign journalist is kidnapped, the international public opinion, especially the one of the country of the kidnapped, will retreat in its sympathy to the Palestinians and their just demands.

 While “MADA” is welcoming the decision of Dr. Salam Fayyad which prohibits torture in the prisons of the Palestinian National Authority, and the decision of the Director General of Police in the Gaza Strip not to abuse journalists, but to facilitate their mission, which will have positive impact on press freedom, we request that the decisions should be accompanied with a resolution by relevant authorities in the West Bank and Gaza  strip prohibits the arrest of journalists on the background of freedom of opinion and expression.
 
“MADA” Center condemns all attacks against journalists and media outlets which is a flagrant violation of freedom of expression guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Palestinian Basic Law and the Law on Press and Publication.

 MADA Center also expresses its appreciation to the colleague journalists who, despite the seriousness of the situation in the Palestinian territories and the magnitude of the repeated attacks on them, continued to do their full duty, risking their lives in many cases. The cheerful difference here is that many of them have received regional and international awards which indicate their high level of professionalism.
 
We confirm again that without the demise of the Israeli occupation and putting an end to the internal Palestinian conflict, it is difficult to talk about a dramatic drop in attacks on journalists and Palestinian media outlets.
 
Recommendations:

 Based on the details of the Palestinian media sector over the past year and due to the goals of the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) in terms of defending media freedoms and developing the Palestinian media, it recommends the following:

·      Respecting the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Palestinian Basic Law and the Law on Press and Publication.

·      Urging the international community to pressure Israel to stop its attacks on journalists and Palestinian media outlets.

·      Releasing the journalists detained in Israeli and Palestinian prisons.

·      Prohibiting the arrest of journalists by the Palestinian security apparatuses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and not involving them in the internal Palestinian disputes.

·      Allowing all media outlets and journalists in the West Bank and Gaza to work freely and safely.

·      Commitment of the Palestinian journalists to professional standards, and not to resort to incitement.

·      Forming a supreme council for media to be responsible for the official media bodies to ensure their impartiality and objectivity.

·      Respecting the decisions of the judiciary, especially the rulings of the Supreme Court of Justice, related to journalists by the authorities responsible for law enforcement.

·      Prosecuting all those responsible for attacks on journalists and bringing them to justice.

·      Enacting a law on the right free access to information, and amending the Law on Press and Publications of 1995, in accordance with the Palestinian Basic Law and the international standards on freedom of expression. 

Full report on: www.madacenter.org

***03.03.10. KILLING OF NEPALESE MEDIA GROUP HEAD SPARKS UN ALARM 

The United Nations human rights office in Nepal today expressed its deep concern over the killing of the head of a media group, the latest in a string of murders of journalists in the Asian nation.

Arun Singhanyia, chairperson of the Janakpur Today Media Group in southern
Nepal, was shot dead on 1 March. According to media reports, he was killed
as he was traveling home after celebrating the Hindu festival of Holi.

His murder comes just one month after the killing of Jamim Shah, head of satellite TV station Channel Nepal and cable TV company Space Time Network, who was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle on a major thoroughfare in Katmandu, the capital. His driver Mathuraman Malakar was seriously injured in the attack.

Last year, Uma Singh, a reporter at Radio Today FM and a member of the Women’s Human Rights Defenders in the southern district of Dhanusha, was hacked to death in her own home by men armed with “khukhuris,” curved knives traditional to Nepal.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal stressed today that threats and violence against the media can jeopardize the right to freedom of expression, and that journalists must be able to carry out their profession safely and have their human rights fully respected.

The State must ensure the necessary security and intervene when appropriate for all journalists under threat, it added.

“The protection of journalists is of paramount importance in a democratic society and both State and non-State actors must show full respect for press freedom and support a free and independent media,” said Andrew Palmer, Officer-in-Charge of OHCHR-Nepal.

A decade-long civil war, claiming some 13,000 lives, ended in 2006 with
the signing of a peace accord between the Government and Maoists. After
conducting Constituent Assembly elections in May 2008, Nepal abolished its
240-year-old monarchy and declared itself a republic. 

UNESCO CHIEF DEPLORES KILLING OF NEPALESE MEDIA OWNER
New York, Mar 4 2010 11:10AM
The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom
today condemned the murder of Nepalese media owner Arun Singhaniya, while
reiterating her concerns over the ongoing threats faced by journalists in
the South Asian nation.

Mr. Singhaniya was killed on 1 March in the south-eastern city of
Janakpur, the second such murder three weeks. According to local media
sources, he was shot by four men on motorbikes, and several armed groups
have claimed responsibility for the murder.

He was chairman of Janakpur Today Publications, which publishes Janakpur
Today and operates Radio Today. A journalist from the radio station, Uma
Singh, was murdered 12 months ago.

“I condemn the murder of Arun Singhaniya, who was fulfilling an important
role in the development of a dynamic information service,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova stated in a news release.

She stressed that in Nepal, as elsewhere in the world, a pluralistic media
serves as a vital pillar for freedom of expression, and voiced her
conviction that the Nepalese authorities should do everything possible to
ensure that this crime does not go unpunished.

***03.03.10. PHILIPPINES: Statement of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and theSoutheast Asian Press Alliance on the 100th day of the Ampatuan Massacre

A hundred days have passed since the massacre of 32 journalists and media workers in Maguindanao, Southern Philippines, together with 26 others. The principal suspect has been indicted.
But the petition for bail of the alleged mastermind has been the subject of
several postponements, in a portent of things to come that’s not encouraging
for the demand for justice for the victims.

The urgent demand for justice is in danger of foundering on the shoals of the technicalities that—together with police collusion at the local levels in the killing of journalists, overworked prosecutors who fear for their safety, and the involvement of local officials and warlords—constitute the many weaknesses of the Philippine justice system.  Equally distressing is the information, relayed by one of the private lawyers helping prosecute the case, that witnesses are being bought if not threatened, and that relatives are being offered amounts that few mortals in the Philippine community setting can refuse in exchange for withdrawing their complaints.

Add public indifference and resignation, and the mass media’s own short attention span and susceptibility to the lure of reporting those events that help boost ratings and circulations to these problems and issues, and we have the potential for the massacre’s  not only going unpunished, but even forgotten.

Forgetfulness is among the worst vices of a people whom the media have failed to provide information crucial to their lives. And yet, forgetfulness is the sure guarantee for the repetition of such atrocities as the Ampatuan massacre, the human rights violations that continue to haunt this country, and the constant peril of authoritarian rule. Only by remembering the past can we prevent its repetition.

The media are among the institutions crucial to the fostering of the imperative of keeping in the public mind the need for justice in the Ampatuan massacre and for the making of a culture of remembrance. But the public as a whole needs to support the campaign to keep the Ampatuan massacre in the national agenda as an issue that needs resolution. As we enter the fourth month since that atrocity, the undersigned media and journalists’ organizations renew their pledge never to forget and to continue to remind the Philippine public and the international community that the pro-active engagement of a militant people and a truly free and responsible press can prevent the many crimes and atrocities that haunt this country, among them the killing of journalists, from going unpunished and even repeated. 

***03.03.10. MEXICO: PUBLIC OFFICIALS BEHIND CRIMES AGAINST JOURNALISTS

Mexico is the deadliest country in the Americas for journalists trying to do their job. Organised crime is often perceived as being predominantly behind attacks on the press, but a new report by ARTICLE 19 and the National Center for Social Communication (CENCOS) points to public officials as the main perpetrators. And there is a movement to challenge this culture of impunity with newspaper editors and journalists joining forces to urge the government to take action, reports the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

ARTICLE 19 and CENCOS recorded 244 cases of attacks and intimidation against journalists and media workers in 2009. Within that number of attacks, 11 journalists were assassinated and one more has disappeared. More than 65 percent of assaults on press freedom came from political authorities or individuals linked to political parties, compared to six percent from criminal gangs, with the Mexican army cited in 26 abuses.

The report examines the lack of political will to deal with the issue, along with severe corruption. Governments at all levels and security services are failing to protect media workers, which leads to a culture of impunity, allowing attacks on the press being carried out to eliminate unwanted reporting or dissident voices.

In a separate statement, ARTICLE 19 called on Gustavo Salas Chávez, the newly appointed Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against the Media, to be independent, impartial and to protect the rights of victims and avoid re-victimisation. The previous prosecutor was widely seen as ineffective at controlling attacks on the press and claimed that the murders of journalists were not work-related. As well, the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against the Media (FEADP), established in 2006, has lacked the political will to investigate crimes and bring perpetrators to justice.

In addition, the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET) recorded 183 attacks on journalists and 19 attacks on media in 2009, a 10 percent increase from the year before. According to CEPET's annual report, the attacks include threats, arbitrary detention or intimidation, injuries and disappearances. CEPET records the murders of 13 journalists, although not all were linked to their work. CEPET's research concurs that most attacks are connected to the state, and most take place with impunity.

A forum held last month by IAPA, in Durango, Mexico, brought together newspaper editors and publishers from the Mexican states of Durango, Coahuila, Sinaloa and Sonora, to discuss the self-censorship that is routine as a result of violent reprisals from organised crime. It called on federal and state authorities to make crimes against journalists a federal offense and for the creation of a united front among police, public prosecutors' offices and the army, to give journalists timely and transparent access to information about acts of violence.

***18.02.10. CPJ LAUNCHES SURVEY OF ATTACKS ON THE PRESS AT EVENTS WORLDWIDE
 
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released its worldwide survey on press freedom violations, "Attacks on the Press," in six countries in different regions on 16 February. Drawing on CPJ's own investigations as well as information gathered by other IFEX members, the 360-page book details the struggles and threats journalists face and how these press freedom violations corrupt the flow of information, undermining democracy. The survey provides a factual, systematic analysis of the media environment in more than 100 countries, with information on journalists killed, imprisoned, and the repercussions of forcing journalists into in exile.

In Africa, dozens of journalists have gone into exile because of intimidation and violence, especially in Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. And with this exodus of reporters, local communities no longer have a reliable source of information, governments or political factions take over control of formerly independent news outlets, and there are fewer journalists who have the professional standards and training to carry out independent news gathering. Many journalists remaining in Ethiopia and Eritrea have been imprisoned. In Somalia, English-speaking journalists are targeted. This means that without reliable local reporters, international reporters no longer get news. In exile in Nairobi, separated from loved ones, living on the streets, Somali journalists encounter arbitrary harassment and detention. At the Nairobi launch of the CPJ survey, Somali journalists pointed to the risks local journalists face in the war-ravaged country; nine journalists were killed in 2009.

In the Americas, unlawful spying by national intelligence agencies has created a chill with sources becoming increasingly reluctant to talk to journalists. Cuban state security agents have kept journalists and dissidents under constant surveillance for decades. In Colombia in 2009, agents subjected journalists, politicians, judges and human rights defenders to illegal phone tapping and e-mail interception. And in Argentina, there has been a federal investigation examining whether agents tapped the phones and hacked the e-mail accounts of critical journalists, politicians, judges, and artists as part of a strategy to discredit and stop their work.

On 16 February in Bogotá, CPJ and the local Foundation for Freedom of the Press (FLIP) launched their annual reports together. They also met with authorities, including President Alvaro Uribe Vélez, to discuss the findings of the reports. The delegates called on the Colombian government to prosecute all those responsible for illegal spying and to refrain from accusing members of the media of having connections to armed groups, without any evidence, as it puts their lives in danger.

The CPJ survey points to the power of the Internet in the Middle East in bringing human rights reporting to a mass audience by bloggers, despite brutal attacks on critics by the state, and the resilience of Arab journalists. "A 2008 survey of 600 journalists in 13 Arab countries by the American University in Cairo found that most believed their primary mission was to drive reform."

At a press conference in Cairo, Naziha Rejiba, editor of the Tunisian online publication "Kalima" and a 2009 CPJ International Press Freedom Awardee, offered a stark description of the harassment Tunisian journalists face. "They don't kill us physically... but they assassinate our characters." At the United Nations in New York, Canadian-Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was detained and tortured for 118 days in Tehran's Evin prison, asked the secretary-general to prioritize free expression.

For Asia, the book includes a special section on the culture of impunity in the Philippines with a detailed account of the massacre of 32 journalists last November in election-related violence. For the international launch of the book, in Tokyo, CPJ led a panel discussion on how technology and the rise of social media is changing the press freedom landscape, with discussion on citizen journalists sending photos of street demonstrations in Iran, and other examples that highlight the worst abusers.

More on the web:
- Attacks on the press 2009 (CPJ): www.cpj.org/attacks/

***17.02.10 IRAN: IFEX MEMBERS SPEARHEAD CAMPAIGN TO RELEASE IMPRISONED IRANIAN JOURNALISTS

A coalition of IFEX members launched a campaign last week on the 31st anniversary of the Iranian revolution, to pressure the government of Iran to release journalists and activists imprisoned for exercising their right to free expression. The "Our Society Will Be a Free Society" campaign is named for a pledge that Ayatollah Khomenei made during the 1979 Iranian Revolution to protect freedom of expression and the press.

But in the last 31 years, thousands of newspapers have been shut down, hundreds of journalists arrested and hundreds more sentenced to long prison terms, and dozens executed. In the days leading up to the anniversary, in an effort to stop opposition protests and control the flow of information in and out of the country, authorities suspended Google Mail (saying they would soon create a national email service), blocked text messaging, slowed connectivity to the Internet and arrested several journalists, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Meanwhile, foreign journalists were invited to Iran to cover pro-government celebrations, says RSF.

The coalition is a joint initiative of CPJ, RSF, International PEN, PEN American Center, English PEN, Index on Censorship, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and the International Publishers Association (IPA). It is acting out of "a sense of shared, urgent concern for the welfare of journalists, writers and bloggers and a profound alarm over the situation for free expression in Iran." The campaign runs up to 20 March, the Iranian New Year, with events aimed at increasing pressure for the release of writers and journalists in prison. It then continues in North America and Europe through the spring. The group is also urging world leaders to apply pressure on Iran to release jailed dissidents. Some of the most distinguished journalists and leading bloggers are behind bars.

In an open letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the coalition asks him to respect the spirit of the 1979 revolution to "protect human rights and celebrate the Iranian people's freedom of expression" by releasing the more than 60 writers, journalists and bloggers in prison. "This list constitutes the largest number of our colleagues jailed by any country on earth at one time in over a decade," says the letter.

In an op-ed published on 10 February in the "International Herald Tribune" and addressed to Ayatollah Khamenei, Iranian-Canadian journalist and documentary filmmaker Maziar Bahari, who is working with the coalition, said: "The only accusation against many reporters who are languishing in Iranian jails at the moment is that they held a mirror to the actions of the Iranian government. They did not want to overthrow it. They never took up arms. All of them did their job as peacefully as journalists elsewhere around the world." Bahari was arrested while reporting on demonstrations in Tehran in the aftermath of the disputed June 2009 election. He also says, "I was unfortunate enough to know firsthand how your agents treat journalists. I was kept in your jail for 118 days simply for being a reporter. For much of that time I was tortured."

The Human Rights Council of the United Nations met on 15 February to examine Iran's human rights record. The Council has "more than 200 reports documenting the arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detentions and torture, often for the purposes of extracting false confessions, of intellectuals, students, artists, human rights defenders, journalists and others after the disputed presidential elections last year," says the Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC).

"The countries that say nothing about the bloody crackdown that has been taking place in Iran for the past eight months are accomplices to these crimes," RSF said. "When the UN Human Rights Council conducts its Universal Periodic Review of Iran, it must show that it is up to the task."

On 17 February, the coalition called for UN special rapporteurs to be sent to Iran. UN human rights experts have already brought attention to the mass arrests and abuse of dissidents, said Index on Censorship, "but independent investigation on the ground is crucial."

Iranian human rights organisations and activists and international labour groups protested outside UN offices in Geneva this week, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners, reports the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Two weeks ago, IFJ participated in a meeting at the European Parliament on "Human, Journalists and Trade-Union Rights in Iran: the New State of Emergency." The group is calling for the reopening of the Iranian Association of Journalists (AoIJ).

Sign a petition to free Kian Tajbakhsh, an Iranian-American scholar sentenced in August 2009 to 15 years in prison after a mass trial of 140 activists, intellectuals and writers. Please visit: Free Kian ( www.freekian09.org/tag/our-society-will-be-a-free-society/ )

Related stories on ifex.org:
- Iran attempts to stifle Internet on anniversary of revolution:
www.ifex.org/iran/2010/02/12/internet_stifled/

- Human Rights Watch report documents mounting rights violations as government celebrates revolution's anniversary:
www.ifex.org/iran/2010/02/16/post_election_crackdown/

More on the web:
- IFJ backs UN protest and calls on Iran to Set Journalists Free:
www.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-backs-un-protest-and-calls-on-iran-to-set-journalists-free

- Groups join forces, urge Iran to free journalists (CPJ):
www.cpj.org/2010/02/organizations-to-iran-release-journalists.php

- Bahari to Iran: Let my colleagues go (CPJ):
www.cpj.org/blog/2010/02/bahari-calls-on-iran-to-free-colleagues.php

- International community urged to face up to responsibilities during UN Human Rights Council's review of Iran (RSF):
www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=36451

- Open letter to Ayatollah Khamenei:
www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/open-letter-to-ayatollah-khamenei/

- Free press and free expression organisations to Iran: Release jailed journalists, writers (CJFE):
www.cjfe.org/releases/2010/11022010irancampaign.html

***16.02.10. COLOMBIA. Informe sobre el estado de la libertad de prensa en Colombia en 2009

En el 2009 el estado de la libertad de prensa en Colombia no varió significativamente en comparación con años anteriores. Sin desconocer los
logros que se han obtenido en materia de seguridad física de los
periodistas, preocupa que desde hace dos años las cifras se mantienen
estables, lo cual, aunque denota que la situación no tiende a empeorar,
tampoco mejora.

La estabilidad de las cifras se presentó en la mayoría de indicadores de
libertad de prensa con respecto al año anterior, sin embargo, en 2009 hubo
un incremento en el total de las violaciones. Esto se debió a que el
indicador de obstrucción al trabajo periodístico tuvo un aumento dramático
a raíz del escándalo de las interceptaciones y seguimientos ilegales
contra periodistas por parte del Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad
(DAS), agencia de inteligencia adscrita a la Presidencia de la República.

El total de violaciones a la libertad de prensa registradas en 2009 fueron
157 los cuales dejaron 258 víctimas mientras que durante 2008 se
reportaron 129 casos que dejaron 180 afectados.

Del escándalo del DAS se han confirmado 16 casos de periodistas, no
obstante, se cree que el fenómeno es muchísimo mayor, pues según la
Fiscalía, no se ha analizado el total del material incautado. Los primeros
hallazgos de la investigación de la Fiscalía empiezan a evidenciar que
desde el DAS no sólo se hacían interceptaciones ilegales a las
comunicaciones y seguimientos a las actividades de los periodistas, sino
que además se diseñaron manuales para amenazar, como lo demuestra la
investigación de la Fiscalía en el caso de las interceptaciones a la
periodista Claudia Julieta Duque, corresponsal de Radio Nizkor en
Colombia.

Por otra parte, la FLIP registró con preocupación el asesinato de un
comunicador por razones de su trabajo periodístico en 2009. Se trató de
José Everardo Aguilar, de Radio Súper, en Patía, Cauca. Según
investigaciones de la FLIP en zona, las constantes denuncias sobre
corrupción e informaciones sobre política local habrían sido el motivo de
su crimen, ocurrido el 24 de abril. Es el primer homicidio de un
periodista por razones de oficio en Colombia luego de 20 meses. El único
sindicado fue absuelto.

En cuanto a las amenazas, éstas continúan siendo una de las formas más
frecuentes de coartar la labor de los periodistas y de silenciarlos. En
2009 se presentaron 74 casos, cifra que se mantiene estable en comparación
con años anteriores. Sin embargo, la FLIP considera que el fenómeno es aún
mayor, pues existe un alto subregistro de intimidaciones que no son
reportadas.

Las regiones del país donde se registraron más ataques a la prensa fueron
el Distrito Capital de Bogotá (39 casos) y los departamentos de Valle del
Cauca (22), Atlántico (13), Antioquia (7), Caldas (7), Tolima (7) y Huila
(7). En el caso de Bogotá, las altas cifras no significan que sea la zona
del país de mayor riesgo para los comunicadores. Su alto registro de casos
se explica porque es la ciudad de Colombia con mayor concentración de
medios y mayor número de periodistas activos.

Respecto a los autores de las violaciones, durante 2009 se mantuvo la
tendencia al incremento de los casos cometidos por parte de funcionarios
públicos (26% de los casos). De hecho, el escándalo de las
interceptaciones y seguimientos ilegales cometidos por funcionarios del
DAS incrementó las cifras en este sentido. No obstante, en la mayoría de
los casos reportados el autor de la violación es desconocido (32%) pues
las amenazas, por ejemplo, son realizadas generalmente a través de
llamadas o mensajes anónimos. Hay una tendencia decreciente de las
violaciones cometidas por los grupos armados ilegales en los últimos años:
las FARC pasaron de cometer 14 violaciones en 2008 a 5 en 2009 y los
paramilitares bajaron de 13 a 10 casos en el mismo periodo.

Como hecho positivo por destacar, fueron condenados a los autores
intelectuales del asesinato del periodista José Emeterio Rivas, ocurrido
en Barrancabermeja, Santander, en abril de 2003. La Fiscalía encontró que
Julio César Ardila Torres, ex alcalde de esa ciudad; Fabio Pajón Lizcano y
Abelardo Rueda Tobón (ex funcionario de la misma entidad), planearon y
ordenaron el homicidio en alianza con paramilitares de la zona. El fallo
estableció una pena de 28 años de cárcel para Ardila y 26 para Pajón y
Rueda. 

***15.02.10. NEPAL: UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE CONDEMNS THREATS TO JOURNALISTS AFTER KILLING

New York, Feb 15 2010 6:10PM
United Nations human rights officials in Nepal voiced alarm today over the threats made against journalists reporting on the recent murder of the media entrepreneur Jamim Shah, stressing that freedom of expression must be upheld in the Asian nation.

Richard Bennett, the Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights in Nepal, issued a statement condemning the threats against editors and publishers and describing them as sending "a chill through the entire community."

The threats follow the murder of the television channel operator Mr. Shah,
who was shot dead in the capital, Kathmandu, on 7 February.

"Unfortunately violence against the media is not rare in Nepal and has been witnessed especially against journalists working in the Terai," said Mr. Bennett, referring to the region that runs along the length of southern Nepal.

"I urge State authorities to ensure a secure environment that facilitates full enjoyment of rights of freedom of expression as guaranteed by national and international human rights law."

Mr. Bennett's office emphasized that "freedom of expression, including freedom of the media to publish news fairly and honestly, is fundamental in a society that respects human rights and thrives alongside the rule of law and good public security."

The independent Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that at least 13 journalists have been murdered in Nepal over the past decade.

***05.02.10. International Special Rapporteurs for Free Expression Highlight Critical Ten Challenges

The four international special rapporteurs on freedom of expression have released their tenth annual Joint Declaration on *Ten Key Challenges to Freedom of Expression in the Next Decade*. Brought together by ARTICLE 19 and the Centre for Law and Democracy in February 2010, the special rapporteurs have issued a Joint Declaration each year since 1999.

The 2010 Joint Declaration, which reaffirms all the previous declarations, acknowledges important advances made for free expression over the past decade, especially regarding the enormous potential of the Internet as a tool for realising the rights to freedom of expression and information. At the same time, the Joint Declaration notes both the long-standing and emerging challenges to the full realisation of freedom of expression and identifies ten key threats as follows:

1. Increasing government control over the media through a range of mechanisms, including political influence over public media, punitive registration and licensing requirements, political ownership, and the use of antiquated rules.
2. Criminal and civil laws on defamation, slander and insult, which penalise
statements which are factual or opinions, or which protect the reputations of symbols, state institutions or religions, or allow for overly harsh penalties.
3. Violence against journalists and the failure to prevent and investigate such attacks, and bring those responsible to justice.
4. The failure by a majority of states to adopt laws guaranteeing the right of access to information, and the weak implementation of such laws in many states which have.
5. Discrimination against historically disadvantaged groups who struggle to
exercise their right to freedom of expression.
6. Commercial pressures, including a growing concentration of media ownership and the risk that public broadcasters will lose out during processes of digital switchover in many countries.
7. Challenges to the public funding support for public service and community
broadcasters.
8. National security interests being used to justify unduly broad limitations on freedom of expression.
9. Government restrictions on the Internet, through the imposition of firewalls and filters, or the blocking of websites and web domains.
10. The limited access to the Internet by vulnerable people, such as the poor, and rural or elderly populations.

*“These Joint Declarations elaborate on the meaning of freedom of expression
according to different thematic areas,” *says Dr Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19
Executive Director. * “Collectively, the Declarations provide important
guidance to those wishing to understand international human rights standards
on freedom of expression.”
*
The four special mandates on freedom of expression are Frank La Rue, United
Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression; Miklos
Haraszti, the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe; Catalina Botero, Special Rapporteur on
Freedom of Expression for the Organisation of American States; and Pansy
Tlakula, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to
Information for the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights..

• The full text of the Joint Declaration is available here:
www.article19.org/pdfs/standards/tenth-anniversary-joint-declaration-ten-key-challenges-to-freedom-of-express.pdf

***02.02.10. IFJ Marks 'End of Deadly Decade' With Report on Journalists and Media Staff Killed in 2009

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today issued its report on journalists and media workers who died in the exercise of journalism in 2009. The report provides detailed information of media killings, including 32 victims of a single massacre in Manguindanao, the Philippines, last November.
"The report is more than just a record of the death toll of journalists and media workers killed in 2009," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "More importantly, it provides a chilling account of risks and dangers which continue to claim our colleagues' lives in the four corners of the world."
The IFJ says that 2009, one of the worst years for journalists' killings, capped a violent decade which put journalism to the sword and left record numbers of murders of media people. According to the report, the death of Michelle Lang, the Canadian reporter killed in Afghanistan on 30 December and the confirmation of murder of photographer Jepon Cadagdagon in the Manguindanao massacre brought the 2009 total of media killings to 139.
The Asia Pacific region recorded the highest death toll with 52 followed by the Americas with 30 killings, including 13 murders of journalists in Mexico alone.
The IFJ reports warns that the levels of violence against media witnessed
last year raise the likelihood of another massacre in places like lawless Somalia and gangster-ruled parts of Mexico.
"The failure of governments to take seriously the issue of media protection plays in the hands of men of violence," added White. "This can only be tackled by an unwavering commitment to end Impunity for journalists' murderers."

The IFJ full report on journalists and media staff killed in 2009 is
available on the IFJ website: www.ifj.org

***30.01.10. SOLIDARITE AVEC LES JOURNALISTES HAITIENS. SOLIDARITY WITH THE HAITIAN JOURNALISTS. Ecoutez le témoignage du journaliste haïtien Jean-Edouard Rigaud, correspondant de Radio-Métropole à l'ONU: 

http://www.rhonefm.ch/fr/informations/temps-arret/haiti-apres-le-chaos-la-reconstruction-0-25804 

27.01.10 Haïti. Media casualties, damages mount: at least 11 journalists died in the January 12 earthquake

By Carlos Lauría/Americas Senior Program Coordinator (CPJ)

Working in an atmosphere of great confusion and grief, our sources in Haiti are compiling preliminary lists of media casualties, documenting damages to news facilities, and examining the challenges ahead. SOS Journalistes, a press advocacy group led by the prominent Haitian journalist Guyler Delva, reports that at least 11 journalists died in the January 12 earthquake outside Port-au-Prince. CPJ continues to investigate their identities and the circumstances in which they died.

Delva told CPJ that the three-story building that housed SOS Journalistes has collapsed, and all of its equipment has been destroyed. He said the premises of Radio and Tele Ginen, TV Channel 11, Radio Magik 9, Energie FM, and Radio Vasco were also severely damaged.

The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters reports that at least 12 community radio stations in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, and Petit Goave were extensively damaged and their operations interrupted. The two Port-au-Prince-based dailies, Le Matin and Le Nouvelliste, are still not circulating, according to news accounts and CPJ interviews.

“The small society of Haitian journalists has been dealt a tough blow from the earthquake,” wrote Trenton Daniel in Monday’s Miami Herald. He noted that it comes at time when the “independent press had made significant strides … after reporters struggled to do their jobs under decades of despotic rule."

The task is enormous, said Delva, who described it as “starting from zero.” He noted that local reporters must deal with their own personal challenges—grieving the loss of loved ones, taking care of injured relatives, rebuilding their homes, and addressing basic needs such as feeding their families. Delva has launched a campaign to help feed and shelter numerous displaced local journalists; he is also looking for help in rebuilding SOS Journalistes.

CPJ is working with local groups such as SOS Journalistes to identify needs and help direct assistance. 

 22.01.10. HAITI. THE PRESS EMBLEM CAMPAIGN (PEC) EXPRESSES ITS  SOLIDARITY WITH THE HAITIAN JOURNALISTS. La Presse Emblème Campagne (PEC) exprime sa solidarité avec les journalistes haitiens

Not only did the devastating earthquake on 12 January in Haiti leave survivors with no food, no water, no shelter and no place to bury the dead, but it also left them with little or no information, report IFEX members. The media have also suffered great losses at a time when people urgently need aid information.

The death toll for journalists is unknown. Surviving Haitian journalists are unable to work because they have lost family and homes, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) after talking to Haitian journalist Guylar Delva. Delva, 43, is the founder of SOS Journalistes, created to protect local reporters and promote professional journalism. The SOS offices have been reduced to rubble. "An experienced reporter who has covered both natural disasters and political violence, Delva said he has never seen anything like this."

CPJ is attempting to find out what Haitian journalists need right now and beginning to collect funds. RSF and AMARC are asking for donations for media reconstruction, including equipment.

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) notes that media and communications following the earthquake were almost entirely cut off, with the exception of Skype.

Coordinating disaster relief is impossible without accurate news and information being relayed by a functioning news media. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is working with Canadian media group Quebecor to set up a media centre for Haitian journalists in Port-au-Prince, so they can report on the situation and contribute to the process of providing humanitarian aid to the population.
The centre will also service international news media searching for information on Haiti, and will eventually be used to produce and disseminate news and information by employing Haitian print journalists. It will also have facilities for journalists in distress.

The premises of Port-au-Prince-based TV stations Tele Ginen and Canal 11 and radio station Magik 9 have been destroyed, reports RSF. A Tele Ginen cameraman was killed, says CPJ and RSF. According to RSF, Radio Ibo is damaged and unable to broadcast, but three other radio stations continued to function after the earthquake. The offices of newspapers "Le Nouvelliste" and "Le Matin" are still standing and the staff survived, but the editor of "Le Nouvelliste" is missing. A journalist who writes for "Ticket Magazine" is believed to have been killed.

A week after the earthquake, 20 radio stations are operating again, including the UN mission's station, due to the help of foreign technicians and Radio France, reports RSF. Other radio stations in the country survived but their equipment was seriously damaged. Many community radio stations were completely destroyed.

The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) is carrying out an urgent assessment of the status of community broadcasting in the crisis areas and is working to mobilise resources and technical assistance. AMARC is calling on community broadcasters to support the international relief effort by organising airtime appeals.

An Internews team of media specialists, radio technicians and humanitarian liaison experts is heading to Haiti to determine the damage to the media infrastructure. They are also taking portable broadcast equipment that can be used to quickly broadcast emergency information. Internews recently worked on a project with 40 community radio stations throughout the country.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is mobilising its members in the Americas to provide assistance to media workers in Haiti. The "Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Prensa" (SNTP), an IFJ affiliate in the Dominican Republic, is helping investigate the status of journalists in Haiti.

RSF "hopes to get news media in countries that are providing significant amounts of aid to Haiti, such as Canada, Brazil, the United States and France, to become financial and logistic sponsors of Haitian media that need rebuilding."

***22.01.10. PHILIPPINES. International Mission Demands Arroyo Protect Media as Elections Loom

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her Government must take
all necessary measures to provide local media with protection ahead of upcoming elections, says the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other members of an international solidarity mission that investigated the November 23 massacre of 57 people in the southern Philippines.

Among those killed were 32 journalists and media workers.

"The massacre underlines the terrible dangers that Filipino journalists face. It also highlights the inability and unwillingness of the State to ensure the protection and safety of journalists who are seeking to perform their duties," the mission members say in their report, Massacre in the Philippines: International Solidarity Mission Rapid Assessment, released today.

The mission conducted its investigations in the Philippines from December 5 to 10 in association with the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), an affiliate of the IFJ. The team included representatives from leading journalists' rights and press freedom organisations, including the IFJ, Indonesia's Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ),
International Media Support (IMS), International News Safety Institute
(INSI), the Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI),
Australia's Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the Southeast Asia Press
Alliance (SEAPA), the Thai Journalists' Association (TJA), and Union Network International (UNI).

"Power-holders in the Philippines must act urgently on all the recommendations of the mission's report to reverse once and for all the country's shameful culture of impunity for the murders of journalists, tragically underscored on November 23," IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said.

As the mission report went to press, the toll of media personnel killed in the massacre was revised up to 32, as it was confirmed that Saksi News photographer Jepon Cadagdagon was among the victims in Maguindanao province, Mindanao. The toll of 32 media personnel includes 31 whose bodies were recovered, as well as Reynaldo"Bebot" Momay who remains missing.

The mission team says that it holds grave concerns for the safety of Filipino journalists as the investigation and prosecution of the accused take place in a tense environment ahead of national and presidential elections due on May 10.

"This massacre, coming at the very beginning of the 2010 election process,
not only undermines that process but has dealt a cruel blow to democracy
and free media in the Philippines," the mission members say in their report.

They call on the Government to ensure media is able to report fairly and freely on the election campaign without undue risk. It also stresses concerns about judicial and forensic processes in view of the political ties between the Arroyo administration and the Ampatuan family in Mindanao.

Although at least 100 gunmen are believed to have been involved in the
massacre, Andal Ampatuan Jr, the son of the clan patriarch, is the only person to be charged and brought before a court in direct connection to the massacre. He is pleading not guilty.

Among other significant concerns highlighted in the report is the role of Major General Alfredo Cayton, the Commander of the 6th Infantry Division in Maguindinao at the time of the massacre. The mission urges a full investigation into Cayton's role and actions preceding the massacre.

Cayton, who denied requests for a military escort to accompany the convoy
that was attacked on November 23, was stood down immediately after the
massacre. However, he has since been promoted to Vice Commander of the
Philippine Army.

The mission further calls for an investigation into reports that several members of the Philippine National Police were involved in the massacre.

It stresses that under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738 (2006), the Government of the Philippines is required to ensure its security forces provide the protection due to citizens in areas of conflict within national borders, including media personnel.

The mission, which Arroyo declined to meet, further recommends:

­ The Government and local authorities must undertake all necessary measures to fully investigate the massacre and to ensure all evidence is properly preserved and available.

­ The Government and local authorities must provide all necessary measures for the protection and safety of witnesses, investigators, prosecutors, lawyers and judges.

­ Families must be provided with legal support to pursue the prosecution of perpetrators.

­ Observers and human rights groups must have full open access to legal proceedings.

­ The Government is urged not to reimpose martial law ahead of the May 10 elections.

The mission report will be officially released in the Philippines today at the launch of an organisation of families of journalists killed in the massacre, Justice NOW! The NUJP and Justice NOW! will conduct a press conference in Koronadal City, South Cotabato, where many of the families live.

In Quezon City, the November 23 Movement, which has been convened by the
NUJP, will hold a candle-lighting vigil, among other activities to mark two months since the massacre.

The report is available at:
http://asiapacific.ifj.org//assets/docs/203/037/15d11cb-013d725.pdf

***22.01.10. AFGHANISTAN. La FIJ appelle à la libération des deux journalistes français enlevés en Afghanistan
La Fédération Internationale des Journalistes (FIJ) fait part de son inquiétude sur le sort des deux journalistes français de France Télévisions enlevés depuis le 30 décembre en Afghanistan et appelle toutes les parties concernées à tout faire pour obtenir leur libération immédiate.
« Les récentes déclarations des autorités françaises selon lesquelles elles ont reçu l'assurance que les deux journalistes étaient "en vie" sont encourageantes », a affirmé Aidan White, Secrétaire général de la FIJ. « Mais le temps passe et nous exhortons toutes les parties concernées de redoubler d'efforts pour leur libération". Selon la presse française, les deux journalistes de la chaîne publique française ont été enlevés avec trois ressortissants afghans qui les accompagnaient le 30 décembre dernier sur la route entre Surobi et Tagab, dans la province de Kapisa, sous contrôle sécuritaire des troupes françaises.
La FIJ soutien les efforts des gouvernements français et afghan en vue de la
libération de deux journalistes et leurs collègues afghans mais s'étonne toutefois des propos tenus par le secrétaire général du Président français, M. Claude Guéant, le 17 janvier devant la presse pour évoquer le "coût considérable" de l'opération de recherche des deux journalistes. La Fédération regrette également les propos du président français Nicolas Sarkozy rapportés par M. Guéant selon lesquels le chef de l'Etat a accusé les deux journalistes d' "imprudence vraiment coupable" et qui font suite aux propos rapportés par le Ministre de la Défense selon lequel M. Sarkozy a fustigé « l'inconscience » des journalistes.

« Il est inacceptable d'accuser les journalistes d'imprudence, d'inconscience ou d'être coupable de quoi que soit alors qu'ils cherchent simplement à travailler de façon indépendante pour informer le public », a ajouté M. White. « Cela est d'autant plus vrai dans un pays comme l'Afghanistan où l'insécurité règne partout. Cela reviendrait à interdire la présence des médias étrangers dans tout le pays ».
La FIJ rappelle que les journalistes en Afghanistan comme ailleurs dans le monde font leur métier en étant présents sur le terrain pour informer les citoyens et qu'il n'est pas adéquat de parler de "recherche du scoop" quand on connait les risques d'exercer ce métier dans des zones aussi dangereuses que l'Afghanistan.
« De telles déclarations sont infondées et mal avisées d'autant plus que les deux journalistes sont toujours détenus », a conclu M. White.

***11.01.10. IFJ Mourns Latest Media Death in Afghanistan, Warns of Risks for "Embedded" Reporters

The International Federation of Journalists said the death of a British journalist in Afghanistan, who was travelling with United States marines when he was caught in an explosion, was further evidence of the high risks involved in "embedding" journalists with soldiers.
He was the second reporter to die travelling with the military in recent weeks. Rupert Hamer, the defence correspondent of the Sunday Mirror, died of his wounds at the scene of the blast north-west of Nawa in Helmand Province His colleague, photographer Philip Coburn, was critically injured in the blast. Two soldiers were also killed.
"We are shocked by this incident and send our sincere condolences to the friends, family and colleagues of Rupert Hamer," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "His death shows that Afghanistan remains one of the world?s most dangerous reporting assignments. Travelling with the army does not lessen the risk to reporters. Indeed, as this tragedy shows, it can put journalists directly in the firing line."
The two journalists were accompanying a patrol by the marines when their vehicle was caught in a bomb blast. Hamer was a distinguished journalist and a veteran of conflict reporting who had served in Iraq and was on his fifth trip to Afghanistan. He was married with children aged six, five and 19 months.
He is the second foreign journalist embedded with troops to be killed in
Afghanistan in recent weeks. Michelle Lang, aged 34, working for the Calgary Herald, in Canada, died along with four Canadian soldiers in another roadside bomb attack in December.
"These terrible tragedies show that telling the story of conflict remains the most perilous of tasks for media staff," said White. "As we mourn and wish those injured a swift recovery we must redouble our efforts to reduce the risks that journalists face, even when we know that casualties are unavoidable."
Ten days ago, the IFJ released its annual statement on journalists killed in 2009 providing details of 137 deaths of media staff, including around 113 targeted killings, one of the highest numbers ever recorded.
For more information contact the IFJ at +32 2 235 2207 or +32 478258669
(GSM)

***07.01.10. UNESCO DEPLORES RECENT KILLING, ABDUCTION OF JOURNALISTS IN AFGHANISTAN

New York, Jan 7 2010 11:10AM
The head of the United Nations agency charged with defending the freedom
of the press today condemned last week’s killing of a Canadian journalist and kidnapping of two French television reporters in Afghanistan.

“Violence against journalists constitutes an attack on the fundamental
human right of freedom of expression; it is therefore a direct threat to
democracy,” said UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Director-General Irina Bokova.

Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang, 34, was killed in a bomb blast on 30 December while traveling with four Canadian soldiers in the volatile Kandahar province after spending less than three weeks in Afghanistan.

A reporter and cameraman for France 3 television were taken hostage by
gunmen on the road near Omarkhil, north-east of the capital, Kabul, on 29
December while working on the current affairs programme “Pièces à conviction,” and there has been no word from them since.

“The fates of these three media professionals cruelly underline the dangers that journalists face when they go into areas of conflict to provide news coverage,” said Ms. Bokova in a statement condemning the killing and abduction.

“I call on the Afghan authorities to do their utmost to obtain the release of the French journalists, and to take measures to increase press security in the country.”
Jan 7 2010 11:10AM 

***05.01.10. IFJ Condemns New Wave of Journalists' Arrests in Iran

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned recent arrests of journalists and media union leaders following the civil unrest which gripped Tehran and the country last week with demonstrations and clashes between protesters and security forces.
The IFJ says that at least 12 journalists were arrested, including Badralsadat Mofidi and Mashaalah Shamsolvaezin, respectively General Secretary and Vice President of the Association of Iranian Journalists (AoIJ), an IFJ affiliate.
"We condemn the Iranian Government's kneejerk reaction of blaming the media over legitimate public protest," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "There is systematic repression and brutal intimidation of media and journalists under the cloak of restoring public order."
According to media reports, authorities in Iran carried out a number of arrests of prominent independent journalists in the wake of last week's demonstrations which pitted protesters against security forces in Tehran and other cities in the country. Violence erupted when the authorities tried to ban a procession to mark the Muslim festival of Ashura which coincided with the death of Ayatollah Hossein Montazeri, a senior Iranian cleric who had criticized the government for its handling of the post June presidential election protests.
Reports say Shamsolvaezin, AoIJ Vice President was arrested at his home on
28 December by plain clothes officers while its General Secretary Bradralasad Mofidi was detained on 28 December along with her husband Kayvan Mehregan, editor of the political section of the reformist daily Etemad. Syrian reporter Reza al-Basha who works for state-owned Dubai TV was reportedly also arrested on Sunday 27 December and detained in Tehran.
The AoIJ says that at least eight more journalists were arrested last week, including Nasrin Vazere (Ilna news agency), Morteza Kazemeyan (freelance), Mostsfa Ezade (freelance), Emadoddin Baghe (freelance), Mohammad Nazere( freelance), Mohammadjavad Mozaffar(freelance), Ali Hegmat (freelance) and Mohammadreza Zohde (freelance).
The IFJ has also described as "absurd" the sentence of a seven year and
four month jail term handed down to Iranian journalist Bahman Ahmadi Amoui. The journalist, a critic of President Ahmedinajad's rule, also faces 34 lashes, according to media reports.
"The international community of journalists will stand by their colleagues in Iran" added White. "The government will not restore order or end this crisis without respect for the rights of people to protest and of journalists to tell the story. There must be an end to the reign of terror that is being unleashed against free speech and journalism in Iran."
For more information contact the IFJ at +32 2 235 2207

***05.01.10. World death toll for journalists shoots up in 2009 despite safety calls (INSI)

Brussels, January 5 - More than 130 journalists and support staff died trying to cover the news in 2009 despite repeated international calls for action to constrain the bloodshed.
 
The worldwide total of 132 dead in 35 countries, recorded by the International News Safety Institute, was one of the worst yearly tolls on record.

It was boosted by the slaying of 31 people in a politically-motivated ambush in the Philippines on 23 November, the bloodiest single incident ever recorded for the news media. That made the Philippines by far the most dangerous country in the world for the news media with a total of 37 dead over the year

More than 400 news media have now died trying to cover the story since the
end of 2006 when the UN Security Council unanimously passed landmark
Resolution 1738 http://tinyurl.com/yclyba2 which demanded greater safety
for journalists in conflict areas and called for an end to impunity for their killers. Similar appeals have been made time and again by UNESCO and the Council of Europe.

By far the greatest number of those who died last year -- 98 -- were targeted, murdered because of their work. Over the past decade fewer than 8 out of 10 of the killers of journalists have been brought to justice.

As always, the great majority of the casualties in 2009 were not international war correspondents but local journalists working in their own countries, mostly in peacetime, covering dangerous stories such as high level crime and corruption.

"Journalists continue to die because they dare to shine a light on the darkest corners of societies," said INSI Director Rodney Pinder. "This is the shocking price we pay for our news.

"And this unacceptable situation will persist as long as killers of journalists walk free.

"Again, we call on the United Nations to help enforce Resolution 1738 and on all member states to respect its provisions and prosecute the murderers. http://tinyurl.com/ya68s6f

"Free societies everywhere are undermined whenever a journalist is slain because of their work."

After murder, the biggest cause of death for news personnel in 2009 was accidents with 23 fatalities, the INSI figures show. Eleven news men and women died in "crossfire" incidents such as random shootings, roadside bombings and aerial bombardment which did not appear to be directed specifically at them.

After the Philippines, the bloodiest countries in 2009 were Mexico with 11 killed, Somalia and Russia with 9 each, Pakistan with 8 and Iraq with 5.

"The one encouraging statistic over the past couple of years has been the dramatic fall in killings in Iraq," Pinder said.

"It was the most dangerous country in the world for the news media for five years after the US-led invasion in 2003, but journalists are now benefiting from a general reduction in violence there. This demonstrates that even the direst situations can improve."

Nevertheless, INSI now counts 257 news media dead in the Iraq conflict --
the bloodiest for news men and women in modern times.

The year had barely begun when the first journalist fell. Radio Shabelle reporter Hassan Mayow Hassan was gunned down by a member of a pro-government militia in Somalia. Hassan was covering clashes between Islamist militants and armed groups supporting the federal transitional government when a militiaman confronted him.

Hassan identified himself as a journalist and the militiaman shot him twice in the head.

The year also ended badly. On 30 December, Canadian journalist Michelle Lang, 34, was killed along with four Canadian soldiers by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan and Indian freelance photojournalist Aman Kashyap was run over by a train in Ghaziabad while taking pictures of fog-bound rail services.

INSI's detailed list of fatal incidents in 2009 can be found at http://tinyurl.com/mtkgkn

As a safety organisation, INSI records all causes of death, whether deliberate, accidental or health-related, of all news media staff and freelancers while on assignment or as a result of their news organisation being attacked because of its role.

***04.01.10. Federación de Periodistas de América Latina y el Caribe denuncia:
TREINTA PERIODISTAS ASESINADOS EN AMÉRICA LATINA DURANTE EL 2009

Treinta periodistas fueron asesinados en América Latina y el Caribe durante el 2009. México con 13 víctimas se convierte en el país más riesgoso para el ejercicio periodístico en la región. A la lista se suma Colombia, con seis asesinados, Guatemala con cuatro, Honduras y Brasil con dos, El Salvador, Venezuela y Paraguay con uno.

En Latinoamérica, en los últimos doce meses, se registraron retrocesos en
materia de libertad de prensa y derechos laborales de los trabajadores de medios, en un contexto de crisis económica global que ha significado despidos masivos en algunos países.

La grave crisis humanitaria en México, se ha profundizado con los 13 crímenes de periodistas, donde se confabulan el narcotráfico y la impune inactividad del Estado. Esto en medio de una avalancha de agresiones y amenazas contra periodistas críticos e independientes que ha obligado a buena parte de la prensa a la autocensura, como mecanismo de protección.

En Colombia el gobierno minimiza los crímenes de periodistas (seis en el 2009), el crecimiento geométrico de los ataques violentos contra los comunicadores y el acoso judicial, mediante una sugestiva campaña internacional que ha dado engañosos frutos.
Lamentablemente, en dicho país un proyecto de ley para despenalizar la injuria y la calumnia, presentado por la Federación Colombiana de Periodistas, fue eclipsado por los debates por una segunda reelección del actual gobierno.

En Venezuela las agresiones vienen principalmente del Estado, mediante ataques de simpatizantes del gobierno a periodistas (en un solo hecho fueron golpeados y heridos 12 colegas) y a través de la no renovación de licencias a medios de comunicación de oposición o simplemente críticos de políticas oficiales. Esta situación adversa a la libertad de prensa, está acabando con la diversidad informativa que caracteriza a cualquier sociedad democrática para darle paso a un sistema informativo afecto al gobierno.

En República Dominicana las agresiones físicas contra periodistas suman en el 2009 casi un centenar. Esta realidad se agrava al verse invisibilizados los países caribeños en todos los registros de violaciones a la libertad de expresión.

Honduras se vio ensombrecida por un golpe de Estado, con la consecuente
represión contra los medios de comunicación críticos, periodistas independientes y corresponsales internacionales.

Brasil, el único país que contemplaba jurídicamente la exigencia de título profesional para el ejercicio del periodismo, perdió esta prerrogativa que
garantizaba un mínimo en la calidad de la información, tras un fallo del Tribunal Supremo Federal. La sentencia se produjo bajo un fuerte looby de los empresarios de medios.

En Perú, aunque no se producen crímenes de periodistas, las agresiones superan a las de cualquier país de la región, con 180 casos en el 2009. El caso más emblemático, sin duda, el silenciamiento de Radio La Voz, de Bagua, emisora independiente “castigada políticamente” por haber dado a conocer la verdad de lo ocurrido durante la matanza criminal de policías y nativos selváticos (5 de junio 2009).

En Argentina se logró la aprobación de una Ley de Medios –de especial acento contra la propiedad monopólica de los medios de comunicación-, presentada por el gobierno, pero redactada por una coalición de sindicatos, ONG y organizaciones sociales, liderada por la Federación Argentina de Trabajadores de la Prensa (FATPREN).

En Uruguay, la Asociación de Prensa Uruguaya consiguió la despenalización
de los delitos de prensa, en el mes de junio.

Los asesinatos, y las agresiones en general, han estado, la mayoría de las veces, vinculados a destapes de casos de corrupción, en la escena local, nacional o continental. Las víctimas de las agresiones no suelen ser, por regla general, directivos o trabajadores de los grandes medios escritos o audiovisuales. Salvo en casos excepcionales, las muertes tienen por escenario pequeñas poblaciones y alcanzan a comunicadores de medios locales y comunitarios o a corresponsales de grandes medios en ciudades menores.

La consigna durante el 2009 en América Latina-Caribe ha sido eliminar el
mensaje. Para ello, en México, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Brasil Paraguay y Venezuela se decidió por “matar al mensajero”, con el consiguiente drama que ello arrastra para las familias, los colegas y la organización en sí misma. Se ha matado al mensajero, desapareciéndolo físicamente o silenciándole la voz. . 

Celso Schroder
Presidente FEPALC
Zuliana Lainez
Secretaria de Derechos Humanos FEPALC

PERIODISTAS ASESINADOS
Enero-Diciembre 2009

Brasil (2)
José Givonaldo Vieira
Dalvison Nogueira de Souza

Colombia (6)
María Eugenia Guerrero
José Everardo Aguilar
Hernando Salas Rojas
Diego Rojas Velásquez
Ferney Henao
Harold Humberto Rivas Quevedo

El Salvador (1)
Christian Poveda

Honduras (2)
Osman López
Gabriel Fino Noriega

Guatemala (4)
Rafael Murguía
Rolando Santis
Jorge Mérida Pérez
Marco Antonio Estrada Orla

México (13)
Jean Paul Ibarra Ramírez
Luis Daniel Méndez Hernández
Carlos Ortega Melo Samper
Eliseo Barrón Hernández
Martín Javier Miranda Avilés
Ernesto Montañez Valdivia
Juan Daniel Martínez Gil
Norberto Miranda Madrid
Gerardo Esparza Mata
Fabián Ramírez López
Bladimir Antuna
José Emilio Galindo Robles
Jorge Alberto Velásquez López

Venezuela (1)
Orel Zambrano

Paraguay (1)
Martín Campos Páez

FEDERACIÓN DE PERIODISTAS DE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE (FEPALC)
Federación Argentina de Trabajadores de Prensa (FATPREN); Federación
Nacional de Periodistas (FENAJ); Sindicato Nacional de Periodistas de
Costa Rica (SNP) Federación Colombiana de Periodistas (FECOLPER); Federación Nacional de Trabajadores de los Medios de Comunicación Social de Chile (FENATRAMCO); Sindicato de Periodistas y Similares de El Salvador (SINPESS); Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Prensa y Similares de Honduras
(SITINPRES); Sindicato Nacional de Redactores de Prensa de México (SNRP);
Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay (SPP); Asociación Nacional de
Periodistas del Perú (ANP); Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la
Prensa de la República Dominicana (SNTP); Asociación de Prensa Uruguaya
(APU); Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Prensa de Venezuela
(SNTP).

***01.01.10. SOMALIA. Death, Displacement, Detention and Violence perpetrated against Somali media 

The 2009 is a year of darkness, death, displacement, detention and violence against journalists and the entire media fraternity in Somalia, according to the annual report unveiled today by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

In the year alone, a total of nine (9) journalists were killed either in the line of duty or in targeted brutal attacks by enemies of media freedom, making Somalia the most dangerous place for a journalist in Africa.

According to the report, also, a total of 12 journalists were wounded and 15 others arrested in a systematic and well coordinated affront against the media in the horn of African country. Another 100 journalists received death threats.

The Annual Report on Press Freedom Violations, Somalia's most authoritative publication produced in Somalia on the state of media freedom and rights of journalists, covers southern and central regions, Puntland and Somaliland. The report, this year, documents media deaths, journalists wounded, media practitioners arrested, ransacking of media houses and constant death threats which have sometimes led to journalists fleeing into neighbouring countries in fear of their lives.

“2009 became an outlandish and harrowing year as a wave of fiendish killings, arrests, death threats and intimidations against journalists reached incomparable level in the known history of Somali journalism,” the NUSOJ Annual Report on Press Freedom Violations, says in part.

The ensuing oppression and viciousness claimed the lives of media executives, reporters, photojournalists and cameramen who were all working with electronic media and also resulted in unparalleled level of journalists wounded and arrested, continues the report titled “War on Journalism in Somalia: Death, Displacement and Desolation”. Seven out of the nine journalists killed were murdered in Mogadishu. One was killed in Afgoye and another one in Beledweyne towns.

“Assassins’ bullets are felling journalists in cold-blooded murder while anger from warring sides is increasingly directed against journalists and media outlets for their coverage of events and issues related to the political and security situation,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.

“The past twelve months stand out as the darkest and deadliest period for
journalism Somalia. The work and life of journalists have become worthless and dispensable while attacks against journalists continue unrestrained. Many of the killers are known but there is no justice for their victims,” Omar added.

Besides the targeted assassinations, media professionals were also caught
in the middle of combat zones. Warring sides in southern Somalia regard professional journalists who are dedicated to reveal the truth as either double agents or sympathizers of insurgents or radicals. Journalists in southern regions are unwilling to step into many parts of the south for fear of their safety. This has blacked these areas from news, allowing untold atrocities to go on unreported. Journalists are exposed to numerous risks in travelling to these areas on authentic reporting assignments.

With all these painful statistics, the question is why the media in Somalia is targeted. “The death-dealing attacks on the media are happening as a result of their fierce desire for professionalism and independent reporting and their refusal to kowtow to the authorities and insurgents who are hell-bent on bringing about all sorts of heartbreak,” said Omar.

Media deaths, threats and wounds had driven many journalists outside the
country or have turned many into internally displaced people while those that remain in the country, especially in the southern and central regions, were forced to practice self-censorship. Many journalists in Mogadishu, Baidoa, Jowhar, Kismayu and Beledweyne hardly question the information provided by particularly armed groups. “Several media houses have taken refugee in entertainment, steering clear of airing news and current affairs programming,” he said.

“Continuing fighting between the Transitional government forces and Islamic insurgents, lack of capacity of the Transitional Federal Government to ensure law and order as well as peace and stability; political wrangles within the TFG, elections crisis in Somaliland, selective exercise of rule of law in both Somaliland and Puntland, undue misuse of power by the Puntland administration, the fragmentation of insurgent forces, and Al-Shabaab consolidation of control in at least 10 regions have all contributed considerably to the deepening crisis against
the media,” Omar added.

This fierce cruelty against media community has “resulted in a steady stream of journalists escaping from Mogadishu in search of safety elsewhere. Independent-minded and reputable journalists face a stark choice to either flee the country for their security or risk death for their journalism work.

In Puntland, physical violence and misuse of law caused speedy increase of
media attacks. Journalists are accused and attacked for threatening security or propaganda against the leaders of the Puntland. Critical and independent reportage was branded as a danger to “security”, “rule of law”, and the “dignity of leaders”. Journalists complained of the total disrespect of Puntland constitution law by the Puntland Intelligence Service and police forces.

NUSOJ states that overt and covert repressions against the media in Puntland are well orchestrated. With all the efforts to make peaceful transfer of power to the new president of Puntland, attacks and intimidation remain common in these northeastern regions of Somalia.

In the course of 2009, repression and violence against media in Somaliland
persisted and multiplied. The suppression reached its peak during the elections crisis, when Somaliland authorities and their cronies intensified stamping out journalists who file unfavourable reports.

“Last year’s monstrous crimes against journalists in Somalia are a constant reminder to us and to the world community of journalists that we must redouble our efforts in the fight against wanton violence and injustice. We will persevere in our struggle for change, to secure respect for media rights and for the protection of journalists,” Omar said.

“We will continue to call on governments as well as international and regional partners to take urgent action to stem the tide of severe crimes by pressurising local authorities to recognise and live up to their human rights obligations. Our aspirations are clear – we will continue to rally our journalists, media executives and wider civil society in order to seek justice, challenge repressive acts, name and shame perpetrators and, above all, give a voice to all journalists, in particular those living and working under conditions of unfairness, fear and constant cruelty,” Omar declared.

For More information, please contact:
Mogadishu: Mohamed Ibrahim Isak
Mobile: +252-1-5889930 / +25250491999
Nairobi: Ahmednor Mohamed
Mobile: +254 711 867202

***09.12.09. IFJ International Mission Demands Justice for Philippines Massacre

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called for urgent action to provide legal support for the families of victims of the massacre in Maguindano province in Mindanao, the Philippines, on November 23.
The call comes as the preliminary report of an IFJ international mission currently in Manila raises concerns over the commitment and capacity of Philippine authorities to guarantee a full and independent prosecution of the killers of 31 journalists and media workers and at least 26 other victims of the massacre.
"The international community must heed the urgent appeal for help from
journalists in the Philippines and across the world to take all necessary measures to pressure the Philippine Government into action and support the victims of this atrocity", said IFJ President Jim Boumelha.
The report of the mission, conducted at the request of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), an IFJ affiliate, further calls for urgent counselling and humanitarian support to the families of the victims, including at least 75 children who have lost a parent. In many cases the victim was the sole breadwinner for families now facing an uncertain future.
Thirdly, the report underlines the need for the protection of witnesses and a comprehensive safety program for journalists in Mindanao as tension rises further ahead of national elections in May 2010.
"Our Philippine colleagues have suffered not only a brutal and ruthless assault on their profession and livelihood, but also incomparable personal losses", said Mike Dobbie, an IFJ representative on the mission.
"Today we pay tribute to their extraordinary courage and determination to tell the world their story and, in the face of enormous personal risks, to make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice."
The mission report has been produced following four intensive days of meetings with the families of those killed, witnesses, the local media community, lawyers and government officials in Manila and General Santos City.
The mission team comprises representatives from leading journalists'rights and press freedom organisations including the IFJ, the Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA), the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Indonesia's Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Australia's Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the Thai Journalists' Association (TJA), International News Safety Institute (INSI), International Media Support (IMS), the Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) and Union Network International (UNI).
The mission is an expression of global solidarity with journalist colleagues in the Philippines. It is being hosted by the NUJP, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ).
"This massacre coming at the very beginning of the 2010 election process,
has dealt a cruel blow to democracy and free media in the Philippines" the report said.
IFJ affiliates and partners around the world are joining an International Day of Solidarity today, December 9, to pressure their home governments and the Government of the Philippines to assure justice for the victims of November 23 and to end to the long-running culture of impunity for the murders of journalists in the Philippines.
To see the IFJ International Solidarity Mission preliminary report, go to:
IFJ International Solidarity Mission Preliminary Report 091209.pdf

***03.12.12. SOMALIA. NUSOJ Expresses Anger, Condemnation over the Killing of Two Journalists in Mogadishu 

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) expresses anger, outrage and condemnation at the killing of two journalists in Mogadishu today (3 December 2009) morning.

Mohamed Amin Adan Abdulle, 24 years, who is a reporter with Radio Shabelle
and Hassan Zubeyr Haji Hassan, a cameraman working with Al-Arabia TV were
killed in an explosion at Hotel Shamo in Mogadishu, where a graduation ceremony for the Banadir University was taking place.

Three ministers of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, including those of Health and Education Ministers who were attending the ceremony and nine students were also killed in the attack.

“This is a monstrous murder. The shocking murder of Mohamed Amin and Hassan Zubeyr is coming after the murder of six journalists early this year. A circumstance where members of the Fourth Estate are murdered in cold blood is an attack on the nation, and the murderers and masterminds of this heinous acts must be condemned for their existence and acts signify severe risk for the existence of the people of Somalia,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.

With the death of Hassan and Mohamed Amin, the number of journalists killed in Somalia this year hits the eighth mark, making 2009 another deadly year for media professionals in Somalia.

“This is an ominous reminder of the fact that this is not only a tragedy for the journalists but an assault on the peace and stability of Somalia and a threat to the security of its people," added Omar Faruk Osman.

UPDATE (Dec 4) Death of 3rd Journalist in Mogadishu Blast Confirmed 

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) confirms the death of a
third journalist, Yaasir Mario, in Thursday’s suicide attack in Mogadishu,
Somalia, which claimed nearly 50 lives, including three government
ministers.

Yaasir has been operating in the recent three months as a fixer and a
cameraman. Yaasir is remembered for his coverage of violence and
danger-prone events in Mogadishu where foreign journalists working for
foreign media organizations dread to go. He was admitted to Medina
hospital while in critical condition and later died in the hospital,
according to his family.

At the time of his death he was no attached to any specific media house.
His death brings to nine, the number of journalists killed in Somalia
since January this year.

SOMALIA: At least two journalists killed and seven others wounded in Mogadishu suicide bombing (RSF)

Reporters Without Borders is stunned and saddened by today’s suicide bombing in a Mogadishu hotel that killed more than a dozen people including at least two journalists, three government ministers and nine students.

The explosion occurred during a ceremony at which Banadir University students were being awarded graduation diplomas. At least seven other journalists were wounded. The figures for dead and wounded are only provisional.

“We condemn this attack with the utmost firmness and we express our solidarity with the two news media whose journalists were among the fatalities,” Reporters Without Borders said. “One of these news media, Radio Shabelle, has already seen two of its directors killed in the past two years, while other Radio Shabelle journalists have been killed this year.”

The press freedom organisation added: “With violence at a peak in Somalia,
journalists who try to cover the country’s chaotic political situation are living a nightmare. Those who masterminded this cowardly bombing are responsible for the deaths of these two journalists. The use of blind violence must stop and should be condemned by all parties to the conflict.”

Radio Shabelle reporter Mohamed Amin Adan Abdulle, 24, and Al-Arabia TV cameraman Hassan Zubeyr Haji Hassan were the two journalists killed in today’s bombing, which occurred at the Shamo Hotel in a district known as “Kilometre 5” on one of Mogadishu’s main avenues.

Three ministers in the transitional government were also killed while a fourth, the sports minister, who is a former journalist and founding member of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), was badly injured and was reported to be in a critical condition.

According to the information obtained by Reporters Without Borders, at least seven journalists were injured by the blast, including Agence France-Presse photographer Mohamed Dahir.

No group has so far claimed the bombed but the Islamist militia Al-Shabaab
was widely suspected. A hotel employee said one of the students participating in the ceremony detonated an explosive vest that he was wearing.

“We cannot cope with this level of violence anymore,” a former Radio Shabelle journalist based in Mogadishu told Reporters Without Borders. “Most of my colleagues now want to stop working because it has become too dangerous.”

Radio Shabelle was one of the nominees in the Media category for the 2009
Reporters Without Borders - Fnac Press Freedom Prize, which was awarded
yesterday in Paris. The capital’s most respected privately-owned radio, it is also the one that has been targeted most. Its director, Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe, was fatally shot four times in the head in the centre of Mogadishu while on his way to work on 7 June. Two of his employees were killed earlier this year while his predecessor, Bashir Nur Gedi, was himself murdered in 2007.

Concerned by the growing violence to which journalists are exposed in Somalia, Reporters Without Borders awarded a grant of 2,000 dollars last July to send 20 bullet-proof vests to journalists there.

With eight journalists killed so far in 2009, Somalia is the world’s second deadliest country for journalists, after the Philippines. It was ranked 164th out of 175 countries in the 2009 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. 23

***23-30-11.09. SPECIAL REACTIONS MASSACRE IN THE PHILIPPINES*** (UN, IFJ, HDC, HRW, RSF, INSI, OHCHR, Art 19, Freedom House) 

UN EXPERTS: MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE MUST BE THE START OF A MAJOR REFORM PROCESS IN THE PHILIPPINES (Dec 2) 

GENEVA -- The brutal killing of 57 people in Maguindanao, including some 30 journalists, should be seen as a watershed moment for the Philippines, according to two United Nations human rights experts. Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, and Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, said that “the pre-meditated killing of political opponents, combined with a massive assault on the media, must be tackled at various levels that go well beyond standard murder investigations.”

In a statement, the two UN experts indicated that the initial responses of the Government had been encouraging. “The first step”, they noted, “is to ensure that the police investigation is comprehensive and independent, and employs the highest professional standards. It must also be followed by effective prosecutions of all those responsible for the killings.” They added, however, that the massacre also demanded a more extensive reflection on the elite family-dominated manipulation of the political processes and the need to eliminate such practices in order to assure the future of democracy in the Philippines.

“This will require a thorough-going investigation of the broader context to be undertaken by a credible and independent body, appointed with full legal powers to carry out an effective inquiry and make recommendations.” The UN experts expressed their particular dismay at the wholesale killings of journalists and emphasized that any broader inquiry into the political system would need to focus on the ways and means of enhancing protection for journalists in the future.

A third, but even more urgent step is also required according to the UN experts. “Elections in the Philippines have traditionally become occasions for widespread extrajudicial executions of political opponents. There is every indication that the run-up to the May elections will sound the death knell for many political activists.” Mr. Alston and Mr. La Rue added that “the Government should acknowledge this likelihood and immediately establish a high-level task force, with broad political support, to identify the measures that should be taken to prevent killings that occur in the lead-up to the elections”.

“The Maguindinao killings are a tragedy of the first order”, said the experts. But the challenge now is to go beyond a criminal law response and to take measures designed to protect the media in particular, and freedom of expression in general, and to prevent election-related violence in the months ahead. “The international community will be monitoring the Government’s response very carefully”, they added.

IFJ Urgent Appeal (Nov 28)

Media suffered an unprecedented attack with the terrible tragedy that struck the Philippines on Monday 23 November 2009 . The news is unfolding on a daily basis, but the latest information today is that 30 journalists and media workers have been confirmed killed with an expectation that this will rise to at least 34, the total number of journalist and media workers reported to have set out on the convoy that was subsequently ambushed and massacred.

This is the biggest single atrocity against journalists in recent history.

The IFJ is working very closely to support our colleagues at the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) who immediately sent a mission to the scene of the massacre, arriving Wednesday. According to the NUJP 59 bodies have now been found in shallow graves, often beheaded and heavily mutilated.

Prior to this attack at least 75 journalists had been killed under the Arroyo government and only four cases have seen successful prosecutions. Outside of Iraq, the Philippines has become the most dangerous country for journalists this century.

A clear culture of impunity has been allowed to flourish under this government which must no longer be tolerated.

The IFJ is sending an international mission to Manila, 7 - 10 December, to support the NUJP, provide solidarity to journalists and the families of the victims, and to send the clearest message possible to the government that this is an outrage they will not be allowed to forget.

We need your help to reinforce this message, to demonstrate our sorrow, our anger, and our determination that such a crime will not go unpunished.

To do this the IFJ is calling on all affiliates to join a global day of solidarity on 9th December to coincide with the mission press conference on the 9th, the day before International Human Rights day.

UNESCO Director-General urges full investigation into Philippines massacre (Nov 27)

UNESCO Director-General Irina BokovaUNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova urged the Government of the Philippines to carry out a full and swift investigation into a murderous attack on a convoy in the Minguindanao Province on 23 November, in which more than 55 people, including at least 27 journalists, were killed.

“This monstrous crime must not go unpunished,” Ms Bokova said. “I condemn this outrage and urge the Government of the Philippines to act swiftly, using all the resources at its disposal to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“The barbaric killings of the people in the convoy – journalists and citizens alike – were clearly an attack against democracy and democratic processes. Furthermore, the killing of journalists violates the rights of the Philippine people to be freely and fairly informed of political developments.”

According to news reports, the journalists were travelling with politicians and political supporters to file nomination papers for a gubernatorial candidate in Maguindanao Province in the southern Philippines, when the convoy was ambushed.

Their deaths bring to 34 the number of journalists killed in the Philippines this year.

HD Centre condemns brutal massacre in Mindanao (Nov 27) 

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre), a Swiss-based organisation with offices in Mindanao, strongly condemns the brutal massacre of 57 persons in Maguindanao province, Mindanao, this week.
The slaying of woman, children, journalists and passers-by in an act perpetrated by one rival clan against another underscores the need for urgent action. For too long, clan violence has been tolerated and allowed to undermine development, governance, and security for the people of Mindanao and the rest of the country.
“Too often focused on the war on terror, the international community has
overlooked the fact that violent clan politics is the principle contributor to the cycle of poverty, marginalization, and insecurity that has created a breeding ground for Islamic extremists and separatists,” said David Gorman, the HD Centre Representative in the Philippines.
While this latest act was unprecedented, it was not entirely unpredictable
considering the extent of clan violence throughout Mindanao.
The Government of the Philippines must take immediate steps against those
responsible, employ measures to prevent a reoccurrence and identify ways to eventually disarm and disband all clan-led armed civilian groups.
In particular, the HD Centre calls on the Government to:
1. Launch an inquiry not just into the massacre but into the role, chain of command and lack of accountability of all armed groups operating outside the framework of the official security forces;
2. Suspend the operations and licenses to carry firearms of all armed groups currently supported by the military, the police and the local government until the elections are complete;
3. Develop a longer term plan for the eventual phasing out of private armed groups complemented by the development and improvement of the regular armed forces and the police;
4. Enforce the current election gun ban and suspend all candidates, whose
supporters violate it, from running for office.
Unless these steps are taken, the HD Centre believes there will be continued clan-related violence and the people of Mindanao will never be safe or secure.
***END***

RSF - Number of journalists killed in massacre rises to 29 (Nov 26)

Reporters Without Borders notes that the authorities have finally arrested Andal Ampatuan Jr, the leading suspect in the 23 November massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province. Local reporters have meanwhile told Reporters Without Borders that the toll of journalists killed in the massacre has risen to 29.

“All the bodies have been located and identification is almost complete,” a reporter based in the nearby city of Koronadal said. “According to the local media’s tally, we lost 29 colleagues in this tragedy.” The local authorities are preparing a funeral service to pay tribute to the victims. And the government has provided financial assistance to families.

November 25th

A total of 26 journalists were among those killed in the 23 November massacre in Maguindanao province (on the southern island of Mindanao) by alleged supporters of the province’s governor, Andal Ampatuan Sr, according to journalists who have gone to the massacre site.

“This bloodbath is beyond human understanding,” a journalist from the nearby city of Koronadal told Reporters Without Borders, adding: “I have lost 12 of my colleagues in this massacre.”

“The toll from this massacre keeps rising but the governor’s son, the leading suspect, still has not been questioned by the police,” Reporters Without Borders said. “President Gloria Arroyo says those responsible will be arrested and tried but all the information coming from the field so far indicates the contrary.”

The press freedom organisation added: “Why have the governor’s son and the governor himself not been arrested? Are Mindanao Island’s power barons more powerful than the law itself? The Philippine government’s credibility is at stake.”

Nonoy Espina of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), who is in Mindanao, told Reporters Without Borders: “Tallying and identifying the bodies is slow, but it now seems that 26 journalists from several towns were killed (…) The government is not doing enough to arrest those responsible. How can the president’s adviser be pleased about obtaining undertakings from the governor when his son, the leading suspect, is still free? Settling for mere promises is unacceptable after this massacre.”

Victims: At least 57 civilians, including 26 reporters, who were mostly from General Santos and Koronadal (two cities in the nearby province of South Cotabato). The journalists worked for local or national newspapers, radio stations and TV stations.

The murdered journalists include Alejandro “Bong” Reblando of Manila Bulletin, Henry Araneta of radio DZRH, Bart Maravilla of Bombo Radyo Koronadal, Nap Salaysay of DZRO, Ian Subang of Pilipino Star Ngayon and Dadiangas Times, and freelance reporters Humberto Mumay, Ranie Razon, Noel Decena, John Caniba, Joel Parcon, Marife Montano, Art Belia and Jun Legarta.

The fatalities could include four UNTV reporters – Joy Duhay, Victor Nuñez, Macario Ariola and Jimmy Cabillo. Philippine news media have also named Leah Dalmacio of Mindanao Focus, Gina de la Cruz and Marites Cablitas of Today, Andy Teodoro of the Mindanao Inquirer, Bienvenido Lagarte of the Sierra News, Neneng Montaño of the weekly Saksi and Rey Merescon of MindaNews.

Suspects: A group of gunmen and policemen led by the governor’s son, Andal Ampatuan Jr, who is a mayor of Datu Unsay (a municipality in Maguindanao province) and a member of the ruling party. He has not been arrested and is believed to be at the family home in the provincial capital. According to witnesses and army officers, the governor gave the go-ahead for his leading rival’s supporters to be ambushed while travelling in convoy.

The attackers reportedly raped, tortured and beheaded some of the victims. Most of the bodies have been found in mass graves.

Where? The convoy’s members were ambushed and kidnapped at around 9 a.m. on the road to Shariff Aguak, one of the province’s main towns. The massacre took place near the villages of Salman and Malating, about 10 km from the main road.

Why did this massacre take place? To prevent Esmael Mangundadatu, a political rival of the Ampatuan clan, from running for governor in next year’s local elections. His wife, who was one of the victims, was leading a convoy that planned to register him at an electoral office.

Why were the journalists murdered? According to local reporters, about 30 journalists were accompanying the convoy in order to cover this political initiative. It is believed there were killed in order to eliminate all the witnesses of the massacre of Esmael Mangundadatu’s supporters. Lawyers and local officials were also among the victims.

Actions of police and army: Several members of Maguindanao police have been arrested and are being held in a barracks. The army has announced that the Ampatuan clan’s private militia will be disbanded.

After decreeing that tomorrow will be a day of national mourning, President Arroyo today said: “This is a supreme act of inhumanity that is a blight on our nation. The perpetrators will not escape justice. The law will hunt them until they are caught.”

Massacre Shows Arroyo's Failure to Address Impunity (HRW) (Nov 25)

(New York) - The massacre of at least 47 people in Maguindanao in the southern Philippines tragically shows the failure of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration to hold accountable perpetrators of extrajudicial killings, Human Rights Watch said today.

Given allegations of involvement by members of the security forces and local militias, Human Rights Watch urged the government to initiate a fully independent investigation led by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

"Far too many people have been gunned down in the Philippines while President Arroyo has sat on her hands," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The possible involvement of state forces in the Maguindanao massacre means that security personnel shouldn't be allowed to interfere in an independent investigation."

On November 23, 2009, a dozen family members of Vice Mayor Ishmael Mangudadatu of Buluan and about 40 others travelled to the government Commission on Elections office in Maguindanao, in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, to file Mangudadatu's candidacy for governor in the May 2010 elections. Witnesses told the media that before 10 a.m., approximately 100 armed men stopped the group's convoy on a remote section of highway near the town of Ampatuan. The armed men abducted the group, which included at least 12 Mangudadatu family members, 12 journalists and two lawyers.

The authorities reported finding 47 bodies, including Mangudadatu's wife and two sisters. The bodies, bearing gunshot wounds, were found in the victims' vehicles and buried in shallow graves.

Mangudadatu told the media that because he had been receiving threats, he had sent his wife and other female family members to file his certificate of candidacy because he felt they would be safe. According to local media, he said, "I was expecting they will not harm them because they were all women." No security escorts were sent to accompany them as I trusted the police and military could protect them."

There are reports that the women were raped before they were killed. Police Chief Superintendent Felicisimo Khu told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that "all the women had their pants unzipped."

There are indications that the killings were politically motivated. A military spokesman, Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, was quoted in news reports as having said, "The suspects are bodyguards of [Maguindanao Governor Andal] Ampatuan, local police aides, and certain lawless elements."

Gov. Ampatuan, patriarch of the powerful Ampatuan family, cannot run for re-election in the May 2010 elections because of a three-term limit.  His son Andal Ampatuan Jr. is expected to run in his place. The governor has a paramilitary force that is estimated to number 500.

Philippine National Police Chief Jesus Verzosa ordered that the deputy provincial police chief of Maguindanao, Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay, be relieved of his duties while the killings are investigated after witnesses reported seeing him with the armed men during the abduction. Concerns have also been raised about the slow response by the police and military to the abductions.

Arroyo condemned the killings in the "strongest terms" and vowed that "no effort will be spared to bring justice to the victims." However, today the presidential adviser on Mindanao affairs, Jesus Dureza, met with members of the Ampatuan family and told the media that, "They have assured us that they will cooperate fully in the investigation."

Human Rights Watch expressed deep concern that the administration's personal relationships with the Ampatuan family were likely to hinder rather than aid an impartial investigation into all those responsible for the killings.

"Ampatuan family members should be questioned by the National Bureau of Investigation, not having chats with senior presidential advisors," Pearson said. "President Arroyo's words on justice will ring hollow so long as the perpetrators of this terrible massacre remain unpunished."

Arroyo declared a state of emergency today in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato City, giving greater powers to the armed forces, which have been implicated in numerous extrajudicial killings. Human Rights Watch called on the Arroyo administration to ensure that the armed forces uphold and protect human rights in securing these areas.

"Extrajudicial killings will continue to be a serious problem in the Philippines until they are competently, transparently, and impartially investigated, and perpetrators including members of security forces are fully prosecuted," Pearson said. "The history of election-related violence in the Philippines makes the lead up to the May 2010 elections a period of special concern."

Background on extrajudicial killings in the Philippines

Since 2001, when President Arroyo took office, hundreds of left-wing political party members, human rights activists, journalists, and outspoken clergy have been killed or forcibly disappeared, but only six cases have been successfully prosecuted. Although the military has been implicated in many of the crimes, none of the 11 persons convicted in these cases were active military personnel at the time of the killing. The killings surged after Arroyo's declaration in June 2006 of an "all-out war" against the communist New People's Army insurgency.

The Arroyo administration has not sufficiently investigated numerous extrajudicial killings in which the military has been implicated. It has yet to take strong action against local government-backed "death squads" in Davao City and elsewhere, and has tolerated unnecessary delays in investigations into these killings.

Filipino Massacre Reflects Climate of Impunity (Freedom House) (Nov 25)

The massacre of civilians and journalists that occurred on Monday in the Philippines is a shocking symptom of the country’s climate of impunity and the government’s inability to protect freedom of expression, Freedom House said today. The organization condemned the killings in the strongest terms possible. In some of the worst violence in recent Filipino history, almost 60 people, including at least 26 journalists, were killed and buried in shallow graves in the province of Maguindanao. The victims were accompanying supporters of a gubernatorial candidate as he filed nomination papers for elections scheduled to be held in May 2010. “These killings are of the most shocking and brutal nature and must be addressed immediately and thoroughly by the government,” said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House’s executive director. “The country is becoming known for a culture of impunity and the government has a responsibility to demonstrate a commitment to reversing this trend.” The gubernatorial candidate, Ismael Mangudadatu, had received death threats as a result of challenging the rule of the long-term regional leader, Andal Ampatuan, Jr. As in other regions of the Philippines, local “bosses” control many areas in Maguindanao, one of the poorest areas of the country, limiting accountability and encouraging abuses of power.  During the past several years, Freedom House has noted significant declines in the Philippines, both in terms of freedom of expression, as well as in political rights resulting from electoral fraud, corruption, and government intimidation of political opposition.  Killings of journalists, human rights defenders, and other activists have increased dramatically, and in the majority of cases, these crimes have gone unpunished. The central government, which has close ties to the Ampatuan family, has imposed a state of emergency in two provinces and has promised to investigate the killings.  "The foundations of a strong and healthy democracy are under grave threat," Windsor noted. "As the country heads toward another election season, it is vitally important that the government demonstrate that it is willing and able to do everything in its power to bring the perpetrators of the recent carnage to justice as quickly and effectively as possible.” The Philippines is ranked Partly Free in both the 2009 editions of Freedom in the World, Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties, and Freedom of the Press, Freedom House’s annual survey of media independence. 

INSI calls on UN to act on safety of journalists following Philippines
massacre

Brussels, 24 November - The horrifying massacre of journalists in the
Philippines underlines the need for the UN Security Council to implement fully the terms of its landmark resolution on the safety of journalists, the International News Safety Institute said today.

INSI meanwhile was preparing an emergency safety training project for news
media staff in that country -- now the most dangerous in the world for
journalists.

Gunmen on Monday kidnapped and killed around 46 people, including at least
12 journalists and 8 media staff, after an ambush in the southern region
of Maguindanao, according to the National Union of Journalists of the
Philippines (NUJP). Details suggest the abductions and murders were politically-motivated in connection with the national elections next May.

If the death toll is confirmed it will be the bloodiest day for the world's news media since 2005 when 48 journalists and support staff were killed in Iran when a military plane taking them to cover exercises in the Gulf crashed near Tehran.

Recognising the deadly dangers facing journalists in many countries, the
UN Security Council in December 2006 unanimously passed Resolution 1738 on
the safety of journalists in conflict. It called on member states to end
impunity for the killers of journalists.

"Deeply concerned at the frequency of acts of violence, including
deliberate attacks, in many parts of the world against journalists, media
professionals and associated personnel, in armed conflicts, the Security
Council ... condemned such attacks and called on all parties to put an end
to such practices," the preamble to the resolution said.

"In that connection, the Council recalled its demand that all parties to
armed conflict comply with their obligations under international law to
protect civilians in armed conflict. It also emphasized the responsibility of States in that regard, as well as their obligation to end impunity and to prosecute those responsible for serious violations. All parties in situations of armed conflict were urged to respect the professional independence and rights of journalists, media professionals and associated personnel as civilians," it said.

Broadcasters attending the fourth World Electronic Media Forum (WEMF4) in
Mexico City earlier this month called for sustained and concrete
international action to address the murder of journalists. In a unanimous
declaration, sent to the UN Secretary General, the President of the UN
Security Council, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights and UNESCO, they
urged UN member states to respect the terms of Resolution 1738 "in letter
and spirit".

Journalist support organisations around the world have called on the government of Gloria Arroyo to launch a full investigation to bring the perpetrators of the massacre to justice and to address the crisis of impunity in the murder of journalists and media staff over recent years.

The Philippines is now the most dangerous country in the world for the
news media. At least 74 journalists have been killed during the eight years of the Arroyo government and only four convictions had been secured at last count.

With elections due in six months, INSI plans to hold emergency safety training sessions for journalists in the Philippines in coming weeks.

"These elections undoubtedly will be dangerous for the news media, yet the
citizens of this great democracy must be kept informed. Pending concrete
action by the authorities to secure the safety of all involved, INSI will do all it can in practical ways to help Filipino journalists protect themselves," said INSI Director Rodney Pinder.

INSI is a non-governmental organisation devoted to the safety of journalists and other news media in dangerous situations around the world.

Any questions on this news release should be address to Rodney Pinder,
email rodney.pinder@newssafety.org or tel: +44 7734 709267

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEPLORES ‘BRUTAL’ POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN THE PHILIPPINES
New York, Nov 24 2009 2:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today deplored the recent violence in the
southern Philippines, in which more than 40 civilians have been killed in
the context of a local election campaign, and called for the perpetrators
to be brought to justice.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has reportedly declared a state of emergency in Maguindanao province, among other areas, following Monday’s killings which have been described as the worst election-related violence in the nation’s history.

Mr. Ban condemned “this heinous crime,” in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4252">statement issued by his
spokesperson.

“The Secretary-General extends heartfelt condolences to the families of
the victims and hopes that no effort will be spared to bring justice and
to hold the perpetrators accountable,” the statement added.
Nov 24 2009 2:10PM 

Interview of the spokeperson of the Office of the High Commissionner for Human Rights (OHCHR) by the PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen

Le Haut Commissariat de l'ONU aux droits de l'homme s'est déclaré mercredi "profondément choqué" par le massacre de 57 civils, dont au moins 21 journalistes, aux Philippines. Il a appelé les autorités à poursuivre et juger les responsables d'un "crime terrible"."C'est un événement atroce. Non seulement des journalistes ont été tués alors qu'ils faisaient leur travail, mais aussi des femmes et des enfants", a déclaré le porte-parole du Haut Commissariat, Rupert Colville.

"Il faut absolument qu'une enquête approfondie ait lieu sur ce massacre et que les responsables soient jugés et condamnés", a affirmé le porte-parole. "Nous faisons confiance aux autorités philippines pour qu'elles le fassent, mais nous suivrons de près la situation", a précisé M. Colville.

Pas d'impunité

"Il est très important que ces meurtres ne restent pas impunis. Car cela pourrait encourager d'autres à suivre cet exemple. C'est essentiel que les responsables soient traduits en justice", a poursuivi le porte-parole de la Haut Commissaire Navi Pillay.

Les autorités philippines ont confirmé mercredi que 57 corps ont été découverts au total. Les corps de 21 journalistes philippins ont été identifiés jusqu'ici. Il s'agit, selon les ONG de défense de la liberté de la presse, du massacre de journalistes le plus grave jamais recensé dans les annales de la profession.

De plus en plus visés

"Clairement, les journalistes comme les employés humanitaires de l'ONU sont de plus en plus visés. C'est particulièrement choquant parce que les Philippines ne sont pas la Somalie et l'Irak. Malgré les problèmes dans le sud, c'est un pays démocratique", a souligné le porte-parole.

"Les journalistes ont un rôle très important à jouer dans le processus électoral. Un tel massacre pourrait contribuer à intimider les medias et c'est très préoccupant. Les autres journalistes pourraient réfléchir à ce qu'ils font et à ce qu'ils disent, ce qui minerait le débat démocratique", a ajouté Rupert Colville.

Interrogé sur une réaction du Conseil des droits de l'homme, le porte-parole a expliqué que c'est d'abord aux autorités nationales d'agir. "La communauté internationale doit intervenir lorsque les autorités nationales ne font rien. Pour l'instant, la présidence philippine a exprimé son intention d'agir. Mais cela ne veut pas dire qu'il n'y aura pas de réaction au niveau international, notamment si les intentions de Manille ne se traduisent pas en actes concrets", a conclu le porte-parole.

Article 19 - Philippines: Brutal Killing Undermines Freedom of Expression

ARTICLE 19 joins the international community in condemning the Maguindanao
attack and calls on local and international authorities to take swift action to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

At least 39 people were viciously killed when a convoy they were
travelling in was attacked in the Philippines on 23 November. The convoy
was intercepted by approximately 100 men in Ampatuan town whilst on its
way to register Ishmael ‘Toto’ Mangudadatu as a candidate for provincial
governorship elections, Ampatuan is the home town of the incumbent
governor Andal Ampatuan, and there are strong indications that the attack
was politically motivated. According to the local media, Mangudadatu
belongs to a clan that has been engaged in a long-running feud with the
Ampatuan family, which has intermittently governed the region since 2001.
This attack represents a troubling development in the Mindanao region,
where Muslim rebels have been fighting for self-rule in the predominantly
Roman Catholic nation.

As many as 13 journalists that were reporting on Mangudadatu’s
registration are feared dead. If confirmed, this would be the largest group of journalists killed in a single event ever.

The killing of so many journalists will have a major chilling effect on free expression during the upcoming elections and in the future. There are already reports that some journalists have refused to travel to the area to report on the incident, for fear of further violence.

Free and fair elections cannot take place when the right to free expression is seriously threatened. This includes the right of everyone to express their political viewpoints and of journalists to report on political activities without intimidation.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the local authorities to conduct an immediate and impartial investigation, with a view to identifying and prosecuting those responsible, as well as to ensure that the election can take place safely and freely. We also call upon the international community to assist in these efforts.

IFJ Fears for Media Staff in Philippines Danger Zone As Massacre Toll Grows

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today pledged its full support to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in an urgent campaign on news safety as reports emerged that up to 20 media people died in yesterday?s massacre of journalists and political campaigners in the Philippines.
Some 46 people were killed in the atrocity in the troubled Maguindanao
province in the south of the country, among them at least 12 journalists
and around eight media staff, according to the latest information from the
NUJP branch in Mindanao. It is reported that 22 bodies have been recovered
so far.
The NUJP is sending an immediate mission to Maguindano to investigate the
circumstances around the killings, to provide immediate support to the families of the victims, and to assess the security failings and safety needs for the region. The IFJ has made available its International Safety Fund to provide humanitarian support.
The IFJ has criticised the failure of the Government of Gloria Arroya, which today announced a state of emergency in the Maguindano province, to tackle the crisis of impunity in the killing of journalists and media staff in recent years.
"The Arroyo administration must make a clear and unequivocal commitment to
an immediate, independent and effective inquiry into this atrocity," said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. "With elections due in six months time the authorities must act now to guarantee the safety of journalists throughout the country."
Under the current government the Philippines has become the most dangerous
place in the world for media workers. At least 74 journalists have been killed during its eight-year tenure, yet the Government has not acted to end the culture of impunity. At last count, only four convictions had been secured.
The journalists slaughtered on Monday were part of a convoy led by Genalyn
Tiamzon-Mangudadatu, who was on her way to file her husband?s nomination
as a candidate for the forthcoming election for governor of Maguindanao.
Around 100 armed men ambushed the convoy and took them to a remote
location before executing them.
The NUJP, which has a long history of investigating murders of journalists and campaigning against the culture of impunity for killings, will conduct its own investigation in Mindanao.
The IFJ is considering next steps and is supporting plans by the International News Safety Institute to organise urgent safety training for local journalists. "We extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families and colleagues of all those killed in Maguindanao," said White.
"And we are determined to keep an international focus on this crisis. It is a traumatic and horrifying incident that means all journalists must now take even greater care."

IFJ Calls for Urgent Action over Massacre of Philippine Journalists

The IFJ has called for the international community to intervene to demand
a full investigation to bring to justice those responsible for the biggest single massacre of working journalists in recent history.

The IFJ call came after at least twelve journalists were murdered when a
political convoy of over 36 persons was ambushed and slaughtered by gunmen
in the Maguindanao province of Southern Philippines.

"This is an event which shocks journalists around the world to the core,"
said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "We need a strong and urgent
response from the Philippine government and the international community."

The political convoy was led by Genalyn Tiamzon-Mangudadatu, who was on
her way to file her husband'snomination as a candidate for the forthcoming election for governor of Maguindanao province. Journalists were part of the convoy along with several members of her family.

The convoy was ambushed Monday morning by around 100 armed men, who took
them to a remote location before massacring them all. Most were shot; some
were beheaded and driven over by vehicles.

According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) among the victims were at least 12 journalists covering the political development who were accompanying the political convoy.

This is the darkest day in the history of journalism in the Philippines, which, outside of Iraq, has topped the tables of countries where journalists are most at risk in recent years.

***19.11.09. MEXICO. Article 19 Releases Report Documenting Aggressions
Against Journalists

ARTICLE 19, in conjunction with its partner Cencos, has launched a report
pointing to a continuing deterioration of freedom of expression in Mexico and stating that the authorities remain the principal perpetrators of aggressions against journalists.
This is the third quarterly report detailing a total of 59 attacks against
journalists and the media, including the killing of three journalists, from July to September 2009. ARTICLE 19 and Cencos have recorded 201 aggressions so far this year, as well as eight deaths.

In Mexico, journalists work in an evironment where organised crime and drug traffickers operate largely with impunity, often colluding with the authorities. Usually the most serious violations, such as assassinations and forced disappearances, can be attributed to organised crime.

However, ARTICLE 19’s figures continue to point to state authorities as the principal aggressors in nearly 72 per cent of cases. The deployment of the military and police in many parts of the country have not only resulted in an escalation of violence but, in some cases, new human rights violations committed by security forces. The ARTICLE 19 report also details several serious incidents involving government officials, including the harassment of staff at the political magazine Proceso by officials of the Ministry for Public Security.

The report further emphasises an increased number of aggressions commited
by supporters of political parties, during recent elections at state level and in Congress. Local police forces and municipal officials are also responsible for attacks against media workers in various states, including Sinaloa, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Guerrero and Mexico City.

Dario Ramirez, ARTICLE 19 Director for Mexico comments: “An assassination
constitutes the most severe form of aggression and is an indicator of the
adverse environment in which journalists and media workers are currently being forced to operate. Many of these cases have not been effectively investigated or resolved, and this constitutes a real and sustained campaign against the right to freedom of expression in this country.”

ARTICLE 19 and Cencos calls on the authorities to make a serious effort to
tackle these violations of fundamental human rights and bring Mexico into line with international standards. This includes developing prevention policies, including adequate and effective human rights training for security forces, at all levels of national, state and local government.

ARTICLE 19 and Cencos reminds the Mexican State that the right to freedom
of expression, which is established in the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights implies a double obligation. The state is not only obliged not to violate the right, but also to protect it and promote an environment in which free expression is allowed to flourish.

ARTICLE 19 and Cencos reiterates its call on the Mexican State to tackle the impunity that is being allowed to prevail in the majority of cases of violations of the right to freedom of expression. This can only be achieved through the effective investigation of such crimes and the sanctioning of those responsible, as well as the strengthening of the bodies that are responsible for dealing with crimes against freedom of expression. 

• To view the full report Attacks on Freedom of Expression in Mexico:
Third Quarterly Bulletin go to:
http://www.article19.org/pdfs/publications/mexico-attacks-on-freedom-of-expression-3rd-quarterly-report-.pdf

***18.11.09. SOMALIA: 2 journalists wounded

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemns in strongest possible terms targeted shooting of two Somali journalists working for international news media organizations in Galkayo and Mogadishu.

Mohamed Yasin Isak , the reporter of Voice of America (VOA) Somali Service
in Mudug region of Somalia by was wounded after when police officer of
Puntland Semi-autonomous administration opened fire on Tuesday, 17 November 2009 around 8:00 PM local time.

The journalist, who was driving his car on his way to his office in the evening, was shot on the shoulder at checkpoint after another police man released the journalist’s car from the checkpoint. The Assailant opened fire on him in his car and one of the targeted bullets hit his shoulder where other bullets penetrated the car’s body and shattered the car’s glasses. He was immediately rushed to privately owned hospital in Galkayo. According to doctors, his situation is stable and the bullet went through his left shoulder.

The motive behind this targeted attack remains unclear, but journalist was a target for the police and the Government’s high profile members including the vice president of Puntland administration, the deputy minister of information and the police commanders.

The second journalist was wounded in less then 24 hours. Abdirahman
Warsame, corerspednt of Xinhua news agency was today (18 November 2009)
shot at left shoulder while he was standing before Banadir Hospital in Madina district of Mogadishu city. Abdirahman told NUSOJ that he doesn’t know who shot him and which armed group was he allied, as there was a fighting between government forces with African union troops against insurgents today in the area.

“I am in good health, only I am suffering from pain of the bullet which is
still in my shoulder” said Abdirahman Warsame who spoke to NUSOJ.

Mr Isak reportedly received threats from the commander of Mudug Region Police Division Colonel Muse Ahmed Abdirahman who yesterday attended without invitation a meeting by the journalists in Galkayo city. The commander said that they are following what journalist Mohamed Yasin Isak is doing in recent days. "We know what you are disseminating these days through media" said the commander attacking the journalist. The journalists were discussing in their meeting the souring attacks and pressures from regional administration of Mudug region of Puntland after the journalists were mistreated by the police officers and some of the officers of the regional administration at meeting on regional security,
which was convened by Governor and deputy Governor. When journalists came
at this meeting venue at Police Division Headquarters in Galkayo some police officers started beating the journalists with the bats of AK47 and some regional officers including the regional finance secretary insulted the journalists calling them "rubbish" and “useless”.

In the evening of 25 August 2009 Journalist Mohamed Yasin Issak and his
colleague journalist Abdullahi Hersi Adde were briefly arrested by the police in Galkayo. The order to arrest the journalist was issued by the deputy commander of Puntland Police. The police said journalist Mohamed was accused of sending provocative report to his V.O.A Somali section but the police did not justify their arrest of the other journalist. The two journalists were released few hours later in the same evening.

“While we wish full recovery for Mohamed Yasin and Abdirahman Warsame, we
categorically denounce these horrendous crimes against media professionals
and the continued bloody violence against journalists. The wounding of
two colleagues demonstrate the enormous danger against journalist with
which complete impunity is continuously committed”, said Omar Faruk Osman,
NUSOJ Secretary General.

For further information, contact:
Burhan Ahmed Dahir, NUSOJ Puntland Coordinator
Email: burhaandaahir@gmail.com
Mobile: +2525 75 19 75
Mohamed Ibrahim Isak, NUSOJ Press Freedom Coordinator
Email: mohamed.ibrahim@nusoj.org
Mobile: +252-1- 5 88 99 30

***17.11.09. UN REPORT CONDEMNS TRIAL IN DR CONGO MILITARY COURT OVER KILLING OF JOURNALIST
New York, Nov 17 2009 2:10PM
A United Nations report released today criticizes the judicial process in a Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) military court in connection with the trial of a murdered Congolese journalist, including the alleged bribery of the presiding judges.

The report concluded that the judicial process was “interspersed with several irregularities suggesting that the judiciary authorities lack the will to establish the truth” behind the June 2007 killing of Serge Maheshe, who was working for UN-sponsored Radio Okapi.

Mr. Maheshe was shot dead while entering a UN-marked vehicle in Bukavu, the capital of volatile eastern province of South Kivu. In August 2007 four civilians were initially sentenced to death on the basis of confessions, which were subsequently retracted.

Military magistrates were accused at the time of obtaining the confessions
under duress, but no independent inquiry was carried out to investigate
these allegations.

The report stressed that “certain violations noticed in the Maheshe case
are frequently observed in other trials before military courts.”

The report on the trial – produced jointly by the UN mission in DRC (<"
http://monuc.unmissions.org/">MONUC) and the UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/">OHCHR) – noted
that the guarantees for a just and fair trial were not respected by the
South Kivu Military Court.

It spotlighted the court’s refusal to investigate other credible leads and motives likely to shed more light on the murder among the persistent inadequacies in the criminal inquiry.

In addition, the report underscored the absence of an independent and impartial inquiry into subornation charges brought against two military magistrates and a climate of intimidation and threats against the defence lawyers among the barriers to a fair process.

Echoing the report, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay urged the Government “to guarantee the protection of lawyers and human rights defenders, including journalists, to allow them to perform freely their duty, without risk of interference, discrimination, threat or reprisal.”

Ms. Pillay also called on the international community to help strengthen technical and logistical support to the Congolese judicial institutions and reinforce resources for all the members of the judiciary, civilian and military.

“We all must pursue, with the Congolese political and judiciary authorities, the independence and integrity of justice, the strict compliance with the principle of the right to a fair trial,” said Ms. Pillay, highlighting the need to adopt “a law for the protection of human rights defenders, including journalists, that complies with relevant international norms.”
Nov 17 2009 2:10PM 

***15.11.09. UN-BACKED MEDIA FORUM CALLS FOR CONCRETE ACTION ON MURDERS OF JOURNALISTS

New York, Nov 14 2009 12:10PM
Broadcasters attending the United Nations-backed fourth World Electronic Media Forum (WEMF 4) have called for sustained and concrete global action to address the murder of journalists in peacetime and in war.

"Most journalists are killed not in war zones but in their own countries as they try to shine the light of the truth into the darkest recesses of their societies," they said in a declaration adopted unanimously at the end of a two-day meeting in Mexico City.

More journalists have been killed in Mexico this year than in any other country in the Western hemisphere, many of them for reporting on drug trafficking and related corruption.

According to the International Press Institute (IPI), seven media professionals have been murdered in Mexico this year, the most recent being a journalist whose body was found earlier this month, as well as a radio presenter killed last month.

The murders were strongly condemned by the UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization UNESCO), which is tasked with defending press freedom, and which called on the relevant authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

The declaration adopted at the Forum put the onus on governments, which it
stated "are primarily responsible for the safety of all their citizens, including those in the news media. They have a responsibility to protect those citizens, pursue their killers and ensure freedom of expression."

During the Forum, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public
Information Kiyo Akasaka voiced the UN's concern for the safety of journalists worldwide, while stressing the need to ensure freedom of opinion and expression, and the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

"Your continued vigilance in this area -- and the safeguarding of this human right -- is essential to the future and expansion of an information-based society," he
stated.

Like its three predecessors -- in Geneva (2003), Tunis (2005) and Kuala Lumpur (2007) -- WEMF 4 was organized by the world's eight regional broadcasting unions.

Apart from the safety of media professionals, the meeting also addressed the relation between broadband and broadcasting, electronic journalism and citizen reporters, and the value of archives and the cost of preserving them.

***11.11.09. PAKISTAN: JOURNALISTS TARGETED BY INSURGENTS AND DRACONIAN STATE CENSORSHIP

As the Pakistani state combats different insurgent groups, increased violence this year has led to a crackdown on media. Some radio stations have been ordered to not broadcast BBC Urdu-language programs and parliament is ratifying severe regulations to control how the conflict is covered, report the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) and other IFEX members. Journalists are also caught between the military and extremists as they struggle to practice their profession.

On 29 October, changes were made to the Pakistan Electronic Media
Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) law, introducing clauses that ban the broadcast of statements from militants, live footage of a suicide bomber or terrorist attack, as well as news that is counter to the ideology of Pakistan and state sovereignty. Broadcasts are also banned that defame or ridicule the head of state, armed forces, or the executive, legislative or judicial branches of the state, report IFEX members. PPF reports that lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition supported the amendments.

The government is combating extremists in many parts of the country under
their control, but introducing a system of censorship will only obstruct
plural voices and media development. "It's unacceptable for a democratic,
civilian-led government to propose legislation that is essentially censorship," said Freedom House.

At the same time, PEMRA told 15 FM radio stations to stop broadcasting BBC
news bulletins because of technicalities over the terms of their licenses,
reports PPF, calling this international ban a "serious breach of freedom of
expression."

Meanwhile, in Quetta, Baluchistan, a respected newspaper "Asaap" was shut
down by a paramilitary group in August. There has been no reaction from the
government, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

A recent situation report by the International Federation of Journalists' (IFJ) Asia-Pacific branch describes Pakistani journalists under threat from separatist groups, nationalist forces, political parties and paramilitary actors. The report focuses on the media environment in Balochistan, where journalists struggle with low wages, lack of training and resources, as well as frequent threats and violence with no protection offered by employers. Those who try to practice journalism in this tense environment tend to practise self-censorship. Some journalists must work for more than one media outlet to earn an income, says IFJ. In fact, one journalist told
IFJ that he works for 11 media outlets. Others become journalists because
they can find no other work; they only wish to acquire a press card to take
bribes for stories, undermining the profession.

Local journalists, who work with international organisations like BBC, Reuters, and others, enjoy a better working environment but face threats from separatist groups who feel they have a right to international media space to air their views, says the report.

When it comes to security concerns, journalists are cautious not to offend
any of the armed groups, says IFJ. But journalist Chisti Mujahid was murdered in February 2008 for writing about a chief of Balochistan's powerful Murree tribe who had been killed and buried in neighbouring Afghanistan.

"The Baloch nationalists often dictate to us that their reports should be
published in such and such a manner," Razaur Rahman, editor of the "Daily
Express", told IFJ. Journalists have been shot at, bombed, beaten and detained. Because of their writing, some have had their equipment seized; others have been told to leave Balochistan or be killed.

Despite tensions in Balochistan, Pakistan's media environment has flourished in recent years with the expansion of television and radio, providing live domestic and international news coverage, commentary, and call-in talk shows, giving diverse and critical viewpoints, says Freedom House. But the recent clampdown on independent media is a serious setback, and restricting press freedom during periods of unrest is a disservice to the Pakistani people.

***10.11.09. IFJ Endorses Joint Russian and Georgian Demand to End Media Restrictions

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today endorsed a joint declaration by the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) and the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists (IAGJ) that demands an end to all restrictions to reporting of the Georgian/ Russian conflict. They call for an end to war propaganda and concrete actions to promote dialogue and confidence between Russian and Georgian journalists.
"This joint declaration is a major step towards ending the unjustified and
enduring restrictions on journalists," said Aidan white, IFJ General Secretary. "In the face of government obstruction, the professional journalists' communities are leading the demands for mutual respect for their rights."
Since the conflict of summer 2008, Georgian journalists have been prevented from accessing the conflict zones of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, while Russian journalists are denied access to the rest of Georgia. Meanwhile both governments continue to block the transmissions of media from either country.
The declaration calls on both governments to respect their obligations under UN security Council Resolution 1738, that obliges governments to protect journalists in conflict zones. Both unions also demand an independent review of the misuse of media to promoting war propaganda and hate speech.
The IFJ says that the long term resolution of the conflict and reconciliation between communities in the region can only be achieved when journalists are allowed to report independently, honestly and free of all restrictions.
"I welcome the readiness of our Russian colleagues to develop these crucial joint mechanisms to help journalists from Georgia, Russia and other countries report freely," said Zviad Pochkhua, President of the IAGJ, "Society inside and outside of militarized regions need to receive information free of state propaganda as part of the resolution of the conflict."
"The Russian Union of Journalists has frequently expressed concerns about
the media coverage of the Russian Georgia conflict in August 2008. Now we
have a serious partner for dialogue in Georgia in the Independent
Association of Georgian Journalists and we believe that our co-operation
will be useful for developing of mutual understanding between our people
as a whole and our journalists in particular," added Mikhail Fedotov,
Secretary of the Russian Union of Journalists.
The IFJ, RUJ and IAGJ call for the urgent organizing of a meeting between
professional journalists on both sides to examine the obstacles and challenges in greater depth that can map out a concrete plan to build dialogue and long term confidence between professional journalists.
The declaration emerged from a meeting of IFJ affiliates from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus in Berlin to discuss the progress of journalism since the fall of the Berlin wall and ongoing obstacles to professional journalism in the region. Participants highlighted the poverty conditions and lack of minimum working rights under which journalists are forced to work, the levels of corruption in the media that force journalists to produce stories to order, increasing government interference and control, the on-going scandal of impunity for the killers of journalists, and the twin impact of the financial crisis and media restructuring that is undermining the economic model of journalist across the globe.

***06.11.09. Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) - Israeli violatiOns Against journalists were esclated specialy in jerusalem during last month

There have been disturbing violations of media freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territories during October 2009. The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitored many of the Israeli violations against journalists, especially incidents in Jerusalem and Hebron committed by Israeli occupation forces. These included attacks on: Alquds Net reporter and photographer Dyala Jwayhan, Palestinian News Network (PNN) correspondent Mays Abu-Ghazaleh, and AP photographer Mahfouz Abu Turk as well as attacks on photographer Abdul Hafiz and Najeh Hashlamoun and the arrest of journalist Iyad Srour in Hebron.

In addition, Israeli occupation forces disguised themselves as photojournalists in Ras Alamoud, and the crew of Aljazeera was prevented from entering Jerusalem.

On the Palestinian side, the Palestinian police attacked AlQuds TV correspondent Ayman Salameh in Khanyounis city, the Palestinian intelligence services arrested journalist Sedki Mousa in Nablus city, some of Palestinian people assaulted the journalists Fayez and Bassam Abu-Oun in Gaza city, and Palestinian youth hurled a stone at photographer Atta E'ouisat in Jerusalem city. 

 MADA also expressed concern of a renewed campaign of incitement against al-Jazeera TV against the backdrop of Palestinians applaud (Kan Mawtini). These negative campaigns against the news agencies may lead to attacks on the press offices and crews, as happened more than once in the past. 
 
MADA expresses its strong condemnation of attacks on journalists, particularly by the Israeli occupying forces. These attacks are a blatant violation of freedom of expression guaranteed in international laws and conventions, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. MADA demands the international community to pressure Israel to stop its attacks on journalists.

The OPT ranked very low rank in the rankings of press freedom in 2009 (161 out of 175), according to a report recently published by Reporters without Borders.  This low rank is a serious and worrying indication of the reality of media freedoms in Palestine. Thought the rank is slightly better than last year (ranked 163 out of 173), it still represents limited press freedoms due to frequent and serious attacks on journalists and media outlets by Israeli occupation forces and the Palestinian security apparatuses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Details of violations

(3 Oct.) – “Falestinue 48” news website photographer Abdullah Fathi Zidan, was attacked by Israeli occupation forces in Jerusalem. Zidan said that he was beaten on the face by Israeli occupation forces when he was filming in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Zidan added: "At about ten o'clock in the morning the Israeli occupation forces began the attack on the protestors in the Aqsa Mosque, some of them fled, and the rest stayed with Sheikh Kamal Khatib. During the attack, one of the soldiers hit me on my face causing bleeding and swelling." 

 (8 Oct.) - Aljazeera TV crew (correspondent Walid al-Omari, cameraman Majid Al-Safadi, and assistant cameraman Abdel Nasser Deirat) were prevented from entering Jerusalem at a checkpoint in north of Jerusalem. According to al-Omari, who is also director of Aljazeera's bureau in Jerusalem, the occupation soldiers on the checkpoint near Hizma village stopped the crew and took their identities and prevented the cameraman from filming.  AL-Omari added: "We thought that they prevented all Palestinians and the Arab and foreign journalists from entering Jerusalem, and then we noticed that they allowed everyone to pass except us. The crew of Aljazeera was heading to Jerusalem to cover the events in Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was surrounded by Israeli occupation forces worshipers were prevented from entering.

(9 Oct.) - The occupation forces disguised as photojournalists in Ras al-Amoud in Jerusalem, The chairman of the Palestinian Journalists Committee, photographer Awad Awad, said that a group of citizens confirmed the involvement of a number of “musta’rbeen”(Israeli security forces unit usually dressed like Arabs) in the middle of the Palestinian demonstrators who were protesting against the Israeli practices against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday and Friday (8-9/10), and that they dressed as uniformed photojournalists and have cameras and arrested a number of young people.

(10 Oct.) – “Al Ayyam” newspaper reporter Faiz Shukri Abu Aoun (49) and the Executive Director of the Radio “Sawt Al Sha’b” Bassam Abu Oun (47) were attacked by group of people during their coverage of a sit-in near Al-Aqsa University in Gaza. They were protesting because the municipality demolished their stores. This is what transpired, according to Fayez Abu-Oun: "We has heard about a sit-in protest and when we went to the area to cover the event, a number of citizens told me that the police arrested three of their children, so I registered the feedback on my notebook. Then one of the people there tried to take my notebook I refused to give it to him and I went to the car. He followed me there and tried again to take it by force, but I refused so he hit me on the right side of my head. A large number of people gathered –there were about twenty, and six of them participated in the attack on us and on the car. After the attack we went to the Shifa Hospital for treatment, and then we went to the police station to report them, and we saw the main aggressor complain to the police, alleging that we were writing reports and sending them to “Fatah “in the West bank. Fortunately I have had contacts with a number of journalists’ colleagues, who confirmed that am an independent journalist and worked for the last 18 years in the press, so the police arrested the assailant.”

(10 Oct.) – Al Quads TV correspondent Ayman Mohamad Salameh (35years) was attacked by Palestinian police in Gaza. Salameh said that there was a problem between some citizens and police so I Went to investigate the matter to tell Al Quds TV if they want to cover the event, but the police officer prevented him from entering the area.  Salameh added: “then I told him that I’m a journalist, so He aimed his weapon at me and a verbal argument sparked between us. another policeman, without knowing why we argue, he beat me with his blackjack despite that I told him that I am a journalist and the TV I work with, then a number of citizens took me to the hospital where I have suffered from bruises on my left hand and my left leg, after that I went to the police station and filed a complaint against the policeman whom hit me, so the police arrested him and released me after two days.

(15 Oct.) - Jaffa office director Iyad Sha’ban Srour (36years) was arrested by the Israeli occupying forces in Hebron. His mother said that the Israeli occupation forces knocked at their door at about 1:30 am and asked everybody to leave the house,” we asked Iyad to wake up because he was sleeping, when he was out they arrested and cuffed him, and he was taken away to unknown place, later we heard that he was transferred to Ofer detention camp near Ramallah”. Srour was arrested by Palestinian Intelligence on 14october 2008 and was released on the ninth of last September.

(21 Oct.) – The freelance journalist Sidqi Mohammed Salameh (25 years) was arrested by Palestinian intelligence in Nablus.  Salameh’s father said that Palestinian intelligence called him as part of an investigation throughout the four days preceding his arrest.  On 21 October he went to the interview and was arrested that day. Sidqi had returned from Jordan lately, after he finishing the preparation of a master degree in the media.

(25 Oct.) – Alquds Net news website correspondent and photographer Dyala Jwayhan was attacked by Israeli police in Jerusalem. Jwayhan reported that members of the police assaulted and beat her after she took a picture of an Israeli police officer assaulting an elderly man. So one of them beat her, pressed his leg on her foot strongly, and ripped her T-shirt. Jwayhan added: "There was a group of women who tried to protect me, but the Israeli police started to shout, saying they would get out of the mosque only if I was arrested. After that the women called the ambulance, and when the ambulance came the police left. They took me to hospital in Jerusalem, and the doctor diagnosed my case, saying that I was suffering from severe bruises in the neck and back and a torn muscle in my foot”.
 
(25 Oct.)- Palestinian News Network correspondent (PNN), Mays Abu-Ghazaleh, was assaulted by Israeli police in Jerusalem as she tried to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque. According to Abu-Ghazaleh, one of the soldiers closed the metal barrier on her right leg resulting in a slight injury, bruises, and swelling. Mays added that the soldier tried several times to close the barrier on her body but she was got away at the right moment, but the last time when she was turning back, the police quickly closed the barrier on her leg, and he said to her in a bad tone: " Watch out. " Abu-Gazalah also said that she saw a member of the foreign press was beaten and some of her teeth were broken, but she could not identify her.

(25 Oct.)- AP photographer Mahfouz Mohammed Abu Turk (60 years) was attacked by Israeli special guards in Jerusalem; Abu Turk said that he was beaten severely by special guards before the noon prayer when he was in the old city. The guard pushed him into a corner and beat him with batons, feet and hands, but some Palestinian youth came and dragged him from the corner and gave him assistance. The attack caused him severe pain in the left foot and right knee and bruises in the back.

(25 Oct.)- “Yediot Aharonot” newspaper photographer Atta E’oissat was injured by a stone in Jerusalem. E’oissat said that he was wounded in his left leg by a stone thrown at him by Palestinian youth, as he tried to convince a number of young men that the foreign journalists who were accompanying him were not soldiers disguised as journalists. This followed the incident where Israeli occupation forces had disguised themselves as photojournalists in the neighborhood of Ras al-Amoud on (8-9 October).

(28 Oct.)) A for the European Agency (EPA) photographer, Abdel-Hafiz Hashlamoun, was assaulted by the Israeli occupying forces in Hebron. Hashlamoun reported that one of the Israeli soldiers beat him with the gun on his waist, and kicked his feet when he was filming the soldiers shoveling the Palestinians farms in the east of Hebron. He sustained injuries including bruises and scratches on his body and severe pain in his waist.

(28 Oct.) (ABA) agency photographer Najeh Hashlamoun was attacked by Israeli soldiers in Hebron. Hashlamoun reported that the Israeli Civil Administration workers hit him with his camera in his face when he was photographing them when they were destroying irrigation pipes to Palestinian farmers in the east of Hebron. The blows caused bleeding in his mouth. Hashlamoun added that the workers also tried to attack Reuter’s photographer Nayef Hashlamoun, but the Palestinian farmers protected him.
Contact: Riham Abu Aita
Public Relation Office               
Ramallah
info@madacenter.org
madapalestine@yahoo.com
www.madacenter.org
 

***05.11.09. PAKISTAN. TOP NEWS MANAGERS AGREE ON TV COVERAGE GUIDELINES

ISLAMABAD - Top news managers from Pakistan’s eight television channels
have evolved a first-of-its-kind voluntary framework to standardize
professional guidelines governing terrorism coverage.

Representatives of KTN, Samaa, DawnNews, Dunya, Express News & Express
24/7, ARY, Geo and Aaj television met in Karachi this weekend to
successfully conclude a two-week long internal debate on how best to
respond to viewer feedback on reporting incidents where large scale loss
of human life has occurred. The group, comprising key news decision-makers
in their respective organisations, recognized that the public’s abiding
trust in the media placed a heavy responsibility on news-managers to
further improve the quality of news product.

Applying their collective experience and judgment, they agreed on
harmonizing existing professional methods to perform the task of honest
reporting in these times of extreme crisis and national danger.

Members of the group, a voluntary gathering open to all, agreed among
themselves that formalization of policies on reporting and news gathering
in terrorism-related cases was needed.

The areas where the agreement was reached pertained to field and live
reporting, viewer exposure to extreme and disturbing visuals, dead bodies,
badly injured people, accounts of the emotionally-distraught as well as
eye-witnesses, and real-time decisions on releasing information during
war or in the case of hostage-situation.

The news managers decided that they will desist from showing graphic and
disturbing images on the screen, and as and when required, utilize a delay
mechanism in their transmissions. This will enable the channels to edit
out undesirable footage. The news managers also developed a consensus on
putting greater efforts to check information before flashing breaking news
about bomb blasts etc.

The news managers also agreed to exercise extreme caution when covering
incidents involving hostages. They decided that in such situations they
will take all steps necessary to ensure that information being relayed
through the channels does not, in any way, help the hostage-takers.

Better training for camera crew, safety orientation of reporters were
other areas where the group agreed to implement swift measures in line
with the potential and constraints of each channel. They also agreed to
introduce strict safety measures for their crews covering disaster
situations.

They also requested all TV channels to cooperate with them in following
these voluntary guidelines, and welcomed suggestions to further improve
their coverage.

The news managers agreed among themselves that more discussions of this
sort with their colleagues from other channels were required to further
elaborate this framework. Through such discussions, Pakistan’s news
channels would be able to honour the faith hundreds of millions of viewers
have reposed in them, and who look up the Pakistani media as the most
trustworthy institution central to the struggle for a better, prosperous,
democratic and secure Pakistan.

The news managers reiterated that these voluntary guidelines drafted by
them would further enhance the professionalism of Pakistani channels. They
resolved to implement these decisions to the best of their abilities. The
Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) has already given its voluntary
Code of Conduct on coverage of terrorism to the government. Now since the
news managers have also agreed to voluntarily follow their own set of
guidelines, they called upon the government to desist from imposing any
guidelines formulated by official functionaries, as such guidelines would
be seen as restrictions that would run counter to the spirit of freedom of
expression. They also called upon the government and the military to stop
pulling channels off-air as such moves are counter-productive.

The top news managers also decided to hold such meetings on a regular
basis with the aim to review such matters, and improve and revise these
guidelines if and when the need is felt.

The news managers who formulated these guidelines included the following:
Azhar Abbas (Managing Director, Geo News); Syed Talat Hussain (Executive
Director Aaj News); Abbas Nasir (Editor, DawnNews & Dawn); Ali Qazi (CEO,
KTN); Tariq Wasi (Head of Operations, ARY Digital Network); Mohsin Raza
(Director News ARY News); Fahd Husain (Director News, Express News &
Express 24/7); Owais Tohid (Director News, Dunya TV); Nasim Zehra
(Director Current Affairs, Dunya TV); Amir Zia (Director Current Affairs,
Samaa TV)

***30.10.09. PAKISTAN. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) is very concerned by the ban on media. Information is crucial for the
respect of international humanitarian law in a conflict zone. Pakistan is the second most dangerous place for journalists around the world. See below the latest information of our correspondent in Pakistan. 

URGENT - Standing Committee of National Assembly on Information headed by the
ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), MNA Ms Beelum Hassnain on Thursday,
has recommended restrictions on media including ban on live coverage of
events, suggesting issuance of notices and sentences upto three years,
fined up to 10 milion. Its almost the revival of PEMRA amended Ordinance,
2007 imposed by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007
when he had imposed emergency in the country.
Under the recommendations, which government will now move in the form
of Bill in the NA, no channel will be allowed to broadcast footage of a
suicide bomber, bodies of victims of terrorism, any criticism on
President, defame the PM or the army. Anchors will not say anything which
can create confusion or hatred.
No ancherperson, moderator or host will propagate anything against
ideology of Pakistan or sovereignty or security of the country or anything
which can create law and order. They will not be allowed to say anything
against the judiciary or do a programme which defame or bring to ridicule
the head of the State, armed forces or the executive or legislative or
judicial organ of the State.
Surprisingly, all the political parties in the Parliament, who have
representation in the committee backed the recomendations. It was proposed
unanimously.
If enforced into a law, Its nothing but complete ban. The news has come at
a time when the country will observe November 3, 2007 as "Black Day."
against the impoisition of emergency in the country two years back and
against the ban on media.
Mazhar Abbas, Ex-Secretary General, PFUJ

***29.10.09. TUNISIE - Mise à exécution des menaces présidentielles à l'encontre de journalistes indépendants 

Paris-Genève-Copenhague, le 29 octobre 2009. L’Observatoire pour la
protection des défenseurs des droits de l’Homme, un programme conjoint de
la Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme (FIDH) et de
l’Organisation mondiale contre la torture (OMCT), et le Réseau euro-méditerranéen des droits de l’Homme (REMDH) expriment leur plus vive inquiétude suite aux actes de harcèlement à l’encontre des journalistes tunisiens MM. Taoufik Ben Brik, Slim Boukhdir et Mouldi Zouabi.

Ces trois journalistes se sont particulièrement mobilisés ces dernières semaines afin de dénoncer les pratiques et actes contraires aux normes internationales qui se sont multipliés dans le contexte électoral, et nos organisations craignent que les actes de répression dont ils sont l'objet fassent partie "des mesures" annoncées par le Président Ben Ali "contre quiconque émettra des accusations ou des doutes concernant l’intégrité de l’opération électorale, sans fournir de preuves concrètes". Le Président tunisien a par ailleurs stigmatisé, à la veille du scrutin du 25 octobre
2009, ceux qu’il avait qualifié de "minorité infime de Tunisiens qui dénigrent leur pays en s’appuyant sur des parties étrangères".

Ainsi, le 29 octobre 2009 vers 13h00, M. Taoufik Ben Brik, journaliste et membre fondateur du Conseil national pour les libertés en Tunisie (CNLT), a été écroué au centre de détention préventive de Bouchoucha, suite à sa convocation au commissariat un peu plus tôt dans la matinée. Il comparaîtra le 30 octobre devant un juge pour "agression". Cette accusation aurait été formulée sur la base d'une plainte déposée par une femme affirmant s'être faite agresser suite à un accrochage entre son véhicule et celui de M. Ben Brik. Selon les informations reçues, l'auteure de la plainte a en réalité embouti la voiture de M. Ben Brik le 22
octobre, avant de l'insulter, de le violenter et de lui déchirer ses vêtements, cherchant manifestement à le faire réagir. M. Ben Brik ne se serait quant à lui rendu à aucun moment responsable d'actes de violence.

Par ailleurs, le 28 octobre, M. Slim Boukhdir, journaliste et membre fondateur de l’association de défense des libertés “Liberté et équité”, a été victime d'un enlèvement devant chez lui par des inconnus en civil, qui lui ont bandé les yeux, l'ont forcé à monter à bord d'un véhicule puis l'ont conduit sur la colline du Belvédère (hauteurs de Tunis) où ils l'ont passé à tabac. M. Boukhdir, dépouillé de ses vêtements, de son portefeuille et de son téléphone, a été laissé sur les lieux, souffrant d'une fracture au nez et de plusieurs hématomes.

Le même jour, des inconnus ont tenté à trois reprises de forcer la porte du domicile de M. Moudi Zouabi, correspondant du journal panarabe basé à Londres Al Quds Al Arabi, du site Internet de la chaîne de télévision satellitaire Al-Arabiya. M. Zouabi a fait appel à la police qui s'est rendue sur les lieux, mais n'a rien constaté de préoccupant. M. Zouabi serait en outre suivi de très près par des policiers depuis plusieurs jours.

En outre, M. Zouhair Makhlouf, membre de l’association "Liberté et équité", membre dirigeant du Parti démocrate progressiste (PDP) et ancien candidat aux élections législatives du 25 octobre 2009, incarcéré depuis le 21 octobre 2009 à la prison de Mornaguia près de Tunis, comparaîtra devant le tribunal de première instance de Grombalia le 3 novembre 2009.

L'Observatoire et le REMDH dénoncent la poursuite des actes de harcèlement
extrêmement préoccupants à l'encontre des défenseurs des droits de l'Homme
tunisiens, et appellent la Délégation de la Commission européenne à Tunis
ainsi que les ambassades d'Etats-membres de l'Union européenne en Tunisie
à rendre visite à MM. Ben Brik et Makhlouf en détention, et à observer les
audiences à leur encontre, conformément aux Lignes directrices de l'UE
relatives aux défenseurs des droits de l'Homme.

Nos organisations appellent également la Délégation et les ambassades
mentionnées ci-dessus à faire un rapport public, et si possible conjoint, sur les violations des règles relatives à un procès équitable et sur tout autre sujet de préoccupation constatés lors des audiences.

L’Observatoire et le REMDH demandent par ailleurs aux autorités tunisiennes de :

· Garantir en toutes circonstances l’intégrité physique et psychologique de MM. Taoufik Ben Brik, Slim Boukhdir, Mouldi Zouabi et Zouhair Makhlouf, ainsi que de l’ensemble des défenseurs des droits de l'Homme tunisiens ;

· Procéder à la libération immédiate et inconditionnelle de MM. Taoufik Ben Brik et Zouhair Makhlouf, arbitrairement détenus ;

· Mener sans délai une enquête indépendante, impartiale et transparente sur les actes de harcèlement et de violence mentionnés ci-dessus, et en rendre les résultats publics, afin d’identifier les responsables, de les traduire devant un tribunal garantissant un procès équitable conformément aux principes de droit international ;

· Veiller à ce qu’un terme soit mis à toute forme de menaces et de harcèlement - y compris judiciaire - à l’encontre de MM. MM. Taoufik Ben Brik, Slim Boukhdir, Mouldi Zouabi et Zouhair Makhlouf, et de l'ensemble des défenseurs des droits de l’Homme tunisiens;

Plus généralement, nos organisations appellent la Tunisie à se conformer aux dispositions de la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’Homme et aux instruments régionaux et internationaux relatifs aux droits de l’Homme et particulièrement l’article 1 de la Déclaration sur les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme, adoptée par l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies le 9 décembre 1998, “chacun a le droit, individuellement ou en association avec d’autres, de promouvoir la protection et la réalisation des droits de l’Homme et des libertés fondamentales aux niveaux national et international”.

Pour plus d’information, merci de contacter :
• REMDH : Mathieu Routier +33 1 48 18 06 86
• OMCT : Delphine Reculeau : + 41 22 809 49 39
• FIDH : Gaël Grilhot / Karine Appy : + 33 1 43 55 25 18

***20.10.09. RSF INDEX HIGHLIGHTS ERITREA, NORTH KOREA AND TURKMENISTAN WORST PLACES FOR JOURNALISTS.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its latest press freedom index on
20 October, showing how European countries, Israel and Iran have all slid
in the rankings. The index ranks the degree of press freedom throughout the
world as well as efforts made by governments to protect journalists'
rights.

Although the first 13 places are held by European countries, many have
fallen in the index: "It is disturbing to see European democracies such as
France, Italy and Slovakia fall steadily in the rankings year after year,"
RSF said. "Europe should be setting an example as regards civil liberties..
How can you condemn human rights violations abroad if you do not behave
irreproachably at home? The Obama effect, which has enabled the United
States to recover 16 places in the index, is not enough to reassure us."

The United States now ranks at 20 because President Barack Obama is "less
hawkish" than his predecessor, says RSF. However, the U.S. also has an
additional ranking at 108 specifically for its extraterritorial actions.
Both the U.S. and Israel have rankings for their actions outside their own
countries.

Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has affected its ranking as
it dropped 47 places to 93, falling behind several other countries in the
region. Journalists have been illegally arrested and imprisoned. Israel
received a second ranking at 150 for its extraterritorial actions. Around
20 journalists were injured by the Israeli military forces in the Gaza
Strip and three were killed while covering the conflict.

The main threat in Europe comes from new legislation that compromises the
work of journalists, says RSF. In Slovakia (44) the culture minister wields
great influence over publications. In the Western world, Canada also
dropped a few spots to 19.

Scandinavia comes out on top. Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden
share first place as the five freest countries for the media.

In Iran, automatic prior censorship, state surveillance of journalists,
mistreatment, illegal arrests and imprisonment has now brought its ranking
close to the worst cluster of states for press freedom. It ranks 172,
followed by Turkmenistan (173), North Korea (174) and Eritrea (175). Burma
remains at the bottom, right behind Iran at 171. Laos, China and Vietnam
round out the cluster of Asian countries in the bottom ten.

In Sri Lanka (162), the state sentenced a journalist to 20 years in prison
while other journalists under threat are forced to flee the country, says
RSF. Pakistan came in at 159, "crippled" by murders of journalists caught
between the military and the insurgency. It shared a record with Somalia
for the world record of journalists killed during the RSF review period.

In Yemen (167) journalists continue to "pay for the government's
scorched-earth policies towards any form of separatism." A similar downward
trend has occurred in Syria (165). In Africa, violence takes the worst toll
in countries like Somalia (164) and Democratic Republic of Congo (146).

And in the Americas, Venezuela (124) is now among the region's worst press
freedom offenders, dropping down close to Colombia (126) and Mexico (tied
with Gambia at 137). Honduras comes in at 128 after the recent coup d'état.
Cuba, where RSF says "where press freedom is non-existent," holds a spot in
the bottom ten.

The index is drawn from a questionnaire completed by hundreds of
journalists and media experts around the world. Countries are given a
ranking and score based on press freedom violations from September 2008
through August 2009. It takes into consideration physical assault,
imprisonment and murder of journalists, as well as censorship, confiscation
of newspapers, harassment and the degree of impunity enjoyed by those
responsible for press freedom violations. It includes the measure of
self-censorship and the ability of media to investigate and challenge those
in power, among many more criteria.

Press Freedom Index 2009 (RSF): www.rsf.org/en-classement1003-2009.html

***10.10.09. Violations of media freedoms in the Palestinian territories continued during September 2009 (Mada)

Last September witnessed renewed violations of media freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territories, where Israeli occupation forces continued to target journalists who cover demonstrations against the construction of the separation wall and settlement expansion. Three journalists were wounded by shooting tear gas canisters and bullets. Those are the Reuters photographer Abd Al- Rahim Qousini, cameraman Hamouda A’mireh and the Israeli photographer David Reid.

In the Gaza Strip, security forces detained Maan Agency correspondent, Ibrahim Qanan, and its cameraman Mohammad Ghabayen, and prevented the editor in chief of Seyasat Magazine, Dr. Atef Abu Saif, from travel. In the West Bank, security forces arrested the former Al-Aqsa TV cameraman Osaid Amarneh.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) welcomes the release of journalists Iyad Srour on 9 Sep. and Osaid Amarneh on 16 Sep. from the Palestinian Authority's prisons and the release of Mohammad Al-Qiq on 6 Sep. from the Israeli prisons. MADA demands the cessation of violations against journalists, the release of the prisoners of them, and respect the right to freedom of opinion and expression guaranteed in the Palestinian basic law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Details of violations

(1 Sep.) - Ma'an News Agency correspondent in the Gaza Strip, Ibrahim Mohammad Qanan (36 years), its cameraman Mohammad Ghabayen and their car driver, were detained by the Palestinian internal security force in the city of Khan Younis in the northern Gaza Strip. Qanan said that they were preparing a report in that morning on the suffering of people whose houses have been demolished in Khan Younis Refugee Camp. During conducting an interview with one of the citizens in his house, a group of internal security raided the house and asked them to stop filming, confiscated the camera and their mobile phones, and then asked them to accompany them to their headquarters. One of their vehicles was moving before our car and another vehicle following it. They interrogated us about the party for which we work and if we whether we prepare the report for the benefit of “Palestine Public TV”. They said that they work with Maan Agency and they have nothing to do with Palestine TV. Three hours later, they were released and returned them the camera and mobile phones. The Interior Ministry had banned the work of the official Palestine Public TV work in the Gaza Strip on March 4, 2008, and the Government of Dr. Salam Fayyad in Ramallah has banned the work of Al-Aqsa TV of Hamas in the West Bank on 16 September 2007.

(4 Sep.) Freelance cameraman Hamouda Saed A’mireh (29 years) and the Israeli photographer David Reed were injured by the Israeli occupation forces in the village of Ni'lin, west of Ramallah. Hamouda said that he was covering the weekly march against the Apartheid Wall in Ni'lin, with a number of photojournalists. After the march, clashes have occurred between some young men and the occupation soldiers in the village where eight military vehicles gathered, and suddenly one of the soldiers fired a volley of live bullets towards him, wounding by bullet shrapnel in his right foot. Reid, who was standing next to him, was also wounded by shrapnels in his right leg. Hamouda emphasized that the soldier was targeted them directly because "he saw us clearly and the distance between us was less than a hundred meters". Amireh is also working as a cameraman for the Popular Committee against the Wall in Ni'lin.

(4 Sep.) – Former Al-Aqsa TV cameraman, Osaid Amarneh, (24years) was arrested by the Palestinian intelligence force in Bethlehem. Amarneh said that he received a call at about 10:00 pm from the headquarters of the force and they asked him to come to headquarters for a short time. When he arrived, he was questioned whether he returned to work with the Al-Aqsa TV and he was also asked about the work of some correspondents of Al-Aqsa TV in the West Bank. The interrogation continued until about one o'clock in the morning, and then they told him that they will release him the same day, but he remained detained until 16 Sep. Amarneh was arrested several times by Palestinian security forces and he was forced to sign a pledge not to work with Al-Aqsa TV.

(8 Sep.) - Ma'an News Agency correspondent in the Gaza Strip, Ibrahim Mohamad Qanan, and its cameraman, Mohammad Ghabayen, were detained by the Palestinian internal security force. Qanan said that they were preparing a television report about Khan Yunis refugee camp (Gaza strip) and the services provided by UNRWA to the population of the camp, when a vehicle of internal security stopped near them, and its members questioned him about the party to which he works and whether he works for “Palestine Public TV”, and he will be harmed if he works with it.

(14 Sep.) – Periodic Seyasat Magazine editor in chief, Dr. Atef Abu Saif, was prevented from traveling by Palestinian security forces in the Gaza Strip. Abu Saif said that he went to the Rafah crossing; however, the internal security force told him that he is forbidden to travel. He repeated trying for the next two days, but he again faced prevention. The security forces have also prevented him from traveling through the Erez crossing on 12August. He confirmed that his prevention from traveling was because of the political comment he made for Palestine Television which raised the ire of the Internal Security Force. This was evident when they spoke to him on the subject and told him that this will probably negatively affect him. Abu Seif, who wrote four novels and short stories and works as a lecturer in political science at Al Azhar University intended to travel to Britain and the United States on a tour of literary and academic purposes.

  (25 Sep.) – Reuter’s photographer Abd Al-Rahim Omar Qousini (36 years) was injured by gas canisters fired by Israeli occupation soldiers in Iraq Burin village near the city of Nablus (West Bank). Qousini said that he was covering an anti-settlement march in the village with a group of photojournalists (Chinese agency photographer Ayman Noubani, the Associated Press cameraman Aref Toffaha and Reuter’s cameraman Ashraf Abu Shawish), when the Occupation soldiers fired tear gas canisters against the demonstrators, and suddenly the soldiers turned towards them where were standing about fifteen meters distant to their side and they asked them to leave the area, but they refused and they have fired three tear gas canisters at them . “Although I put on an anti-gas mask, I felt I was unable to breathe due to the density of gas. I took off the mask and ran away, but I fell on a stone wall and I was faint for half an hour”. The ambulance crew in the location provided first aid for him and he returned to his normal situation after about an hour.

Contact:
Mousa Rimawi
MADA coordinator
Ramallah
info@madacenter.org/ madapalestine@yahoo.com
www.madacenter.org

***06.10.09. Human Rights Council Adoption of Freedom of Expression Resolution - (US press release)

U.S. Department of State
October 6, 2009
"The governments of the United States and the Arab Republic of Egypt take this opportunity to underscore the constructive partnership between our two nations in sponsoring the landmark resolution on the freedom of expression passed October 2 by the UN Human Rights Council. The United States and Egypt further note that this important resolution, the first of its kind in many years, enjoyed the co-sponsorship of 49 nations from around the world.
The resolution, through which consensus was restored in the Human Rights
Council on an issue marred by controversy in recent years, is a reflection of an open and genuine dialogue on freedom of expression. It unequivocally supports free speech and recognizes the central role open debate plays in combating racism, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance.

In adopting this resolution, the Human Rights Council gives clear voice to
a shared international understanding of the responsibilities of governments to condemn and address hate speech and to promote respect and tolerance."

02 October 2009 United States Working to Bridge Gaps in U.N. Human Rights Council

  Assistant Secretary Brimmer says it is important for the United States to be part of the council charged with defending human rights.

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — The first session of U.S. participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council has been “a terrific learning experience,” and although the United States will not always agree with the body’s opinion, “it’s important that we’re in there defending the values we hold dear,” says Esther Brimmer, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs.

Speaking at the State Department October 2, Brimmer highlighted a resolution the United States co-sponsored with Egypt that affirms “the fundamental universal values of freedom of speech, opinion, expression and freedom of the media.”

The measure addresses free speech interference practiced against journalists, writers, Internet users and human rights activists and “confirms the central role of free speech, open debate and the battle of ideas in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance,” she said.

In co-sponsoring the resolution, the Obama administration “thought it was important to bridge gaps that have appeared in the past in the Human Rights Council, and to bring together Western states, [Organization of the Islamic Conference] member states, and to transcend previous gaps here,” she said.  (See “U.S. Emphasizes Freedom of Expression at Human Rights Council.”)

The resolution is significant for setting the norms by which all countries are judged on free speech issues, and Brimmer said the Human Rights Council is also implementing a mechanism known as the Universal Periodic Review that requires all U.N. member states to regularly discuss their human rights records.

Along with reinforcing human rights standards, the resolution and the periodic review will provide support to human rights defenders who can use those standards to “support the human rights they’re trying to claim at home.”

The council’s three week-session, which concluded October 2, also discussed human rights in Burundi and Cambodia, and strengthened the mandate of the U.N.’s independent expert on Somalia.  It also adopted a U.S. co-sponsored resolution on judicial independence and passed other measures including resolutions on HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty, Brimmer said.

The United States often has been critical of the Human Rights Council, describing it as a “flawed” institution that spends a disproportionate amount of its time condemning Israel.  (See “Obama Administration Seeks Greater Involvement with U.N.”)

The Obama administration did not agree with all of the council’s actions, but “that was not our expectation,” Brimmer said.  “We have, however, launched an effort to build new partnerships and strengthen dialogue to transcend some of the common impediments to multilateral effectiveness,” she added.

“It's important that we're in there defending the values we hold dear. That's why we wanted to rejoin the council. We wanted to be part of making the case of why human rights are important, [to] be the ones who are standing up for universality and standing with those who share those values, and we have to be in the body in order to do that,” she said.

Asked about the Goldstone report which reported on alleged Israeli and Palestinian human rights violations during the December 2008-January 2009 violence in Gaza, the assistant secretary said the United States has “serious concerns about the report’s unbalanced focus on Israel, its sweeping factual and legal conclusions, and many of its recommendations.”

However, the report contains “serious allegations” concerning violations of international human rights and humanitarian law which “need follow-up.”  Both sides are encouraged to undertake domestic investigations by the report and “look at their responsibilities in that regard,” she said.

Brimmer also said the United States appreciates the U.N.’s decision to defer consideration of the report for an additional six months.

What foreign affairs decisions should President Obama consider? Comment on America.gov’s blog Obama Today.

***02.10.09. United Nations: ARTICLE 19 Cautiously Welcomes New Resolution on Freedom of Expression

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the Resolution on the Right to Freedom of Expression
adopted by consensus today at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). We regret
however that ARTICLE 19’s recommendations to strengthen the protection of
freedom of expression were not incorporated in the final text.

“The adoption of the Resolution by consensus is a breakthrough. Especially
so given the tensions and conflicts that have accompanied recent
discussions on freedom of expression within the Human Rights Council and
its predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights” comments Dr Agnes
Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director.

The Resolution insists on the importance of freedom of expression,
dialogues and debates, and the role of the media in combating racism,
xenophobia and related intolerance. It includes specific paragraphs on the
media and armed conflicts, and protection of journalists. Most
importantly, the draft resolution omits reference to defamation of
religion, a concept against which human rights activists had virulently
campaigned.

Unfortunately however, the Resolution makes reference to “religious
stereotyping”, a vague and difficult concept which suggests that
religions, religious ideas and religious symbols (rather than believers)
may be protected by international human rights law.

The Resolution also makes specific reference to another resolution against
which human rights advocates around the world have advocated: HRC
Resolution 7/36, which unnecessarily diluted the mandate of the UN Special
Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression.

“Unfortunately, the resolution does contain two viruses. It will be
incumbent upon member states of the HRC and civil society to ensure that
these viruses are not allowed to flourish, multiply and gangrene the text
and commitments. Instead, they shall be contained, by and through
international human rights standards and principles, so that the
resolution can best function and offer the maximum protection to freedom
of expression,” continues Dr Callamard.

***25.09.09. FELATRACS INDIGNADA POR CRÍMENES DE PERIODISTAS EN COLOMBIA Y MÉXICO

La Federación Latinoamericana de los Trabajadores de la Comunicación Social (FELATRACS), expresa su profunda indignación y repudio ante el cobarde asesinato de Diego Rojas Velásquez, reportero y camarógrafo colombiano de la cadena Supía TV, así como, de Norberto Miranda Madrid, más conocido como “El Gallito”, locutor y columnista mexicano de la estación local Radio Visión.

Rojas Velásquez, de 52 años de edad, fue cruelmente acribillado la noche el martes 22 de setiembre, a las 18:30 horas, en el municipio de aramanta, en Antioquía, departamento colombiano de Caldas, tras recibir na llamada telefónica que le informaba de una noticia de última hora. El reportero al trasladarse al lugar, fue abordado por desconocidos, quienes e dispararon cuatro tiros que acabaron con su vida.

El periodista radiofónico, Miranda Madrid, quien, además, publicaba en internet su columna ‘Cotorreando con el Gallito’, fue asesinado la noche del miércoles 23 de setiembre, a las 23:00 horas, en Casas Grandes, estado de Chihuahua. Tres sujetos encapuchados ingresaron violentamente a las oficinas de Radio Visión y dispararon al comunicador en presencia de sus compañeros. Miranda, había lanzado duras críticas por la ola de violencia que asola al estado de Chihuahua, donde se ubica la fronteriza Ciudad Juárez, considerada la zona más violenta del país.

La FELATRACS, en su férrea defensa y promoción de los derechos y libertades de los trabajadores de la comunicación social, ante estos nuevos crímenes, exige a las autoridades policiales y del Ministerio Público en Colombia y México, acciones inmediatas en la investigación para la claridad del móvil de los asesinatos, así como, para la identificación plena de los autores materiales y, de ser el caso, intelectuales, a fin de que sean procesados y sancionados conforme a ley.

La FELATRACS, rechaza, además, el nivel de impunidad existente en Colombia
y México, pues, muchos de los asesinatos de periodistas (8 en México y 5 en Colombia, en lo que va del año) ocurridos en estos escenarios de alta peligrosidad para el ejercicio del periodismo, aún no han sido esclarecidos, mucho menos, están penados los culpables. La FELATRACS, demanda por tanto, que la impunidad no continué siendo escudo del crimen organizado, grupos armados y paramilitares, y de miembros de la función pública, quienes han hecho del cobarde ataque y la amenaza, su medio más eficaz para silenciar e intentar intimidar a los periodistas.

Estas son circunstancias difíciles para la familia periodística en la región, mayor dolor el de los deudos, a quienes les expresamos nuestras sentidas condolencias. Y queremos recordarles a las autoridades y a la colectividad en su conjunto que cuando se calla a un periodista, lo que se silencia es el derecho de los pueblos a estar informados.

***18.09.09. DR CONGO: UN DEPLORES DEATH THREATS AGAINST JOURNALISTS 

New York, Sep 17 2009 1:10PM
The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today denounced death threats against three journalists operating in the war-scarred country, warning that a free, diversified press is a prerequisite to the development of democracy.

“Death threats on journalists is an indication of a culture of impunity and intolerance likely to hamper efforts by the Congolese people toward a sustainable peace and sound democracy in their country,” the mission, known as MONUC, said in a statement, noting that three other reporters have already been murdered in the past two years.

“Ending impunity is the responsibility of the legitimate Government officials in place - nobody else. It is their duty and they are accountable before their people who have the legitimate right to demand access to reliable information which can only be made available by professional and responsible media.”

The three threatened journalists, all women - Delphie Namuto and Caddy
Adzouba of Radio Okapi, a partnership between MONUC and the Swiss
non-governmental Hirondelle Foundation, and Jolly Kamuntu of Radio Maendeleo – work in the South Kivu provincial capital of Bukavu in the DRC’s strife-torn east, where the other three journalists were murdered.

Secretary-General Ban-Ki moon’s Special Representative in DRC, Alain Doss,
today met with South Kivu Governor Louis Mudherwa, who “shared in my
worries and assured me of his personal commitment.

“I have been encouraged by his reaction and commitment by national
authorities in this regard,” Mr. Doss added. “I would like somehow to call
on the provincial and national judiciary officials to take the necessary
actions to guarantee the safety of the journalists facing death threats to
enable them to practice their profession without any obstacles,” he added.

Last month Bruno Koko Chirambiza, a journalist with Radio Star, was
murdered in Bukavu. Didace Namujimbo and Serge Maheshe, both working for
Radio Okapi, were killed in 2008 and 2007 respectively.

Mr. Doss said MONUC has always offered to assist the judiciary with
specialized services and its experts. This offer is still available, he added, calling on the authorities to speed up the legal proceedings in the three murder cases “so that those who committed these heinous crimes are found and punished with the maximum severity the law allows.” 

***09.09.09. IFJ Calls for Safety Review after Media Tragedy in Afghanistan
(see also on page PRESS)

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today welcomed the rescue of a British journalist in Afghanistan but called for a safety review after his Afghan interpreter was killed in the military operation.
According to reports from Afghanistan, Nato troops raided the place where
Taliban militants were holding Stephen Farrell and Sultan Munadi in the Char Dara district at dawn on 9 September. Farrell was rescued but Sultan, 34, died in the fire fight between Nato soldiers and the militants. One Nato soldier and two civilians were also killed.
"The good news of Stephen's successful rescue has been overshadowed by
Sultan's tragic killing," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "It reminds us of the sacrifice that we all have to pay for media freedom."
Stephen, the New York Times reporter, was kidnapped with Sultan last week
as he was investigating the Nato air attack on two fuel tankers which had
been hijacked by Taliban militants. Media reports say the air strike killed many people, including civilians.
The IFJ says that journalists in Afghanistan should not be prevented from
reporting independently, provided that they are confident about their personal safety and that of their local colleagues.
"The killing of Sultan brings into sharp focus the issue of safety of local personnel who are employed by foreign media organisations in Afghanistan," added White. "We must ensure that, like all reporters, they are properly trained to work in dangerous conditions."
The IFJ further calls on Nato leadership in Afghanistan to investigate the
circumstances which led to Sultan's killing and engage with Afghan Association of Journalists on their safety needs.
"There is no faulting the intentions behind the rescue operation," said White. "But if lessons can be learned for the future, an investigation and review of what happened here will be helpful."

***08.09.09. Violations of media freedoms in the Palestinian territories during August 2009 (Mada) 

Violations of media freedoms in the Palestinian territories have increased last August, on the one hand the Israeli occupation authorities arrested the journalist writer Seri Sammour, prevented the journalist Sabrin Diab from entering the Al-Aqsa yards, confiscated the transmission equipment of Radio Bethlehem 2000 which resulted in the stopping of its broadcast, prevented two Swedish journalists from access to the Gaza Strip, and the settlers attacked the journalists Hasan At-Titi and Abd Al-Rahim Khabisah.

Meanwhile, the security forces in the Gaza Strip prevented journalists from covering Rafah events and tried to confiscate a cassette for Reuters on these events, detained Al-Ettejah Iraqi crew (the reporter Mazen Balbisi, cameraman Guevara Safadi and his assistant Abd Ar-Rahman Zaqqut) and damaged their tape. The Interior Ministry has also issued a statement against Al Arabiya television.

The security forces in the West Bank arrested the two journalists Mohammad Shtaiwi and Tareq Abu Zaid as well as columnist Esam Shawar in addition to the detention of Khaled Amayreh.
 
  The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) welcomes the release of the journalists Hasan Rjoub on 16 / 8, Seri Al-Qodwa, on 19 / 8 and Isam Shawar on 31 / 8, it condemns the continued arrests of journalists by the Israeli occupation authorities and Palestinian security forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and calls for the release of all arrested journalists.

On the other hand, MADA Center denounce the campaign being waged by the Israeli authorities against the Swedish newspaper, Aftonbladet, after publication of a report by the journalist Donald Bostrom on the theft of Palestinian organs after being killed by Israeli army.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) expresses its condemnation of the closure of Radio Bethlehem 2000, and asks the international community to exert pressure on the government of Israel to return the confiscated broadcasting equipment, and to allow Swedish journalists to enter the Gaza Strip.

MADA expresses its concern over the intimidation facing a large group of journalists in the Gaza Strip, the last manifestation of which was the threat of death to three of them whom we had abstained to mention their names upon their request and for fear it will cause them further harassment and threats. Journalists have also been prevented from covering certain events in the Gaza Strip, the latest of which was the event of Rafah.

Details of violations:

(4 August) - Al-Ahram Weekly correspondent, Khalid Amayreh, was arrested by the Preventive Security Force in Bethlehem. Amayreh said, "I went to Bethlehem to cover Fatah Conference at about ten o'clock, members of the security held me at the entrance of the school at which the conference was held. They told me that I can’t enter because I did not get a special card from the Office of the President. I told them that none of the president's office contacted me in order to obtain a special card. They responded that this is not their business. When I was about to return to Hebron, one of the officials from the president's office voiced my name and asked to check the camera that I carry as well as my laptop. (He checked the pictures I have taken ... and I did not take more than one picture of the conference entrance). A few minutes later, members of the Preventive Security force attended and told me to accompany them in the car to the force’s headquarters in the city. After they took the personal details there, they told me that I am detained until the evening and that I am forbidden from entering Bethlehem for eight days. One of them said to me that I am being held because I don’t obtain a license to practice the profession, knowing that I have a license to practice signed by the former Minister of Information, Yasser Abed Rabbo.

At 3:00 pm, they allowed me to return to Hebron, but they handed me a summon to the Preventive Security headquarters in Hebron, where I went there on Sunday 9 August, one of the officials in the device blamed me and said (We'll break your legs if you go the Bethlehem during the Conference), and they set me free after five minutes.

(5 August) –columnist Esam Shawar was arrested by the Preventive Security Force in the city of Qalqilya (WB). Shawar said that one of Force’s officials had contacted him at evening and asked him about his location. He responded that he is in his parents’ house. He asked him to stay there until they arrive. They already arrived after short time, arrested him and took him to the headquarters of the Force in Qalqilya where he was simply investigated over some simple general cases and some articles written by him in the past, but he has not been charged. He was released on August 31. Shawar was arrested and called for investigation many times over the past few years by the Palestinian security Forces.

  (7 August) - Reuters News Agency photographers, Hassan At-Titi and Abd Ar-Rahim Qusini were attacked yesterday afternoon in A’raq Burin village (Nablus) by Jewish settlers while they were covering the march for the people of the village to protest against attempts by settlers to take on hundreds of Dunoms (acres) of their land. At-Titi, who also works as a correspondent for Al Jazeera TV, said that he was covering a march of the people of the village when he was attacked by three settlers and one of them tried to grab his camera resulting in a slight injury to his right hand. One of the settlers attacked Al-Qusini, while one of the Israeli occupation soldiers attacked his assistant Ashraf Abu Shawish. The Israeli soldiers asked them to stay away from the scene. The settlers used to attack Palestinian citizens, their properties and journalists for several decades. Last October they attacked five photographers in the Hebron area.

(12 August) - The of Al-Ettejah Iraqi Channel crew (the reporter Mazen Balbisi, cameraman Guevara Safadi and his assistant Abd Ar-Rahman Zaqqut) was detained by the Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip. Balbisi said "At 11:00am We were preparing the conclusion of a TV report for Al-Ettejah Channel on political prisoners in the West Bank and Gaza Strip near Ansar junction where the police stop us and asked us to wait a bit until they contact their officer. Minutes later they gave us permission to film at this junction. After we completed filming, two members of the police inside Ansar prison approached us and asked us to go with them to the prison director, Colonel Sami Noufal, who asked the photographer, Guevara Safadi, to give him the cassette inside the camera. When we told him that there are very important materials in the cassette that we were working for two weeks to complete, he put the cassette under his feet and then gave it to some police members to destroy it. When we told him that we are in contact with the police media spokesman, Islam Shahwan, he said that he has no relation with Islam Shahwan. When we objected to the way they treated us, they confiscated the camera which we got back after a discussion, but he threatened us with arrest and confiscation of all equipment and refused to hear any objection from us under threat and spoke to us in a non-decent way.

(14 August) – the journalists were prevented from covering the armed clashes between police and the supporters of Jund Ansar Allah group at Ibn Taimeyah mosque and the surrounding area in the city of Rafah. The Interior Ministry of the dissolved government prohibited filming the events or access to hospitals by declaring the city of Rafah and the hospitals as closed areas to media and journalists. France Press photographer, Said Al-Khatib, said that he and a number of photographers were prevented from filming after the outbreak of the clashes on Friday 14 august and the next two days in the area of Ibn Taimeya Mosque and they have been told that the situation there is danger.

(14 August) - Trying to confiscate a cassette from Reuter’s news agency office in Gaza City by the security forces. A group of security forces arrived to the agency's office after the publication of the speech of Abd Al-Latif Mousa announcing the establishment of the Islamic Emirate and filming the first clashes that followed. They asked for receiving the tape, but the staff told them that the Agency's policy does not allow it, so they left the headquarters.


(15 August) –A statement was issued by the Ministry of Interior of the dissolved Government in the Gaza Strip in which it accused Al Arabiya television of broadcasting a report on the events of Rafah area, full of lies and slanders and harms the Palestinian resistance, Al-Arabiya television has been subjected to accusations and campaigns by supporters of Hamas Movement, whereas it sometimes accused of being biased to Fatah and at other times to America and Israel. Its office in Gaza City had been exploded on 22/1/2007.

(20 August) - The journalist Sabrin Mohammad Diab was prevented from entering al-Aqsa mosque yards in Jerusalem by the Israeli police. Diab, who was preparing a report for "Al-Arabi An-Naseri," Cairo based newspaper, said: "When I tried to enter the Old City I was stopped by a number of occupation soldiers at Al-Asbat Gate and they asked for inspecting my bag and asked me not to film, because it is prohibited. I told them that I am in work mission and I will shoot some pictures in the markets. They took my camera fiercely and I was worried about some important pictures that did not move them from the camera, so I asked the officer whether he will return the camera to me. He bluntly said that I will get it back when I come out of the same point and he set a number on the camera and my hand. I continued walking until I reached the entrance of the Haram (Al-Aqsa) where two policemen stopped me and asked me for my ID card, although they saw the soldiers searched my bag and checked my ID and press cards. Then they rudely said (No entry). I asked about the reason and they said that entry is prohibited for women under the age of forty –fifth. I showed them my press card and told them that I am in a work mission and that the military permitted me to enter. They said that they have nothing to do with the army and that they are policemen who enforce the law. Then I went back to the market where I met a Belgian tourist and asked her to take some pictures in the market for me. She welcomed the idea after I explained to her what happened with me. While we were standing alongside one of the stalls, three policemen attended by and asked the tourist with a smile and quietly accepting the apology for the inconvenience I caused to her and asked her to continue her tour in the market. I told them that did not bother her and that taking the pictures based on willing and conviction. Then she turned to me and said in English: "I'm sorry, I wish you success," and then went. The policemen then dismissed me from the market and threatened to arrest me if I don’t obey the instructions of the police, so I went to get my camera back and I left the area.”

The occupation authorities prevent Palestinian journalists from filming inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and forbid Muslim men under the age of fifty years and women younger than forty-five years of access to it during the month of Ramadan.

(23 August) – The reporter and photographer of Aftonbladet Newspaper in Israel were prevented from entering the Gaza Strip, where they have been told by the Government Press Office that they should wait for three months, according to Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot. This comes after the newspaper published a report written by the journalist Donald Bostrom on the Israeli theft of organs of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army.
 
(25 August) – Radio Bethlehem 2000 broadcasting equipments were confiscated by the Israeli occupation forces in the town of Beit Jala southern Bethlehem. Station manager, George Qanawati, said that a troop of the Israeli army composed of five vehicles raided the broadcasting headquarters in Beit Jala at about six in the evening and asked the technician to disconnect the equipment (two transmitters) and confiscated them telling him not to try to re-broadcast "because we do not like to lessen to Bethlehem 2000", and it will be bombed if it re-broadcast. The radio station headquarters, which is located in the town of Beit Sahour and founded in 1996, was halted broadcasting.

(27 August) - Aqsa TV former reporter Tariq Abd Ar- Razzak Abu Zeid was arrested by the Palestinian intelligence force in the city of Jenin. His father said that Tariq was wanted by the Palestinian security forces seven months ago, where they attended to the house six times looking for him, and recently it was agreed with them to extradite him to them provided that he will not stay more than five days in prison. His father believes that the reason of chasing his son is back to the belief that he is still working with Aqsa TV. "They did not abide by the agreement and he is still under detention”. The government of Dr. Salam Fayyad has banned the work of Al-Aqsa TV in September 2007.

(30 August) – Mohammad Shtaiwi, Director of Aqsa Channel Office in the West Bank, was arrested by the Palestinian intelligence force. Shtaiwi, who lives in the city of Tulkarem (WB), said that Palestinian intelligence force has summoned him to its headquarters in Ramallah, where they arrested him. Few minutes after his arrival to the headquarters, they tied his hands and put the bag on his head pushing his head against the wall which resulted in falling down on the ground. Then they stopped him on his legs and tied him. Later they brought a doctor to examine him who seems to be recommended not to expose him to torture, which was stopped after that.(He was released on 2 September) . Shtaiwi has been harassed and detained several times by Palestinian security forces.

(31 August) – The journalist writer Seri Sammour was arrested by the occupation forces in the city of Jenin (WB). His wife said that an occupation army force raided their home at 2:30 am; they searched the house and confiscated the computer, laptop and three mobiles, then arrested Sammour to an unknown location. Sammour was arrested last month by the Palestinian Security Forces on July 20 and released on 11 august.

Contact: Mousa Rimawi
info@madacenter.org
madapalestine@yahoo.com
www.madacenter.org

***03.09.09. SALVADOR. Filmmaker who documented Salvadoran gang violence murdered

The bullet-ridden body of journalist Christian Poveda, whose new documentary on a violent Salvadoran street gang was scheduled for wide release this month, was discovered Wednesday afternoon just north of the capital, San Salvador, according to local and international press reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Salvadoran authorities to thoroughly investigate the slaying.

Salvadoran police found Poveda's body sprawled near his car on an isolated road in the town of Tonacatepeque, about 10 miles (15 kilometers) from the capital, according to local and international press reports. He had been shot in the face at least four times at close range. Witnesses told local reporters that they called police after hearing several gunshots. Authorities found an audio recorder and Poveda's press credentials at the scene, local press reports said.

Poveda, a 52-year-old Frenchman of Spanish descent, had documented violence in El Salvador as a filmmaker and photojournalist over the course of three decades. Throughout 2008, he worked on a highly anticipated documentary about one of the country's most violent gangs, Mara 18. During the filming of the documentary, Poveda lived with gang members for 18 months. Local press reports said Poveda had received death threats from angry gang members.

The documentary, "La Vida Loca," had already been screened at international film festivals and was scheduled for wide release on September 30. It showed brutal killings, rites of initiation, and the judicial system's ineffectiveness in combating gangs.

Tonacatepeque is controlled by Mara 18, local press reports said. At the time of the murder, Poveda was reportedly traveling from nearby La Campanera, a town controlled by Mara 18's main rival, Mara Salvatrucha. Confrontations between the two gangs have been extremely violent, Salvadoran press reports said.

Local authorities are investigating Poveda's killing, national police spokesman Hugo Ramírez told the local news Web site http://www.elfaro.net . According to press reports, authorities are investigating Poveda's documentary work as a possible motive. Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes issued a statement Wednesday condemning Poveda's killing and calling for an end to street violence.

"This brutal murder sends a chilling message to journalists in El Salvador, where rampant gang-related violence is the most sensitive issue for the press," said Carlos Lauría, CPJ's senior program coordinator for the Americas. "Salvadoran authorities must ensure that this crime does not go unpunished."

A CPJ analysis published earlier this year found that journalists covering gang violence in El Salvador and other parts of Latin America had become targets themselves. Gang violence has become widespread in El Salvador, especially in the poor neighborhoods outside San Salvador, the analysis noted. Salvadoran journalists told CPJ that security concerns prevent in-depth reporting on the origins and causes of gang violence.

***02.09.09. SRI LANKA. Tamil journalist sentenced to 20 years of hard labour

Popular Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam has been sentenced to 20 years hard labour on charges of supporting terrorism and inciting racial hatred, becoming the first journalist to be convicted under Sri Lanka's draconian anti-terrorism law, report Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members.

An English-language columnist for the Sri Lankan "Sunday Times" and editor of the news website OutreachSL, Tissainayagam was arrested on 7 March 2008.

He spent five months in prison without charge before his indictment in August 2008 for promoting terrorism through the magazine "Northeastern Monthly", which he briefly published in 2006. The magazine criticised the government's role in the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels and accused authorities of withholding food and other essential items from Tamil-majority areas.

On 31 August, a High Court judge ruled that Tissainayagam's articles violated the law because they were aimed at creating "communal disharmony."

The court also found that he had received money from the LTTE to fund his website, but RSF has established that the site was funded by a German aid project.

"The imposition of this extremely severe sentence on Tissainayagam suggests that some Sri Lanka judges confuse justice with revenge," RSF said. "With the help of confessions extracted by force and information that was false or distorted, the court has used an anti-terrorism law that was intended for terrorists, not for journalists and human rights activists."

According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which has been campaigning tirelessly for his release, Tissainayagam was repeatedly tortured and denied medical treatment while in prison.

Despite the end of the war, the Sri Lankan state continues to attack journalists who do not support its policies.

According to the International Press Institute (IPI), 12 journalists have been killed in Sri Lanka since 2006, and many others have been harassed, threatened and arrested. RSF has reported that Sri Lanka is one of the worst-hit countries in the world when it comes to the kidnap, arrest and disappearance of journalists.

CPJ announced that it will honour Tissainayagam with a 2009 International Press Freedom Award. Meanwhile, the Globe Media Forum and RSF report that Tissainayagam will be the first winner of the Peter Mackler Prize, "a newly created award for journalists who display great courage and professional integrity in countries where press freedom is not respected."

***31.08.09. IFJ Welcomes End to US Media Vetting in Afghanistan

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and United States journalists' groups today welcomed a decision by the United States army to abandon vetting of journalists covering the Afghanistan conflict to see if they are sympathetic to the American cause.
The Reuters news agency has reported that the United States army is
cancelling a contract with a public relations firm after coming under criticism for using the company to provide profiles of journalists and rating their reporting on the Afghanistan war according to whether it was "positive", "neutral" or "negative".
The IFJ and its affiliates in the United States, the American Federation
of Radio and Television Artists (AFTRA) and The Newspaper Guild-CWA(TNG),
last week criticised a $1.5 million contract for The Rendon Group, a
controversial public relations firm, hired to screen journalists applying to be embedded with US troops in Afghanistan.
Now the contract first revealed last week in the military's own Pentagon-funded but editorially independent newspaper, Stars and Stripes, is to be scrapped. The paper said the profiles included suggestions on how to "neutralise" negative stories and generate favourable coverage. Although US commanders denied they used the profiles to discriminate against journalists, the IFJ General Secretary Aidan White roundly condemned the process saying: "It suggests the army is more interested in propaganda than honest reporting".
Welcoming the latest move, the IFJ says the army should focus on helping
journalists to cover the war without further interference.
"This is a small victory for press freedom and quality journalism," said White. "It underscores the importance of avoiding any suggestion of undue influence on the way media report and it is a sound message to send in Afghanistan where the battle for democracy is not yet won."

***24.08.09. SOMALIA. Anniversary of abduction of Canadian and Australian journalists

Two foreign freelance journalists are about to complete a year in captivity. Canadian reporter Amanda Lindhout and Australian photographer Nigel Brennan were taken hostage by an armed group as they were returning to Mogadishu from Afgoye refugee camp, 20 km west of the Somali capital, on 23 August 2008.

“We are very worried about these two hostages, given the length of their ordeal and the extreme dangers prevailing in Somalia,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We reiterate our support for their families and we hope they will be released without delay.”

At the time of their abduction, Lindhout and Brennan were being accompanied by Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi, a Somali freelance journalist who was their fixer and interpreter, and two Somali drivers, Mahad Isse and Marwali.

Elmi and the two drivers were released on the night of 15 January, after being held for 177 days. Elmi said he was separated from Lindhout and Brennan immediately after their capture.

A woman claiming to be Lindhout called CTV headquarters in Toronto on 10 June and appealed to the Canadian government to do everything possible to obtain her release. In tears, she said she was being held in appalling conditions.

“I’m being kept in a dark, windowless room in chains without any clean drinking water and very little food or no food,” the caller said. “I’ve been very sick for months without any medicine.” A similar call was made to OMNI Television, another Canadian TV station, at the end of July.

The kidnappers have been demanding a ransom, the size of which has changed over the months. Rumours have circulated about the hostages but Reporters Without Borders has been unable to confirm any of them. According to one rumour, Lindhout was pregnant and several Somali sources have said in the past two months that she gave birth to a boy.

Here is the statement of both families :

"Together, the two families continue to work tirelessly to secure Nigel’s and Amanda’s safe release. With little outside support, the families, who have been united as one throughout this horrendous ordeal, continue to do everything and anything to gain the earliest possible release for their loved ones Amanda and Nigel. Our thoughts and all our love are with Amanda and Nigel, today, just as they have been for the past 365 days, and just as they will be until they are safely home with us.

In issuing this brief joint statement the families hope that the media will respect their wishes to be left alone during this particularly emotional time.”

***14.08.09. FEPALC CONDENA VIOLENCIA CONTRA PERIODISTAS EN VENEZUELA: SITUACIÓN ES INSOSTENIBLE 

La Federación de Periodistas de América Latina y el Caribe (FEPALC)
condena enérgicamente los actos de violencia contra los periodistas
venezolanos y expresa su profunda preocupación por el inminente deterioro
de la libertad de expresión en ese país.

El ataque físico, con palos y objetos contundentes, a 12 periodistas de
los diarios Ultimas Noticias, El Mundo y Líder, de la cadena Capriles,
durante una movilización en defensa de la libertad de expresión el último
13 de agosto, no hace más que develar la intolerancia reinante entre los
sectores afines al gobierno que ven en la fuerza la única arma para
silenciar las voces críticas a la acción gubernamental.

A la medida que clausuró 34 radioemisoras, mediante el artilugio de
revocatoria de licencia aduciendo razones técnicas- le siguió el proyecto
de ley de los autodenominados “delitos mediáticos”, el ataque a la sede de
Globovisión, y se le suma este nuevo acto de violencia física que ha
consternado al gremio de los periodistas venezolanos. La disminución del
número de medios de expresión, que no es otra cosa que la violación del
derecho ciudadano a recibir información procedente de diversas fuentes,
preocupa de sobremanera a una organización como la nuestra.

La FEPALC expresa su solidaridad a los periodistas Marco Ruiz, Jesús
Hurtado, Uvaldo Arrieta, Octavio Hernández, Manuel Alejandro Álvarez,
Gabriel Irribaren, Fernando Peñalver, Mario Rondón, Greasy Bolaños,
Gleixys Patrán, César Batiz y Sergio Moreno, varios de ellos trasladados a
centros hospitalarios de Caracas a consecuencia de la feroz agresión de la
que fueron víctimas.

Para la FEPALC el gobierno venezolano es responsable de cautelar la
integridad física de los periodistas y garantizar condiciones para el
ejercicio de su labor. EN razón a ello le recuerda al Estado venezolano,
en su conjunto, que sin pluralismo en los medios informativos, sin reales
garantías para el ejercicio periodístico y sin un marco legal afín a los
estándares internacionales no puede haber libertad de expresión ni
democracia.

La FEPALC se declara, a partir de la fecha, en alerta permanente y
seguirá, cerca al Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Prensa, su
organización afiliada en Venezuela, lo que acontece en ese hermano país
con los periodistas, los medios y el principio de libertad de expresión
vapuleado por estas acciones y las registradas en las últimas semanas.

13 de agosto del 2009
Celso Schroder
Presidente FEPALC
Zuliana Lainez
Secretaria de Derechos Humanos FEPALC

***12.08.09. AFGHANISTAN. Two AP journalists badly injured by roadside bomb near Kandahar

Reporters Without Borders’s concern about the growing dangers for journalists in the run-up to the 20 August presidential election has been heightened by the news that two foreign journalists embedded with the US military were seriously injured by a roadside bomb today near the southern city of Kandahar.

“What happened today is very regrettable and our thoughts go out to the families of the injured journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The mounting violence will result in restrictions on the quantity and quality of news coverage. The Afghan authorities and all parties to the conflict should ensure that respect for media freedom is a priority.”

Spanish photographer Emilio Morenatti and Indonesian cameraman Andi Jatmiko, both employees of the US news agency, the Associated Press, were travelling with a US military convoy when their vehicle was hit by roadside bomb. The AP said Jatmiko sustained leg and rib injuries while Morenatti sustained such severe leg injuries that a foot had to be amputated.

The situation in Afghanistan is worsening steadily for journalists, who are either the direct target of press freedom violations (see the report on our fact-finding visit) or fall victim to the mounting violence. When working on their own, they are targeted by the Taliban or criminal groups but they are just as vulnerable when embedded with the NATO military forces.

According to an independent NGO, the number of incidents involving IEDs (improvised explosive devices) increased to 828 in July. Ordinary civilians make up the bulk of the victims of the fighting, but a total of 17 journalists were reportedly killed since 2001.

***30.07.09 FEPALC CONDENA ASESINATO DE PERIODISTA EN MÉXICO
Y HACE LLAMADO ENÉRGICO PARA QUE NO QUEDE IMPUNE

La Federación de Periodistas de América Latina y el Caribe (FEPALC) hace
un llamado enérgico a las autoridades de justicia en México para que el
crimen del periodista radial Juan Daniel Martínez Gil, asesinado el 28 de
julio último, no quede impune. Con igual energía demandó se implementen,
de una vez por todas, mecanismos adecuados para proteger a los
periodistas.

Martínez Gil, periodista de W Radio y de Radiorama Acapulco, fue hallado
muerto en el estado de Guerrero, México. El cadáver de Martínez Gil
estaba semienterrado, presentaba señales de golpes por diferentes partes
del cuerpo y tenía el rostro cubierto con cinta adhesiva.

La FEPALC, al demandar una inmediata investigación que permita identificar
los móviles del crimen, recuerda que México es en la actualidad el país
más peligroso para el ejercicio del periodismo. Esta situación se acentúa
por el grado de impunidad garantizada a los victimarios. A la fecha en el
96% de los casos de crímenes contra periodistas no se ha hecho justicia.

Martínez Gil es el sétimo periodista asesinado en México en el 2009. Le
antecedieron el periodista Ernesto Montañez Valdivia (14 de julio), Martín
Miranda Avilés (12 de julio), Eliseo Barrón Hernández (26 de mayo), Carlos
Ortega Melo Samper (3 de mayo), Paul Ibarra Ramírez (13 de enero) y Daniel
Méndez Hernández (23 de febrero).

La FEPALC, consternada por este nuevo crimen contra un comunicador en
México, expresa su incondicional respaldo al Sindicato Nacional de
Redactores de la Prensa (SNRP), su organización afiliada, y ratifica junto
a ella su voluntad de no cesar en la lucha por la justicia en este y
anteriores asesinatos contra periodistas mexicanos.

30 de julio del 2009
Celso Schroder
Presidente FEPALC
Zuliana Lainez
Secretaria de Derechos Humanos FEPALC

FEDERACIÓN DE PERIODISTAS DE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE (FEPALC)
Federación Argentina de Trabajadores de Prensa (FATPREN); Federación
Nacional de Periodistas (FENAJ); Sindicato Nacional de Periodistas de
Costa Rica (SNP); Federación Colombiana de Periodistas (FECOLPER);
Federación Nacional de Trabajadores de los Medios de Comunicación Social
de Chile (FENATRAMCO); Sindicato de Periodistas y Similares de El Salvador
(SINPESS); Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Prensa y
Similares de Honduras (SITINPRES); Sindicato Nacional de Redactores de
Prensa de México (SNRP); Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay (SPP);
Asociación Nacional de Periodistas del Perú (ANP); Sindicato Nacional de
Trabajadores de la Prensa de la República Dominicana (SNTP); Asociación de
Prensa Uruguaya (APU); Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Prensa de
Venezuela (SNTP).

***21.07.09. RUSSIA. HR/09/121: UN EXPERTS READY TO ASSIST RUSSIA IN INVESTIGATING SERIES OF KILLINGS OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

HR/09/121
21 July 2009 

GENEVA – Seven UN human rights experts* reiterate their request to the
Russian authorities to extend an invitation to visit the country to assist
the authorities in conducting an independent investigation into a series
of killings of human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists in recent
years, many of them related to the human rights situation in Chechnya and
other Republics of the North Caucasus, including the latest killing of
Natalia Estemirova.

The experts acknowledged the expressions of outrage and assurances by the
Russian leadership that all necessary steps will be taken to apprehend and
punish Estemirova’s killers. “However, these assurances will be worth
little unless the authorities take steps that go beyond what has been done
in the past, which has all too often led to a cycle of impunity”, a group
of UN independent human rights experts said today in a joint statement.

“We offer our assistance to the Russian authorities in light of the
failure to effectively and impartially investigate the killings and
attacks on a number of human rights defenders in recent years and to
prosecute and bring the perpetrators to justice”, said the experts. “This
would break the cycle of prevailing impunity surrounding the killings of
other high profile human rights defenders and contribute to the prevention
of further violence and harassment against human rights defenders”,” they
added.

The independent experts also reminded that “the Government of the Russian
Federation has a prime responsibility under international human rights
instruments to ensure the protection of human rights defenders against any
violence, threats, retaliation, pressure or any other arbitrary action as
a result of their human rights work.”

Natalia Estemirova, a member of the Russian NGO Memorial, was found
murdered on 15 July 2009. She had been abducted from her home in Grozny
and bundled into a car. Her body was later found in woodland in
neighbouring Ingushetia with two bullet wounds to the head and chest.

As a researcher with Memorial she had tirelessly documented cases of
abductions, torture, enforced disappearances and unlawful killings
allegedly committed by government-backed militias in the Chechen Republic.

(*) The Special Procedures mandate holders are Philip Alston, Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Frank La
Rue, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression; Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on
torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
defenders; Leandro Despouy, Special Rappporteur on the independence of
judges and lawyers; Yakin Ertürk, Special Rapporteur on violence against
women, its causes and consequences; and Santiago Corcuera Cabezut,
Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearances.

For more information on the mandate and work of the Special Rapporteurs,
please visit: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/special/index.htm

For further queries on the Special Rapporteurs’ Joint Statement, please
contact: Orlagh McCann (Tel.: +41 (0)22 917 9738 / omccann@ohchr.org) 

***16.07.09. UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES “TRANSPARENT
AND INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF ESTEMIROVA KILLING”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, today
urged the Russian authorities to conduct a “thorough, transparent and
independent investigation into the kidnapping and shooting of Russian
human rights activist Natalia Estemirova”.

Welcoming the announcement that a top-level investigation has been ordered
by Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, the United Nations Human Rights
chief urged the authorities “to do all they can to ensure that the
perpetrators are prosecuted and brought to justice.”

Ms. Estemirova, a prominent human rights activist who had been
investigating alleged human rights abuses in Chechnya for the prominent
Russian non-governmental organization, Memorial, was kidnapped on
Wednesday near her home in the Chechen capital of Grozny. Her body was
found later in the day in neighbouring Ingushetia with bullet wounds to
the head and chest.

“This case sadly underlines once again the need for Governments to do much
more to protect human rights defenders”, said Ms. Pillay, noting that the
work of human rights defenders in Russia, in particular in the North
Caucasus, is precarious. Ms. Estemirova’s death is the latest in a series
of killings or attacks against human rights defenders, journalists and
lawyers in the country.

Natalia Estemirova had worked with dedication for many years to promote
human rights in the North Caucasus. She was awarded the Anna Politkovskaya
Prize from the Nobel Women's Initiative and received several other awards,
including from the Swedish and European parliaments.

In the past, Ms. Estemirova had worked with the activists Anna
Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in 2006, and Stanislav Markelov, who was
murdered in January this year.

***14.07.09. Albanian journalist BESAR LIKMETA wins the CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism

Trieste/ Vienna, 14 July 2009

The Central European Initiative (CEI) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) are pleased to announce that the young investigative journalist Besar Likmeta from Albania is the winner of the CEI/SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism.

On 29 June 2009, the International Jury met in Trieste, at the CEI Headquarters. The Jury was composed of Mr. Norbert Mappes Niediek, free-lance South East Europe correspondent based in Graz (Austria); Ms. Franca Roiatti, deputy editor, foreign affairs desk, Panorama weekly, Milan (Italy); Ms. Marina Constantinoiu, editor-in-chief, Jurnalul National daily, Bucharest (Romania); Mr. Milorad Ivanovic, deputy editor-in-chief, Blic daily, Belgrade (Serbia); Ms. Angelina Soldatenko, director of the International Institute for Regional Media and Information, Kharkiv (Ukraine).

The meeting was also attended by Mr. Hari Stajner (Serbia), CEI expert in media issues, acting as advisor together with Mr. Oliver Vujovic (SEEMO Secretary General), Amb. Pietro Ercole Ago (CEI-ES Secretary General) and Ms. Barbara Fabro (CEI-ES Senior Executive Officer).

The Jury examined a total of 26 nominations from 12 CEI Member States. The personal risks taken while performing the duty, the quality of reporting as well as the impact on society of the message conveyed were the main criteria taken into account by the Jury.

It was unanimously decided that the Award should go to Besar Likmeta, young investigative journalist from Albania. With this selection, the Jury intended to "promote the good investigative journalism carried out by a very young journalist and, more in general, to convey a signal of support to the development of investigative journalism in Albania, which is particularly significant for this country".
Besar Likmeta will receive the Award of 5.000 EUR, offered by the CEI Executive Secretariat, on the occasion of the traditional "CEI Journalists Forum", to be held in Warsaw, Poland, in September 2009.

Besar Likmeta, born in Durres in 1983, is currently editor and project manager of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN). Likmeta investigative work has streched from fake degrees to consumer protection and fraud by large state corporations. In 2008-2009, Limkmeta has produced several significant investigative reports that were widely republished and have made an impact in the Albanian society as well as regionally: "Albania Ignores Trade in Fake Degrees", "Wind Farm Threatens Albanian Paradise", "World Bank Demolished Albania Village"

Likmeta has worked as professional journalist for various print publications, electronic media and television. He started his career reporting for the Florida Times Union in Jacksonville, Florida. He moved to Albania in 2005 where he has been a features editor for the Tirana Times, a world news editor for the 24 hour news channel, TV Ora news, and lately as BIRN Albania editor. He has also contributed stories to various publications such as Jane's Intelligence Review, Businessweek and World Politics Review.

Moreover, the Jury decided to award a special mention to Esad Hecimovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina and to Stefan Candea from Romania, in recognition of their valuable contribution to investigative journalism. For that, they will receive a CEI SEEMO diploma during the "CEI Journalists Forum".

***13.07.09. IRAN. IFJ Condemns Latest Clampdown on Journalists

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today expressed deep concern over continuing harassment of media in Iran amid signs of growing opposition from independent journalists to censorship and manipulation in the country's mainstream media.

"There is evidence of strong pressure on independent journalism from outside and inside the newsroom. Even some media owners inside the profession are bullying their journalists who refuse to toe the official line," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "Journalists are arrested, sacked or forced to resign for standing up for ethical journalism."

According to the Association of Iranian Journalists (AoIJ), an IFJ affiliate, 39 journalists and media workers have been sacked or forced to resign from the conservative news agency Fars News, a number of them in recent weeks following clashes with management over the agency's editorial line.

The IFJ recently denounced the Iranian government's attempts to control and manipulate the content and the flow of information from international news outlets following the country's disputed presidential elections last month which sparked unprecedented levels of civil unrest.

The IFJ has also learned about three latest arrests of journalists in Iran: Mohammad-Reza Yazdanpanah, a journalist and blogger was arrested on July 8 in Tehran.  Madjid Saeidi, a photo journalist who has worked for conservative journals for the last five years was arrested on 10 July in Tehran while Mehdi Mahdavi-Azad, editor of Shahab news, a reformist daily, was arrested on June 23.

"These latest arrests are yet more stains on Iran's already poor record on press freedom," added White. "The clampdown on media is a reflection of the perilous situation for democracy in the country."

***07.07.09. Violations of media freedoms in oPt during June 2009
The Palestinian territories witnessed an escalation in violations of media
freedoms during last June

The last June has witnessed an escalation in violations of media freedoms
in the occupied Palestinian territories compared to the previous month,
where the district court in Jerusalem sentenced Al-Alalam TV correspondent,
Khader Shahin, and producer, Mohammed Sarhan, for two months imprisonment.
The occupation soldiers have also attacked the photographer journalists
Nayef Al-Hashlamoun and his brothers, Najeh and Abd Al-Hafiz, Hazem Bader,
Iyad Hamad, Yosri Al- Jamal and his assistant Maa’moun Wazwaz.

The Palestinian security forces in the West Bank have arrested the
journalists: Awad Rjoub, Dr. Farid Abu Dhair, and Alaa’ Altiti, Qays Abu
Samrah, Younis Hasasneh and the journalist writer Seri Sammour. They have,
moreover, stopped Al-Jazeera Television staff (Wael Shioukhi, Zeiad
Al-Aqrat and Mohammad Salameh) and deleted the material from the camera.
The security forces in Gaza have also arrested Seri Qudwah and attacked
Mohammad Mashharawi.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) expresses
its deep concern for the ongoing arrests of journalists and writers by the
Palestinian security forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the
continued detention of a number of other journalists in their prisons who
were arrested in the past months (Iyad Srour, Mustafa Sabri, Murad Abu
Al-Bahaa’). MADA also denounce the rejection by the Preventive Security
force to release the journalist Mustafa Sabri, despite the decision issued
by the Supreme Court of Justice to release him.

MADA expresses condemnation of all violations committed by Israeli
occupation forces and the Palestinian security forces against the
Palestinian journalists, which is a rude violation of the freedom of
opinion and expression, and so MADA asks for stopping the attacks against
journalists and releasing the arrested ones.

Details of violations:

(1 June) - Aljazeera Net correspondent Awad Rjoub was arrested by the
Palestinian Military Intelligence Force. Rajoub said that he received a
phone call from the mentioned force asking him to come to their
headquarters in Hebron. He went there at around 12:00 pm, where they asked
him to hand over his personal possessions and to sign an arrest warrant,
and then they started to investigate him for an interview he made with one
of Hamas leaders to be included in a report to Al-Jazeera Net. He was
released at 4:00pm of the same day. Rajoub was arrested by the Preventive
Security Force on 29 July 2008 and released a month later.

(2 June) - Iqra’s TV correspondent, Younes Ibrahim Hasasneh (31 years
old), was arrested by the Palestinian Preventive Security Force. His wife
reported that a force from the above mentioned Force raided their house in
the town of AlShioukh (Hebron) at about 3:30 pm and asked him to accompany
them to their headquarters in Hebron to be asked a few questions and then
return home the same day. Twenty six days after arrest, his wife has
visited him whereas he told her that he was tortured the first five days
of his arrest and then transferred to regular rooms, and he was questioned
about the nature of his journalistic work , but with no charges. Hasasneh
was arrested by the Palestinian Intelligence Force on 3 November 2008 and
released six days later.

(10 June) - Quds Television correspondent Mohamed Zuhdi Mashharawi (23
years old) was attacked, by the Palestinian police in the Gaza city.
Mashharawi said that he was covering the visit of a Qatari delegation to
Alshifa Hospital in Gaza city at about 12:00 pm when he was informed by the
hospital administration that the coverage of the visit is limited to one
television channel. There was a discussion between him and the hospital
administration on this issue and then the police of the hospital security
intervened and told him that photographing is prohibited. There was a
debate with them since this is not their competence. They attacked him by
beating and detained him for one hour at the hospital security room. Later
he protested to the Police Department, which has promised to investigate
the incident. At night, they apologized to him and stressed that the attack
was a personal decision.

(10 June) –Alnajah Press Office Director, Dr. Abd Al-Fattah Abu Dhair
(47 years old) who is a lecturer at the media section at Alnajah
University, was arrested by the Palestinian Intelligence Force in Nablus
city. His wife said that the security force surrounded their house about
3:00 pm and knocked the door. When she opened they asked about her husband.
She told them that he is inside, and then they asked her to call him to
come. During this time his son, Baraa’ was returning home. When he asked
about the situation, they attacked him and detained him in one of their
car. Afterwards they have arrested Dr. Abu Dhair and released his son. Abu
Dhair reported, after his release on June 15th, that he was interrogated
for his journalistic work and the office ownership.

(14 June) – Alalam Television correspondent, Khader Shahin and the
producer, Mohammad Sarhan, were sentenced by the district Court in
Jerusalem. The Director of Alalam Office in the West Bank, Fares Sarafandi,
reported that the court sentenced Shahin and Sarhan for two months
imprisonment and six months imprisonment with a stay of execution, but the
their defense attorney appealed against the court decision to the Israeli
Court of Justice whereas they will remain under house arrest until pending
the appeal. The Israeli occupation authorities have arrested Shahin and
Sarhan, on 5 last January under the pretext of publishing information on
the movements of the Israeli occupation army prior to the ground war in the
Gaza Strip, at the beginning of this year, and released them on the
fifteenth of the same month on bail, and imposed house arrest on them since
that time, and prevented them from journalistic work based on the district
Court decision. The same court had overturned the decision of imposing
house arrest on them on the twenty-second of June.

(15 June) - Aljazeera Television correspondent Wael Ash-Shioukhi, cameraman
Zeyad Al-Aqrat and his assistant Mohammed Salameh were stopped by a barrier
of the Palestinian Preventive Security on the entrance to the town of Dura.
Ash-Shioukhi reported that they were returning from the village of Beit
Ar-Roush after preparing a report on the death of Haitham -Amr, who had
been detained at the prison of the Palestinian Intelligence Force, when
they were stopped by members of the Force who confiscated their cameras and
equipment and asked them to receive them from the Force headquarters in the
city of Hebron as a routine procedure. The staff actually went there and
waited for about an hour and a half to meet the Director who returned the
camera and equipment to them, where it was found that that the intelligence
erased the filmed material.

(15 June) - The rejection of releasing freelance journalist, Mustafa Sabri,
by the Palestinian Preventive Security Force. His wife said that the
Supreme Court of Justice issued a decision to release Sabri on 15 June, but
he is still detained so far and she still unable to visit him at the
Preventive Security prison in Beitunia town near Ramallah. Sabri was
arrested on 21/4/2009 and before that he was arrested several times by the
Palestinian security forces.

(19 June) - Palestine Website for Media and Information Network was
penetrated by Israeli hackers. The Network General Supervisor, Azmi
Shioukhi said that the ten news sites of the network were penetrated and
all the material contained in these sites were deleted, but the technical
staff was able to regain control of the sites after two days and re-publish
the material that was deleted from the WebPages except for "Palestine
Sport" and materials that have been published in the period between 30
April -1 June2009. He stressed that the reason for targeting and
destruction of the web site is the desire to withhold the fact of the
Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

(20 June) - Journalist writer, Abd Al-Fattah Seri Sammour (35 years old),
was arrested by the Palestinian Military Intelligence service. His wife
said that her husband had been arrested when he was summoned through
telephone to the headquarters of the above mentioned force in the city of
Jenin. His wife believes that the arrest came as a result of his articles
published by a number of news sites, such as Al-Haqaeq and the Arab Times
in addition to his blog, but with no charge.

(23 June) - The Jordanian “alhaqiqa aldawliya" Newspaper correspondent,
Qays Abu Samrah was arrested, by the Palestinian Preventive Security Force.
His wife said that Abu Samrah received a summon by the Intelligence Force
for the next morning, however, members of the Preventive Security Force
came to his house in the village of Sennirya (Qalqilya-West Bank) at
approximately 12:15am, and have searched it and confiscated his computer
and then arrested him. Abu Samrah had been arrested on the twenty-second of
last February by the same force and was released after two days of
detention.

(23 June) - Alsabah Newspaper Site editor Seri Mohammad Qudwah (42 years
old) from his home in Gaza city by the security forces. His wife said that
a group of security forces in uniform and civil dress knocked at the door
of their home about 01:00 am, her husband opened the door to them, and then
they searched the house, confiscated two laptop, computer and fax, in
addition to his mobile phone, and then arrested him.

(23 June) - The trial of journalist Alaa’ Altiti in the Magistrate's
Court was resumed in the city of Hebron. Altiti said that the list of
charges against him included working for Aqsa Television which belongs to
Hamas Movement and sedition. The trial has been postponed to the thirtieth
of next September. Altiti was prevented from working as a correspondent of
Aqsa TV by the security forces last November on the basis of a decision
issued by the cabinet prohibiting Al-Aqsa work in the West Bank on 16
September 2007. The security forces have also arrested him several times
during the past two years.

(25 June) – Journalist Ala’ Altiti was arrested by the Palestinian
Intelligence Force in the city of Hebron. Altiti said that a group of
members of the above mentioned force arrested him as he stood in front of
the telecommunications company in the city of Hebron at about 02:30pm and
took him to the headquarters of the intelligence where they accused him of
having interview for Aqsa Television with Dr. Aziz Dweik, The Speaker of
the Palestinian Legislative Council who was released from the Israeli
prison a few days ago. He has denied having an interview with Dweik and was
released at about 06:30pm.

(27 June) – Reuter’s photographer Nayef Hashlamoun and a number of
Palestinian journalists were attacked in the village of Safa (Hebron) by
Israeli occupation forces. Hashlamoun said that he was covering a voluntary
work of Palestinian, Israeli and international supporters in the village
of Safa morning when one of the Israeli soldiers severely beaten his chest
and his right hand resulting in his fall to the ground and one of his
cameras was crashed. The occupation forces have prevented the access of the
ambulance to the place where he stayed about half an hour lying on the
ground suffering from severe pain in the heart area. His brother, Najeh has
succeeded with other journalists to transfer him to Alia Hospital in the
city of Hebron for treatment. Najeh, who works as a freelance photographer,
said that he and the other journalists in the place were exposed of to
pushing and kicking by the soldiers, particularly the France Press
photographer Hazem Bader, Reuter’s cameramanYosri Al-Jamal and his
assistant Maamoun Wazwaz, the Associated Press cameraman Fadi Hamad and the
European Agency (EPA) photographer Abd Al- Hafiz Al-Hashlamoun. 

Contact: Mousa Rimawi
Ramallah Mada Coordinator
info@madacenter.org
madapalestine@yahoo.com
http://www.madacenter.org

***22.06.09. IRAN. IFJ Demands Safety for Iranian Journalists as Union Leaders Go into Hiding

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the Iranian authorities to guarantee the safety and freedom of all journalists attempting to cover events in Iran following reports of journalists being arrested and union leaders going into hiding over the weekend.
"The Iranian authorities must immediately release all imprisoned journalists and send a clear signal that journalists are to be allowed to work freely and without fear of arrest or intimidation," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "We are particularly concerned about the fate of Ali Mazrooei, Chair of the Association of Iranian Journalists."
According to reports, Mazrooei and other leaders of the Association, an affiliate of the IFJ, have gone into hiding following the arrests of journalists and demonstrators over the weekend. Newsweek correspondent, Maziar Bahari, was arrested on Sunday, while John Leyne, BBC Tehran correspondent, has been asked to leave the country.
Further reports suggest that up to ten Iranian journalists have been arrested and many others have gone into hiding. Several foreign journalists such as Mikel Ayestarán from Spanish daily ABC have left the country after the refusal of the authorities to extend their temporary visas.
These developments follow widespread restrictions on foreign media in Iran
and the closing of many websites by the authorities.

***18.06.09 IRAN - THE PRESS EMBLEM CAMPAIGN (PEC) SUPPORTS CALLS FOR END TO GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA FOLLOWING ELECTION

Iranian authorities have censored independent media sources, both local and
foreign, as anti-government protests have raged in the country following
last Friday's presidential elections, report ARTICLE 19, the Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX
members.

The security services have moved into the offices of newspapers where they
are censoring content before they go to print, reports RSF. The 15 June
front page of "Etemad Meli", the paper of candidate Mehdi Karoubi, shows a
photo of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a rally with a column left blank
because of editing by the censors.

Meanwhile, "Kalameh Sabz", the paper of Ahmedinejad's main challenger Mir
Hossein Mousavi, has not been able to publish since 13 June.

According to ARTICLE 19, the intelligence ministry has reportedly ordered
all newspapers not to write anything which questions the legitimacy of the
elections.

Ahmadinejad lashed out at the media shortly after he claimed victory in the
election that critics contend was marked by widespread voter fraud. At a
news conference on Sunday, he accused international media of launching a
"psychological war" against the country.

Staff from several international news organisations, including Belgian,
Spanish, Canadian, U.S., Emirati and Italian newscasters, have had tapes
confiscated, been ordered to leave the country, been beaten while covering
public protests and have even been detained, says ARTICLE 19.

Following a massive opposition rally on 15 June, authorities restricted
foreign journalists - including Iranians working for foreign media - from
reporting about the protests on the streets, report CPJ and the
International Press Institute (IPI). They could effectively only work from
their offices, conducting telephone interviews and monitoring official
sources, such as state TV.

The BBC said that electronic jamming of its news report, which it said
began on election day, had worsened by the end of the weekend, causing
service disruptions for BBC viewers and listeners in Iran, the Middle East
and Europe.

On 14 June, the authorities ordered the Tehran bureau of the Arab satellite
TV news station Al-Arabiya closed for a week after it broadcast video of
the first demonstration following the announcement of Ahmadinejad's
re-election, reports the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
(ANHRI).

A range of social communications has also been disrupted inside Iran since
election day, including text messaging, social networking sites and
official campaign websites of the opposition that were being used to
organise protests. At least 10 pro-opposition websites have been censored,
says RSF. Then on 16 June, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned online
media to remove all content that might "create tension," or face legal
consequences, reports IPI.

But some protesters in Iran are reaching out to the West using special web
servers, such as one developed at the University of Toronto, to circumvent
efforts to block websites.

Plus, Iranians abroad are using social networking tools to instantly spread
news about their homeland. For instance, on Twitter, Hamid Akbari, a
university student in Toronto, follows eight people in Iran he has come to
trust, reports the "Toronto Star" newspaper. They tweet about where
protesters are gathering for a demonstration, and what police are doing.
Akbari then feeds that information to his 500 contacts back home by email
or through Facebook.

Meanwhile, 11 Iranian journalists have been arrested since 12 June,
including Reza Alijani, winner of the 2001 RSF-Fondation de France press
freedom prize. He was released two days later. According to RSF, there is
no word from about 10 other journalists who have either been arrested or
gone into hiding.

RSF reiterates its appeal to the international community not to recognise
the election results. "A democratic election is one in which the media are
free to monitor the electoral process and investigate fraud allegations but
neither of these two conditions has been met for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's
supposed re-election," RSF said.

Related stories on IFEX.org:
- Government cracks down on foreign news media:
http://www.ifex.org/iran/2009/06/17/media_crackdown/
- Authorities crackdown on media in election aftermath:
http://www.ifex.org/iran/2009/06/17/crackdown_on_media/
- News and information fall victim to electoral coup:
http://www.ifex.org/iran/2009/06/15/post-election_crackdown/

More on the web:
- Twittering Iranians tell the world (Toronto Star):
http://www.thestar.com/Article/651927
- The 15 June front page of Etemad Meli, with a photo of President
Ahmadinejad at a rally with a column left blank because of editing by the
censors (Roozna.com):
http://roozna.com/2009/6/15/EtemaadMelli/944/Page/1/EtemaadMelli_944_1.pdf
- Internet filtering in Iran (OpenNet Initiative):
http://opennet.net/research/profiles/iran
- International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran:
http://www.iranhumanrights.org/

***15.06.09. RUSSIA. IFJ Report Finds 'Partial Justice' in Hunt for Killers of Journalists in Russia

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today launched 'Partial Justice' report, a review into the deaths of more than 300 Russian journalists since 1993, at a conference in Moscow hosted by the Russian Union of Journalists.
"The murder of Anna Politkovskaya in October 2006 shocked the world. Yet for every Anna, there have been many less widely known journalists killed for their work across Russia," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President.
"For the first time this report and the accompanying database present a
comprehensive record of these murders, whether taking place in cross-fires
in conflict zones, or homicide and contract killings, whether journalists killed for their work or in unexplained accidents, or even for personal dealings."
The IFJ review shows that of the 313 journalists' deaths in Russia since
1993:
Up to 124 have died as a direct result of their journalism;
19 were clearly murdered for their journalism and another 19 cases reveal
strong evidence to suggest they were also killed for their work, most of hom died outside and far from Moscow ;
189 of the deaths appear to be unrelated to their work.
The report also reveals that the total impunity that existed for killers of journalists until 1997 has gradually receded and that an increasing umber of investigations have led to prosecutions and a form of 'Partial Justice'.
The ten cases brought to trial of journalists killed for their work since 1997 saw a 50 per cent conviction rate. Of these, however, only two led to the jailing of all those responsible for the murder.
Crucially, the report confirms that the masterminds of attacks on journalists are getting away with murder. Over the past 15 years those who ordered the killings and arranged for the hire of assassins and their payment have hardly ever been charged, let alone prosecuted.
The report examines six case studies of killed journalists in depth, reviewing the circumstances around the death, the response of the authorities and the reasons behind the failure of the investigation.
These analyses reveal the weaknesses of the investigations by police and the prosecutor's office, especially when dealing with the targeted killings of journalists.
A data base launched alongside the report details the circumstances surrounding the deaths of more than 300 journalists in Russia. The first of its kind http://journalists-in-russia.org/journalists/ classifies these eaths (and disappearances) into five different categories -, homicide, accident, crossfire, terrorist act, incident not confirmed and missing. The report includes the following recommendations to the Russian authorities:
Measures must be taken to tackle the total impunity that persists in parts of the country where no one has yet been prosecuted for the murder of a journalist, in particular the North Caucasus (including Chechnya) and St Petersburg.
Greater support should be provided for investigations and prosecutions where a journalist has been killed for their work.
Crimes against journalists often have distinctive features; the Prosecutor
General's office should establish a nationwide database on journalists' crimes to identify these features and develop guidelines to maximize chances of successful investigations.
Some crimes, particularly contract killings, would benefit from being investigated by teams from outside the region where they have been committed.
Findings of investigations should be accessible for review by victim's families and lawyers.
Consider making the killing of a journalist a more serious offence.
"The world journalists' community is grateful to all the monitors and researchers who worked hard to produce the most outstanding record of journalists killed in Russia," added Boumelha. "It is now up to government agencies, prosecutors and the police to act swiftly in bringing the killers to justice and to make journalism safer."
The review is an initiative of the International Federation of Journalists
in collaboration with the Russian Union of Journalists, the Glasnost
Defence Foundation and the Centre for Journalism in Extreme Situations.
This is part of world Congress in Moscow in 2007.

***12.06.09 INSI welcomes Daniel Pearl Act passed by US House

Brussels, 12 June  - The International News Safety Institute on Friday welcomed passage of the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act by the US House of Representatives and urged the Senate and President Obama to speed its progress into law.
   
The measure, passed late on Wednesday as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, expands the examination of press freedom worldwide in the State Department's annual human rights report and establishes a grant programme aimed at strengthening media independence internationally. It will now go before the Senate and, if approved, on to President Obama for signature.
   
"This Act aims to give real teeth to efforts to promote press freedom by ensuring protection against harm for journalists around the world," said INSI Director Rodney Pinder. "We hope the Senate and President Obama give it their full support.
   
"If the Act passes into law, countries where journalists are killed and persecuted for doing their jobs will be named and shamed".
   
"Our many colleagues working in fear of their lives then will know they have powerful friends who are watching over them."
   
The Daniel Pearl Act -- authored by Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Mike Pence (R-IN), co-chairmen of the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press -- is named after  the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in February, 2002.
   
At least 34 news media who have died trying to cover the news this year, bringing the total since 1996 to more than 1,400.
   
INSI, a non-governmental organisation supported by news organisations,journalist support groups and humanitarian concerns worldwide, has now provided safety training at no cost to 1,223 journalists and other news media staff in 20 countries.

Any questions on this news release should be addressed to Rodney Pinder tel +44 7734 709267 or email rodney.pinder@newssafety.org

***10.06.09. GEORGIA. Russia Jams Georgian FM Radio Channels (from the Press Emblem Campaign Regional Representative)

The FINANCIAL -- Russian special services are using jamming machines to block Georgian radio channels in Shida Kartli region of Georgia, according to the information obtained by The Independent Association of Georgian Journalists. Zviad Pochkhua , Head of the association and Regional Representative of the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) said the first signals were received from the local inhabitants of Gori region where the majority of IDPs are concentrated. They said radio signals are jammed time to time.

"We traveled through Gori region to be convinced of that news. Sounds of Georgian radio channels disappeared as we crossed the Shida Kartli Region,
places still controlled by Georgian authorities. All you can receive on FM is the Russian military channel, broadcasting news and patriotic songs".

Zviad Pochkhua condemned that fact and said international involvement is needed to stop jamming. "Shida Kartli region is mainly populated by Georgians. There are thousands of IDP-s from conflict zone for whom radio is the main source of information", IAGJ said.

Russia has been accused of attacking Georgian websites in a cyber war to accompany their military bombardment.

Georgian authorities have been blocking Russian news channels Rossiya, Channel One, and NTV, as well as Web sites ending in ".ru" since August 9.

Russian news sites were accessible only via proxy servers, and that Russian
news channels have been blocked since last week due to "biased reporting and
propaganda.

South Ossetia was the focus of war between Russia and Georgia in 2008. It declared independence from Georgia and was recognised by Russia and Nicaragua.

During the Cold War Soviet Union was well experienced in jamming of some
Western broadcasters.

Radio Free Europe and its sister service Radio Liberty were the main target of Soviet jammers followed by Voice of America and the BBC World Service.

Special equipments to jam radio signals were used by Russian authorities during the war in Chechnia.

***09.06.09. Somali journalists stop work to mourn and condemn ‘savage’ killing of their colleagues 

A somber mood engulfed Somali capital Mogadishu today after journalists downed their tools and shut down their broadcasting stations to mourn and to protest the latest killing of Radio Shebele director, Muktar Mohamed Hirabe. 15 senior radio journalists of editors, producers, reporters, and anchors held a press conference at Hotel Sahafi today and announced the work stoppage.

Muktar Hirabe who was in the company of his colleague Ahmed Omar Hashi, was on Sunday (7 June) shot five times by a gunman at Bakara market in Mogadishu. Ahmed Omar who described the attack and killing as “vindictive and barbaric” was also injured in the attack. Muktar is the fifth journalist to be killed in Somalia by gunmen this year alone, and according to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) the death is a confirmation that the Somali journalist has become a serious target of those who are averse to truth.

“We are sad but we won’t relent, we are concerned but won’t be afraid. We will march on as journalists despite the assassins' bullet that has been falling us one by one,” said NUSOJ secretary-general, Omar Faruk Osman, while supporting and commending the journalists decision to engage in the black-out picketing in protest to the killing of their colleagues.

But as the journalists carried on with their protests, six journalists have reported to NUSOJ having received death threats from named people, whom they said would be held responsible should they be killed.  

“We would go further than just to condemn this killing by calling on all parties engaged in the Somali conflict to respect the life and work of a journalist. Let the killing end. We condemn the continued murders with impunity in Somalia. We now demand that the international community should take serious attention in this Horn of Africa country that has been transformed into more or less a butchery of journalists,” Omar said.

He said the killing must be condemned with all the contempt it deserves. "We must not only stop at talking about senseless killings in Somalia but must do everything possible to bring to book the perpetrators of the killings. If we in Somalia are also part of the international community, then it is high time the international community intervened in solidarity with the people and journalists of Somalia,” he said.

“It was another savage killing of a journalist in Somalia; the fall of our beloved Muktar Mohamed Hirabe was dreadful, devastating and tragic. We are still mourning and sharing in grief with those he left behind (his family), may Allah bless his soul and give him a place in the JANNAH and also wish a better life hereafter, AMIN” said a weeping Mogadishu journalist, whose name cannot be identified because he fears for his life.

“Muktar Mohamed Hirabe was a dearly loved colleague who worked with dedication and a great sense of teamwork. He was not at any time deterred by danger and I still remember him joking in my office, a day before the merciless butchers shot him brutally, wounding our other colleague Ahmed Tajir, not too far away from my office. He was our elder brother in the profession, solver of our problems, and advice-giver as a qualified colleague,” the un-named journalist said.

“I heard gunshots and a friend came to me running to the office where I was busy writing saying: 'Hey did you hear the gunshots? He asked me and swiftly followed with an answer even before I said a word, ‘Two men were shot and one of them is dead out there,” he narrated.

“I pulled my drawer quickly and picked up my camera to reach the scene in order to take photos of the victims without knowing that two of my close colleagues had been shot. I got out running with the camera but before I reached the scene where the lifeless body of brother Hirable lay, another friend who saw him came to me and told me that the dead body is Hirabe's. ‘Hey! Get back to your office before you are found, there is the dead body of your friend Hirabe’ he told me. I was shocked and stopped on the spot without moving towards any direction for about several minutes. I could not move my legs for some minutes due to shock, and I later got back to my office without seeing the dead body of my colleague”.

“I was terrified and started thinking about what has happened to my colleague for a long time and my eyes started welling up in tears. On Monday, I went to attend a press conference held by Hassan Dahir Aweys but still I’m down in the dumps, vulnerable and doomed to failure and fear.”

“We know who killed Hirabe and other colleagues but we cannot speak. We can simply say the same oppressors that assassinated our late colleagues are the same ones who gunned down Hirabe. I believe that other fellow journalists like me are also kept in the waiting list of those enjoying committing crimes and killing journalists with the highest level of impunity. They keep killing the harmless journalists who have nobody to defend them but God.”

According to Ahmed Omar Hashi, They first shot Hirabe at the back of his head and he fell face down. I managed to escape with gunshots in my stomach. It was devilish assassination. I glanced back and saw a youth in his early 20s standing on Hirabe and shooting Hirabe in the head. It was the most savage and violent action I have ever witnessed,” Ahmed Omar Hashi said.

Abdriahman Yusuf, the editor of Shabele radio, also said that the killing of Hirabe resembles that of Said Tahlil Ahmed who was killed on 4 February this year.

“They Shot Hirabe in the head, just like they did to Said Tahlil. They are killing every journalist in this country and their aim is to eliminate us all,” Abdirahman said.

The burial ceremony of Hirabe was disrupted shortly after four hooded men appeared and scared away his journalist colleagues who fled in fear, leaving behind the body to be buried by some of his relatives and neighbors.

***07.06.09. SOMALIA. Fifth Journalist Assassinated, senior journalist seriously wounded

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is shocked by the attack and assassination of fifth journalists in Mogadishu.

Two men with pistols attacked Muktar Mohamed Hirabe, Director of Radio Shabelle and Ahmed Omar Hashi (Tajir), News Editor of Radio Shabelle, in Bakara Market. The attackers killed on the spot Muktar Mohamed Hirabe after shooting him at the head five times. They also wounded seriously Ahmed Omar Hashi after shooting at the stomach twice. Late Muktar and Ahmed, 41, were walking together when attacked.

“Assassination of Muktar Mohamed Hirabe is a premeditated and targeted killing. Muktar Mohamed Hirabe was experienced, well-respected and well-known journalist. Situation is beyond condemnation. Somali journalists are not dying because of the conflict,” Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.

“Ahmed Omar Hashi is a living witness of serous crimes constantly committed against journalists. While hoping immediate recovery, colleagues who are committed to do their job in this extreme situation need to be protected”, Omar Faruk added.

Today, 7 June, is the first anniversary of the murder of Vice President of the National Union of Somali Journalists late Nasteh Daher Farah in Kismayu.

Muktar Mohamed Hirabe, 48, is the fifth journalist assassinated in Somalia in this year. He is also the third journalist murdered in this year from Radio Shabelle and in Mogadishu. NUSOJ and INSI trained Muktar Mohamed Hirabe in Djibouti on how to operate in unsafe environment in June 2008. Two wives and 5 children survived from Muktar Mohamed Hirabe.

On a separate case, Director of UNIVERSAL TV, Ibrahim Mohamed Ali, nicknamed "Jeekey", who was kidnapped in Garasbaley village on 2 June 2009 by four hooded and armed men was released today by the kidnappers.

For further information, contact:
National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ)
Taleex Street, KM4 Area, Hodan District,
Mogadishu, Somalia, tel/fax: +252 1 859 944,
e-mail: newsletter@nusoj.org  
Internet: http://www.nusoj.org

***06.06.09. Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) - Media freedom violations in oPt during May 2009

Last May has witnessed a continuation of violations against the Palestinian journalists, especially by the Israeli occupation authorities, which included the arrest of journalists Azmi Ash-Shioukhi, Ahmad Jalajil and his assistant, Raed Sarhan, the injury of Abdel-Rahman Khabisah and the closure of a Palestinian media center in Jerusalem.

 The Israeli occupation authorities continued to impose house arrest and resumed the trial of the AlalamTelevision correspondent, Khader Shahin, and producer, Mohamed Sarhan, since the fifteenth of last December .

Security forces have arrested cameraman Osaid Amarneh and kept journalists Mustafa Sabri and Murad Abu Al-Baha under arrest since last April, There is information that those journalists were exposed to torture
 
MADA Center condemns all attacks against journalists by the Israeli occupation forces, and the arrests of journalists by the Palestinian security apparatuses, and it demands the cessation of allattacks against journalists, and the release of the detained ones.

 Details of Violations:
 
  (May 1) - General Supervisor of Palestine Media and information Network Azmi Ash-Shiukhi was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces. Ash-Shiikhi said that he was arrested with a number of participants in the weekly march against the apartheid Wall in Al-Mia'sara village south of Bethlehem, and that they were harrased during the arrest as well as after transferring them to the police station in Kfar Etzion. Ash-Shiukhi has been investigated for participating in the march and accused of incitement to organize demonstrations against the construction of the wall and settlements. The day following his arrest, he has been isolated in a solitary cell because of his call for the prisoners on hunger strike in protest against the ill-treatment, food and clothing. Ash-Shiukhi has been brought five times to the trial before Ofer court for charges of inciting for demonstrations. He was released on the thirteenth of May, after being sentenced for one year in prison with a stay of execution, and he was prevented from participating in marches, in addition to financial penalty of twenty thousand shekels (about five thousand dollars).
 
(May 11) - Palestinian Information Office was closed in the city of Jerusalem, by the Israeli occupation forces. Lawyer, Ahmed Ar-Rwaidi, said that an Israeli security force raided the Ambassador Hotel, at which the Center was established to cover the visit of Pope Benedict XVI and handed him an order from the Israeli Minister of Internal Security to close the Center. The force also confiscated the contents of the Center such as files, papers, and the sign. He indicated that the Hotel's Hall had been rented for the establishment of the Center, especially in light of preventing the Palestinians journalists from covering the visit of the Pope during his tour in Jerusalem, and to give the opportunity to the personalities and institutions of Jerusalem to express their opinions.
 
(May 18) – Cameraman Osaid Amarneh was arrested by the Palestinian Preventive Security in Bethlehem. His family said that he had received a notice from the above mentioned force and then he went at ten o'clock where he was arrested and exposed to torture in the first day. The day next, he was transferred to regular rooms in the prison and then his family has visited him. The family had been told by the Preventive security that there are no charges against him, but he was held due to the political situation. Osaid was arrested several times by the security forces and forced to sign a pledge not work for Al-Aqsa Television.

(May 29) - Associated Press cameraman Abd Ar-Rahman Khabisa was injured by the Israeli occupation forces in the village of Bil'in west of Ramallah. Khabisa said that he was covering the weekly march against the Apartheid Wall in Bil'in village when the Israeli soldiers fired a gas canister at him which hit him between his legs resulting in the burning of his clothes and a slight burnt at the top of the legs. Later he moved about ten meters away from the location in which he was filming. Ten minutes later the soldiers shot him with a sound grenade that burnt his abdomen; he was transferred to Skiek Zayed hospital in Ramallah for treatment. Khabisa confirmed that the bombs were fired at him by the soldiers deliberately.
 
(May 29) –Palestine Media and Communications Company cameraman Ahmed Jalajel, and his assistant, Raed Sarhan were arrested by the Israeli police in the city of Jerusalem. Jalajel said that he was filming inside Al-Aqsa Mosque on that day and when departed from Al- Asbat Gate at about one o'clock afternoon, approximately twenty policemen were waiting them. They confiscated the camera and cellular phones, arrest them and transferred them to nearby police station. They have been investigated how they passed the camera into the Mosque. One hour later, they were transferred to another police station in the old city where investigation was resumed on filming inside the Mosque which is prohibited unless by a permission by the police. He told the police, "we interred as journalists and it is our right to film". They have been released at around five o'clock in the evening after signing a financial guarantee of 3000 Shekels (about 750 dollars) and an order preventing them from entering the Mosque for a 15 day period. Moreover, they have been notified not to enter into Al-Aqsa during the period of prevention otherwise they will be arrested.

Contact: Mousa Rimawi
MADA Coordinator
Ramallah
info@madacenter.org
madapalestine@yahoo.com
http/:www.madacenter.org 

***29.05.09. PAKISTAN. Suicide car bomb injures 20 journalists, damages offices of newspapers, television stations

(PPF/IFEX) - Twenty journalists were injured in a massive suicide car bomb blast on 27 May 2009 that killed at least 30 people and injured over 250, in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's Punjab province. Offices of a number of newspapers and television stations were also damaged in the blast.

According to the Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ), more than 20 journalists and media workers suffered multiple injuries. The journalists, who were working in their offices at the time, represent the daily "Khabrain", the daily "Nia Akhbar", Channel 5, the daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" and "Daily Ausaf" newspaper, located near the site of the blast.

The names of injured journalists, listed by the PUJ are: Rana Muhammmad Azeem, Chief Reporter (Channel 5) and Secretary General of the PUJ, Ashraf Majjed ("Khabrain"), Raza Mughal ("Nia Akhbar"), Rafeq Naqshbandi ("Nia Akhbar"), Hafiz Tariq (Channel 5), Azeem Nazeer (Channel 5), Adnan (Channel 5), Irfan (Channel 5), Shahid (Channel 5), Shukat (Channel 5), Omer (Channel 5), Yasir (Channel 5), Sultan (Channel 5), Qazi Tariq ("Daily Ausaf"), Gulzar Chudhary ("Daily Ausaf"), Ghazanfar Awan ("Daily Ausaf"), Nadeem Aftab ("Islamabad Times"), Ghazanfar ("Islamabad Times"), Babar ("Islamabad Times"), Abdul Jabbar ("Nawa-i-Waqt") and Muhammad Kaleem ("Khabrain").

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the PUJ strongly condemn the blast and express sorrow over the loss of innocent lives.

In a press statement, the PFUJ urged the federal and provincial governments to take remedial measures for the safety and protection of journalists, who are facing insecurity in the wake of increasing terrorist activity.

***29.05.09. SRI LANKA. Journalists trying to cover fate of Tamils are threatened, obstructed

Reporters Without Borders is extremely worried by statements by Sri Lankan officials, including army commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka, that journalists who visited areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels will be prosecuted.

At the same time, access to refugee camps and Tamil areas in general is still severely regulated, preventing the press from obtaining information about the fate of the Tamil population. Journalists and witnesses who dared to speak out have been intimidated and arrested.

“The war is over,” Reporters Without Borders said. “There is no longer any reason for the army to impose so many restrictions on media working in the Tamil areas, including restrictions on access to refugee camps. The United Nations - which deliberately minimised the suffering of Tamil civilians, according to the French newspaper Le Monde - should make an effort to obtain unrestricted access to refugee camps for the press and humanitarian aid workers.”

A humanitarian aid worker said: “At the checkpoints installed on the roads leading to Tamil areas, soldiers always ask the same question: ‘What are you going to do there?’.” Journalists are turned back if they lack official authorisation. The few foreign journalists who have covered the Tamil camps have been targeted by the government. A TV crew working for Britain’s Channel 4 was expelled.

Most of the Sri Lankan media have not sent reporters to the Tamil areas. The press have only managed to get into these areas when there have been visits by Sri Lankan and international official such as UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has not been allowed to visit some detention camps.

Reporters Without Borders reiterates its call for the release of three Tamil doctors - Thangamuttu Sathiyamorthi, Thurairaja Varatharajan and V. Sunmugarajah - who have been held since 18 may for providing the international media with information about the humanitarian situation in the Vanni district. ICRC representatives were allowed to see them in Colombo.

The army is trying to identify Tamils who provided information to the foreign press. A humanitarian aid worker who visited a camp near Vavuniya told Reporters Without Borders that members of Tamil paramilitary groups have been infiltrated into some camps with the aim of identifying those who are trying to get their stories to the media.

The army recently blocked the arrival of several dozen nuns who had obtained health ministry permission to visit camps to help refugees, especially those who have been psychologically traumatised.

Reporters Without Borders condemns the way Vavuniya-based journalist Mahamuni Subramaniam, a stringer for various news media including Reuters, has been treated. He was arrested on 14 May while covering the justice minister’s visit to the Ramanathan refugee camp.

Claiming that only journalists with the ITN and Rupavahini TV stations were allowed to film or take pictures of the minister’s meeting with a general, the police confiscated his expensive camera and still have not returned it to him, although he has petitioned the High Court for its return.

“During these inquiries once Major General Chandrasiri came out and verbally abused me saying I am a LTTE suspect and ordered the military to check me thoroughly.” Subramaniam said in a letter. “When I claimed that I am a reporter for Reuters, he vehemently said all foreign journalists are working against his homeland.”

A report in Le Monde yesterday accused the United Nations, especially the secretary-general’s chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar, of deliberately playing down the number of Tamil casualties during the fighting so as not to anger the government and thereby jeopardise the UN’s ability to continue operating in the country. An estimated 20,000 Tamils died in the fighting.

A resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 27 May praising the Sri Lankan government was an insult to the Tamil victims, Reporters Without Borders added.

***26.05.09. SOMALIA. Somali Journalists Shocked as Fourth Journalist Dies 

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is today shocked by the death of veteran journalist Nur Muse Hussein (Nur Inji) who died today from injuries he sustained from a targeted shooting in Beledweyne city of Hiran region in Central Somalia on 20 April 2009.

Nur Muse Hussein, 56, was wounded while he was trying to cover fighting in Beledweyn between militias loyal to Hiran Regional Administration and Hisbul Islam, an Islamic movement that operates in southern central regions of Somalia.

According to fellow journalists and his widow, Nur Muse Hussein who was with three other journalists when wounded by one of the fighters after they identified themselves as journalists, a Pedestrian walking behind the journalists reportedly died on the spot for the bullets that came through Nur’s leg, who worked for Radio Voice of Holy Quran in Mogadishu as their correspondent in Central regions. Bullets fractured his right leg. Nur Muse Hussein was in serious condition since the attack but his condition deteriorated in the last week, according to his widow.

“Nur Muse Hussein paid greatly for his dedication to journalistic profession. Today is another unforgettable and sad day for Somali journalists community,” Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. “Nur is the fourth journalist that became victim in this year for the crimes committed by the gun carrying men in Somalia. The death of Nur Muse Hussein highlights the unacceptable, continuing and deliberate violence against journalists in Somalia”.

Nur Muse Hussein left 5 children and a widow.

Abdirisak Warsameh Mohamed, nicknamed Gadao, of Radio Shabelle was shot dead on the morning of 22 May 2009 by forces fighting in the neighbourhoods near Bakara Market in Mogadishu. He was killed as he was crossing the road near Wardhigley police station, according to the director of Radio Shabelle, Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe.

Three men with pistols assassinated the well-respected Said Tahlil Ahmed, director of HornAfrik Radio in Mogadishu, on 4 February 2009 at around 2:45 p.m. (local time).

On 1 January, Hassan Mayow Hassan, a reporter for Radio Shabelle, was gunned down by a member of a pro-government militia in Afgoye, 30 kilometers south of Mogadishu. He is the first journalist killed in 2009 in the world. 

--
For further information, contact:
National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ)
Taleex Street, KM4 Area, Hodan District,
Mogadishu, Somalia, tel/fax: +252 1 859 944,
e-mail: newsletter@nusoj.org  
Internet: http://www.nusoj.org

***26.05.09. FEPALC emplaza a Estado mexicano - CONSTERNACIÓN POR EL ASESINATO DE OTRO PERIODISTA EN MÉXICO
 
La Federación de Periodistas de América Latina y el Caribe (FEPALC) expresa su consternación por el hallazgo en un río del cuerpo del periodista Eliseo Barrón Hernández, reportero del diario La Opinión.
 
De acuerdo a las autoridades de la Procuraduría General de Justicia del estado de Durango, el cuerpo de Barrón Hernández, corresponsal de Milenio y reportero desde hace 11 años del periódico La Opinión, fue encontrado en el Ejido Eureka, en un canal de riego. Se presume que el cadáver presenta al menos cuatro impactos de bala.
La FEPALC, al tiempo de exigir la investigación de este nuevo crimen contra un comunicador social, expresa su honda preocupación por lo que está ocurriendo en el estado de Durango. Este es el segundo periodista victimado en esa zona en lo que va del año. El último 3 de mayo, irónicamente Día Mundial de la libertad de Prensa, victimaron al periodista Carlos Ortega Melo Samper. A la fecha se desconoce el avance de las investigaciones.
México a la fecha se ha convertido en el país más peligroso para el ejercicio del periodismo. Esta situación se acentúa por el grado de impunidad garantiza a los victimarios. A la fecha en el 96% de los casos de crímenes contra periodistas no se ha hecho justicia. 
Barrón Hernández es el quinto periodista asesinado en México en el 2009. Le antecedieron el periodista Carlos Ortega Melo Samper (3 de mayo), Paul Ibarra Ramírez (13 de enero), Daniel Méndez Hernández (23 de febrero) y Juan Carlos Hernández (28 de febrero).
La FEPALC, fiel a sus principios, expresa su solidaridad con su organización afiliada, el Sindicato Nacional de Redactores de la Prensa (SNRP), de México, con los compañeros y compañeras de trabajo del periodista asesinado y con sus familiares a quienes les expresa sus más sentidas condolencias y les ratifica que no cesará en interpelar a las autoridades para que se haga justicia.     26 de mayo 2009   Celso Schroder
Presidente FEPALC
Zuliana Lainez
Secretaria Derechos Humanos FEPALC  

***13.05.09. PAKISTAN. Journalists flee Swat valley en masse

Reporters Without Borders and the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) are alarmed by the situation in the Swat valley as the Pakistani armed forces step up their operations against the Taliban there. Newspapers had already stopped publishing after the military imposed a curfew. Now journalists are fleeing to safer areas. The Khyber Union of Journalists yesterday urged the government to allow the media access to Mingora, the largest city in the valley.

“It is now impossible to get independently-sourced information about what is happening in the Swat valley,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Journalists are fleeing en masse. None of them wants to stay there anymore. We urge the authorities to issue journalists with permits that allow them to circulate during curfew hours. We also call for immediate measures to guarantee the security of journalists, so that they can return to the valley and resume working there.”

Reporters Without Borders added: “The Swat valley has become a lawless area without news media and without journalists. This situation is unacceptable and must be remedied by the government at once.”

At a news conference, Khyber Union of Journalists president Mohammad Riaz said: “There is a complete blackout of news from Swat, Buner and Dir. There is no source of dissemination of news. No one is aware about the actual situation.”

Swat press club president Salahuddin Khan told Reporters Without Borders yesterday that all the journalists had left the valley and that it was “now without any news media.”

Veteran journalists such as Ghulam Farooq, the editor of Shamal, and Fayyaz Zafar, the editor of the online newspaper Zama Swat, left Swat on 7 May and moved to cities such as Peshawar. “I have just left with my family and I am staying with a friend a long way from Mingora as journalism is no longer an easy trade to practice,” Farooq told Reporters Without Borders by phone.

A few journalists such as TV reporter Shireenzada had been holding on despite the danger. He told Reporters Without Borders a few days ago: “Let’s hope nothing serious happens.” He said he had stockpiled fuel and food for the difficult days to come. He was the last reporter to try to provide information about what was happening in the combat zone.

Shireenzada finally pulled out for safety reasons yesterday. “I have also left Swat with my family because it is extremely hard to be a journalist in the current situation,” he said. “Swat is now without any journalists.”

Shireenzada said there were still several thousand inhabitants trapped in Mingora waiting for the end of the curfew in order to leave for safer areas. He added that they would soon run out of water and food because of the lack of electricity and the curfew.

***08.05.09. SRI LANKA: The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) supports the call launched by UN human rights experts for an urgent international scrutiny

GENEVA - The UN Human Rights Council experts dealing with summary executions, right to health, right to food and water and sanitation, Mr. Philip Alston, Mr. Anand Grover, Mr. Olivier De Schutter and Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, released the following statement Friday:

The current humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka gives cause for deep concern, not only in terms of the number of civilians who have been and continue to be killed, but because of a dramatic lack of transparency and accountability. “There is good reason to believe that thousands of civilians have been killed in the past three months alone, and yet the Sri Lankan Government has yet to account for the casualties, or to provide access to the war zone for journalists and humanitarian monitors of any type”, said Philip Alston, the UN expert on summary executions.

The continuing catastrophic situation of civilians in Sri Lanka trapped in the midst of fighting between the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE, in an area measuring less than 10 sq km, must be immediately addressed. “These civilians do not have sufficient access to food, essential medical supplies or services and safe water and sanitation. Even if they do escape death or injury at the hands of the hostile parties, their continued presence in this area without access to these basic rights is an effective death sentence,” declared the Experts of the UN Human Rights Council. “The safety of civilians, including their safe passage out of the conflict zone, must be prioritized by all actors involved” said the Experts. While many thousands of civilians have now left this area, the Experts maintained their concern about the safety of more than 50,000 estimated by the UN to still remain.
Shipments of food and medicine to the “no fire zone” have been grossly insufficient over the past month and the Government has reportedly delayed or denied timely shipment of life saving medicines as well as to chlorine tablets. “As a result of the blackout on independent information sources, it is impossible to verify any of the Government’s claims as to the number of casualties to date or as to the steps that it says it is taking in order to minimize the further killing of innocent civilians, and ensure delivery of humanitarian assistance”, said the Experts.

“When people manage to escape, they reportedly continue to face scant supplies, entirely insufficient access to adequate medical treatment and severely overcrowded hospitals, providing no relief to the horrors they had been living,” remarked Anand Grover, the UN expert on the right to health. “Access to food has also been hampered by arduous and lengthy registration procedures for the internally displaced persons; the desperation and chaos witnessed in some cases show that the situation is critical,” said Olivier De Schutter, the UN expert on the right to food. Catarina de Albuquerque, the UN expert on water and sanitation, also expressed concern about “water shortages reported at Omanthai and at most of the transit sites as well as inadequate sanitation facilities, which put the health and lives of the population at further risk.” The Government must take urgent measures with the assistance of the international community to ensure that security concerns do not result in unjustifiable suffering.

The Experts called upon the Sri Lankan Government to provide convincing evidence to the international community that it is respecting its obligations under human rights and international humanitarian law. It is also clear that the LTTE, for its part, has acted in flagrant violation of the applicable norms by preventing civilians from leaving the conflict area and having reportedly shot and killed those trying to flee. "There is an urgent need to establish an international commission of inquiry to document the events of recent months and to monitor ongoing developments." The Experts called upon the UN Human Rights Council to establish such a commission, as a matter of urgency, to address the critical situation in Sri Lanka, and demand full respect for all human rights. Any such inquiry should study the conduct of all sides to the conflict.

***06.05.09. PAKISTAN: Media in danger in Swat valley

Reporters Without Borders deplores the deterioration in the media situation in the Swat valley since the military launched an offensive against the Taliban. The valley has been plunged into chaos, fighting is raging, the population is fleeing, and the media are all paralysed.

Local newspapers have stopped publishing for safety reasons. National newspapers are no longer being distributed. Cable television is not working. The authorities have introduced a curfew in Swat and neighbouring districts in a bid to stop the Taliban from reinforcing their positions in the region.

“Over the months, Swat had already become an area where rights were not respected, but the situation has become much worse since newspapers stopped appearing and cable television stopped working,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We urge the Pakistani authorities to give journalists better protection and to issue permits that allow them to circulate during curfew hours so that they are able to do their job.”

The press freedom organisation added: “Newspapers must resume publishing without delay. The population of both the Swat valley and the rest of the country must be able to follow what is happening in the Swat valley.”

Ghulam Farooq, the editor of the daily Shamal, told Reporters Without Borders: “All the newspapers based in Swat have stopped publishing for security reasons, because the situation is extremely dangerous. What’s more, the curfew makes it impossible for our staff to move about.”

Rashid Iqbal, the editor of the daily Chand, said he had not been sending any newspapers to Swat for the past two days. “We are no longer sending newspapers to Swat and we do not know when we will be able to resume distribution,” he told Reporters Without Borders.

Swat’s inhabitants no longer have access to satellite television since the Taliban damaged the district’s only cable distribution network.

“There are no newspapers and no TV stations to find out what is going on around us,” a Swat-based lawyer said. “It is as if we were living in the Stone Age. There is no news, no access to information.”

***06.05.09. MEXICO. Murder of Fourth Journalist in the Year Demonstrates Urgent Need for Legal Reform

On World Press Freedom Day, Carlos Ortega Melo Samper a journalist from the newspaper E l Tiempo de Durango in northern Mexico was assassinated. At the time of his death he had been undertaking investigations of alleged acts of corruption. ARTICLE 19 calls for immediate legal reforms to give the federal-level government the authority to investigate the murder and bring the perpetrators to justice.

On Sunday 3 May at 5 o’clock in the evening, a pick-up truck intercepted Carlos Ortega Melo Samper outside his home in the state of Durango in northern Mexico. The perpetrator fired his 40 caliber pistol three times from the truck, hitting Ortega in the head and killing him. The journalist had been working as a correspondent for the local newspaper El Tiempo for two years; he also worked as a lawyer in the municipality.

In an interview with ARTICLE 19, Fernando Mendoza who works for El Tiempo said that: “ the first line of investigation for this assassination should be for the journalistic activity of Melo Samper and in particular his recent investigation of the sanitary conditions in the municipal slaughterhouse. ” Mendoza added that the staff of El Tiempo had held a meeting with the Governor of the State of Durango, Ismael Alfredo Hernandez Deras, to discuss the investigation.

Melo Samper had complained about threats by local authorities as recently as two weeks prior to his death, for a story he had written on the sanitary conditions in the local state run slaughterhouse. As a result of this incident, before he died he wrote an article in which he stated that mayor of the municipality Martín Silvestre Herrera and Juan Manuel Calderón Guzmán, in charge of federal programmes and the municipal slaughterhouse, were responsible should any harm come to him. This article was in the editorial department of the paper awaiting publication at the time of his murder.

“ Carlos Ortega’s case sadly underscores the need of providing federal authorities with the power and the capacity to investigate and sanction aggressions against journalists, particularly in cases, such as this one, where the local authorities are known to have previously harassed or threatened the victim ”, stated Dr Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19.

“ The Mexican authorities must immediately undertake the much required legal and policy reform that would at least address the salient problem of impunity for crimes against the media ”, Dr Callamard added.

The journalist had been at odds with local authorities for a number of years. In July 2005, following a formal complaint, the State Commission of Human Rights for Durango investigated high ranking members the of the local Public Security forces. The Commission concluded that elements of the public Security Forces had violated the journalist’s human rights.

Ortega was famous for his critical writing in the municipality. Since 2003, he worked on a number of local and regional newspapers, including El Sol de Torreón and El Siglo de Durango . Since 2008, he had been writing in El Tiempo as a correspondent and distributor. He contributed to the paper on a daily basis and was also writing for the weekly publication Expresión de Durango . Ortega had been living in the area for more than 10 years.

The assassination of journalists is the ultimate form of censorship. Local media and journalists play a pivotal role in informing society about subjects that are relevant to the local communities. Without a media able to operate freely and without fear, society is prevented from accessing information essential to decision-making and participating in the public life and local affairs.

ARTICLE 19 expresses its solidarity with colleagues, friends, and collaborators of the newspaper E l Tiempo , and with the journalists in the region.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the authorities, in accordance with their international obligations, to investigate effectively the murder and prosecute those responsible.

***06.05.09. PHILIPPINES. A Philippine court convicts one journalist’s killer; another acquits a suspect in a separate case

CMFR/PHILIPPINES—Two local courts recently decided two separate cases of work-related killing of broadcasters in Region XI (Davao Region). Eight out of the 78 work-related killing of journalists/media practitioners since 1986 happened in Region XI.

On 22 April 2009, Judge George Omelio of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 14 in Davao City acquitted a block-timer of the charge of murdering his fellow block-time radio broadcaster Fernando “Batman” Lintuan for lack of additional evidence to support the testimony of the prosecution’s lone witness. Davao City is approximately 978 kms from Manila.

Meanwhile, Judge Albert Axalan of Branch 20 of the Digos City RTC convicted on 24 March 2009 Joy “Tungol” Anticamara, who gunned down block-time radio broadcaster Armando “Rachman” Pace, for homicide instead of murder. Digos City, the capital of Davao del Sur province, is about 995 kms Southeast of Manila. Although it was promulgated 29 April 2009, the decision was signed 24 March 2009.

Since 2001, there have only been three convictions out of the 78 cases of journalists killed— the killers of Marlene Esperat, Edgar Damalerio, and now, Pace. Forty journalists or 51.28 percent of the 78 were killed after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001.

Acting on the accused’s demurrer to evidence, the Davao RTC Branch 14 acquitted Leonilo Larosa in the Lintuan case (Criminal Case no. 63,537-2008) after the prosecution failed to present new evidence against him. A demurrer is an application to dismiss the case, which the court or tribunal may grant or deny. The party demurring admits the facts of the preceding pleading to be true, but questions the sufficiency of facts for the case to proceed.

Larosa through his counsel filed a demurrer to evidence last 12 March 2008.

In his decision, Judge Omelio said the testimony of the 19-year-old witness in the Lintuan case was “irreconcilable, contradictory, and incompatible with his statements on other occasions.” The inconsistencies “therefore made him ridiculous and unbelievable,” Omelio added.

Lintuan was shot dead on 24 December 2007 by a gunman riding tandem with an accomplice on a motorcycle. Lintuan was in his car with two colleagues and had just left the dxGO radio station premises.

Lintuan was critical of the local government and was known to be a hard-hitting commentator in Davao. He also criticized the involvement of Larosa in and his promotion of “Last Two”, an illegal numbers game where the winning combination is taken from the last two numbers of the winning combination of the Sweepstakes.

Lintuan had been a radio broadcaster since the 1980s and was also a columnist for Sun.Star Super Balita, a local newspaper in Davao. He was the first president of the Davao Sportswriters Association and was also a member of the Philippine Sports Commission.

In the other media murder case (Criminal Case no. 281-2006), the court sentenced gunman Anticamara to a maximum of 17 years in prison and to pay damages amounting to P151,500.00 for the killing of Pace.

Judge Axalan of the Digos City RTC in his decision said he was convinced that Anticamara killed Pace after the 16-year-old witness positively identified him as the gunman. But the court reduced the offense to homicide because “the evidence on record does not show that the motorcycle was purposely used to facilitate the commission of the crime” but “was used only in facilitating the escape.”

Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ) legal adviser Prima Jesusa Quinsayas explained that “the act of escaping from the crime scene on a motorcycle is different from using a motorcycle to facilitate the crime.” The FFFJ is a coalition organized to address the killing of journalists. Its members are the Kapisanan ng Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines), the Philippine Press Institute, the Center for Community Journalism and Development, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, the US-based newspaper Philippine News, and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, which serves as its secretariat.

“Say a tricycle driver killed someone with a gun. After shooting him, he gets on his tricycle and escapes. That is simply using his tricycle to escape the scene of the crime. If the tricycle driver used his tricycle to get near someone on the pretext of getting the latter as a passenger so as not to arouse suspicion, then shoots him and leaves on the motorcycle, the motorcycle was used to facilitate a crime,” Quinsayas said.

Court records show that the witness saw Anticamara, who has been her neighbor for around 12 years, with a gun after she heard three gunshots and saw Pace dead on the cemented street. Anticamara had always maintained he was innocent.

Despite the decision, Quinsayas said a murder complaint can still be filed against the masterminds should the police or any other law enforcement agency identify them and gather sufficient evidence to establish probable cause, which is necessary for the filing of an information against the masterminds in the Pace case.

“…(J)ustice is never fully served if the mastermind is not identified, arrested, tried and convicted,” Quinsayas said. No mastermind has been convicted since 2001.

Pace was killed on 18 July 2006 minutes after he signed off from his dxDS-Radyo Ukay program Ukadyang, slang in Davao for “ukaya” which means “stir it up”. Pace was shot thrice with a .45-caliber gun by two men riding on a black motorcycle
along Rizal Avenue, Digos City. He died on the way to the hospital.

Three months before he was killed, Pace had received death threats through his mobile phone but chose to ignore them and to continue with his work.

Pace was known for his fiery commentaries and for mocking his subjects on the air. He also commented on his subjects’ personal problems, which his colleagues said led to the filing of about a hundred libel suits against him. His reporting style earned him the moniker “Rachman”, a term derived from the word “rak-rak” which means “firing indiscriminately at people”. #

(http://www.cmfr-phil.org/2009/05/07/a-philippine-court-convict-one-journalists-killer-another-acquits-a-suspect-in-a-separate-case/)

***05.05.09. Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) - Media freedom violations in oPt during April 2009

The Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms (MADA) expresses
concern over the escalation of Israeli violations against journalists in
the occupied Palestinian territories, and the continued Israeli occupation
forces targeting of Journalists who cover the marches against the Apartheid
Wall, especially in the villages of Bilain and Nea’lin.

MADA expresses its concern over the return of arrests among journalists in
the West Bank, where the independent journalist Mustafa Sabri, the writer
Dr.Abd Al-Sattar Qaesem and Murad Abu Al-Bahaa’ were arrested. And the
attempt to restrict the travel of some journalists in the Gaza Strip, as in
the case of the journalist Sakhr Abu Aoun whose  passport was held since
March 21st preventing him from traveling to Bahrain to participate in a
conference on media freedoms, and Khaled Bulbul, who was prevented from
traveling to participate in a training course on professional safety in
Cairo.

As MADA condemns all aggressions against journalists, which is considered a
gross violation of freedom of expression, MADA demands:

•     The international community to exert pressure on the Government of
Israel to stop its violations against journalists.
•     The dismissed government in Gaza strip to allow journalists to move
and travel freely.
•     Releasing all detainee journalists in the prisons of Israel and
Palestinian National Authority.

Details of violations:

(April 3) - Reuters photographer, Saed Fathi Hewwari (32 years old), was
injured by Israeli occupation forces. Hewwari said that he was covering the
weekly march with a group of journalists in Bilain village, when the
soldiers fired tear gas canisters at them. One of canisters hit him in his
right leg resulting in a wound, and he received treatment in the Al-Sheikh
Zayed Hospital in Ramallah. It was mentioned that the Israeli occupation
forces began, since a short period, using a new type of tear gas where
eight canisters are fired together by a cannon, and they are more dangerous
than the usual bombs. This kind of canisters has killed the citizen Basem
Abu Rahmeh, in the April 17th in Bilain village when hit him in the chest.

(April 4) –Maan News Agency and Farah TV cameraman, Yousef Mahmoud Ja'ss,
from Jenin Refugee Camp was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces. An
official of Farah TV said that Ja'ss was going to Ramallah city, when
Israeli occupation forces arrested him at Za'tarah checkpoint, between the
cities of Nablus and Ramallah, and transferred him the same day to Hewwarah
Detention Center near Nablus.

(April 10) - Ramattan Agency cameraman, Ata Mustafa Awad was injured by two
gas canisters fired by the Israeli occupation forces. Awad said that he was
covering the weekly march against the Apartheid Wall in the village of
Nea’lin (Ramallah), when occupation soldiers deliberately fired gas
canisters, one of them hit his back and the other hit his right shoulder
resulting in the loss of consciousness and falling to the ground. He was
treated at a field hospital in the area. Sound technician, Zakaria
Al-salhi, was also injured by dense gas inhalation which required
transferring him to Ramallah hospital for treatment.

(April 10) - The Associated Press Photographer, Mohammad Mheisen was
injured by two gas canisters fired by Israeli occupation forces. Mhaisen
said that the soldiers fired tear gas at the demonstrators and journalists
during the weekly march in Bilain village, where two of gas canisters hit
him, one in the left shoulder and the other in the face directly. He said
"if I have not wearing the anti-gas mask it would have burnt my face; the
mask and the camera, which was slightly burnt, have protected me."

(April 12) - Quds Net photographer and correspondent, Diala Jwaihan, was
detained by Israeli occupation forces for seven hours. Jwaihan said that
she was filming Jewish extremists inside Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem at
about 13:15pm, when she was stopped by Israeli police who confiscated her
camera, her bag and mobile phone, then they took her to the police station
at King David Gate in the Old City, and an hour later she was transferred
to the an investigation center in the Old City as well, where she was
investigated on her press job and that she breached the public order. They
told her that it not permitted to film inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and Um
Kamel’s Tent for fifteen days, and she was released at 8:00 pm after
returning her confiscated properties.

(April 19) - Khaled Jamal Bulbul (32 years old) was prevented from travel
to Egypt to participate in the professional safety training course in
Cairo, organized by the International Federation of Journalists. Bulbul
said that he went to the Rafah crossing on April 19th to travel to Cairo,
but the officials in charge of internal security at the crossing told him
that he is not permitted to travel, and told him" you have to go to the
internal security in Gaza to solve your problems with them". In fact, he
went the next day to their headquarters (Al-Mashtal), but they told him
that he has no problems, "you may have problems with other apparatuses".
The same day he went to the crossing and told the Chairman of the internal
security of what they said in (Al-Mashtal), however he told him that his
travel is still prohibited.

(April 20) - Ekhbareyyat News network photographer’s car, A’yed
Mohareb, was shattered by the settlers in the town of Hewwarah, south of
Nablus. Mohareb said that a group of settlers shattered his car windshield
and back glass at about 11:00pm. He came out of his house, located on the
main street of the town, after hearing a noise outside the house, and when
the settlers saw him, they fled by their Subaru yellow number-plate car.

 (April 20) - Journalist Murad Abu Al-Baha’, Information Coordinator at
the Office of the Islamic Parliamentary Bloc in Ramallah was arrested by
the Palestinian preventive security service. A statement by the Office said
that Baha’ was arrested from his home in the town of Beitunia, near
Ramallah, by the mentioned service, and that he was tortured during
interrogation.

(April 21) – Freelance journalist Mustafa Sabri, was arrested by the
Palestinian Preventive Security service in the city of Qalqilya. His wife
said that a group of the above mentioned force came to their house
afternoon, and asked for Mustafa who was in a nearby field outside the
house. They have taken his elder son to lead them to the place, but they
did not find him there, so she called him asking to come back home where
they arrested him. Then they came back at about 09:00pm and inspected the
house thoroughly for two hours, confiscated his computer and left the
house.
-----------------------------
Contact: Mousa Rimawi
MADA Coordinator -  Ramallah
info@madacenter.org
madapalestine@yahoo.com
http/:www.madacenter.org

***01.05.09. WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY 2009. All events around the world. Visit the special World Press Freedom Day page on the IFEX website:

http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/242/

***01.05.09. New Study: Global Press Freedom Declines in Every Region for First Time (Freedom House report)

Journalists faced an increasingly grim working environment in 2008, with global press freedom declining for a seventh straight year and deterioration occurring for the first time in every region, according to Freedom House's annual media study. The rollback was not confined to traditionally authoritarian states; with Israel, Italy and Hong Kong slipping from the study's Free category to Partly Free status.

"The journalism profession today is up against the ropes and fighting to stay alive, as pressures from governments, other powerful actors and the global economic crisis take an enormous toll," said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House executive director. "The press is democracy's first defense and its vulnerability has enormous implications for democracy if journalists are not able to carry out their traditional watchdog role."

Freedom House formally released the findings from Freedom of the Press 2009 in Washington in front of the organization’s giant Map of Press Freedom at the Newseum. The study indicates that there were twice as many losses as gains in 2008, with declines and stagnation in East Asia of particular concern. While parts of South Asia and Africa made progress, overall these gains were overshadowed by a campaign of intimidation targeting independent media, particularly in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East and North Africa.

There were some notable improvements. The Maldives made the study's largest jump, moving to the Partly Free category with the adoption of a new constitution protecting freedom of expression and the release of a prominent journalist from life imprisonment. Guyana regained its Free rating with fewer attacks on journalists and a government decision to lift a boycott on advertising in the main independent newspaper.

Out of the 195 countries and territories covered in the study, 70 (36 percent) are rated Free, 61 (31 percent) are rated Partly Free and 64 (33 percent) are rated Not Free. This represents a modest decline from the 2008 survey in which 72 countries and territories were Free, 59 Partly Free and 64 Not Free. The new survey found that only 17 percent of the world's population lives in countries that enjoy a Free press.

Key regional findings include:Asia Pacific: Cambodia dropped to Not Free status because of increased violence against journalists. Hong Kong slipped to Partly Free as Beijing exerted growing influence over media. China's media environment remained bleak. Media in Taiwan faced assault and growing government pressure. South Asia saw improvements in the Maldives, Bangladesh and Pakistan, while Sri Lanka and Afghanistan suffered setbacks. Central and Eastern Europe/Former Soviet Union: The region suffered the biggest drop in press freedom of any region, with journalists murdered in Bulgaria and Croatia and assaulted in Bosnia. Russia's score declined with the judiciary unwilling to protect journalists from attacks, as well as the frequent targeting of independent media by regulators. Middle East and North Africa: The region continues to have the world's lowest level of press freedom. Restrictions on journalists and official attempts to influence coverage during the Gaza conflict led to Israel's Partly Free status. The Israeli-Occupied Territories/Palestinian Authority saw declines with both Hamas and Fatah intimidating journalists. Iraq saw the security environment for journalists improve and new legal protections for media in the Kurdish areas. Sub-Saharan Africa: Press freedom suffered in Senegal with an increase in both legal and extralegal action taken against media. In Madagascar, media outlets critical of the government were targeted. Other declines were seen in Botswana, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Lesotho, Mauritania, South Africa and Tanzania. Comoros, Sierra Leone, Angola and Liberia improved. Americas: Guyana regained its Free rating, while Haiti and Uruguay saw significant improvement. However, Mexico’s score dropped again because of increased violence, the government’s unwillingness to make legal reforms, and pressure on media from local and state officials. Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua registered major declines. Western Europe: The region continues to boast the world's highest level of press freedom. However, Italy slipped back into the Partly Free category with free speech limited by courts and libel laws, increased intimidation of journalists by organized crime and far-right groups, and concerns over the concentration of media ownership. Greece also suffered a significant decline.

Freedom House has assessed the degree of print, broadcast and internet freedom in every country in the world since 1980. The 2009 ratings are based on an assessment of the legal, political and economic environments in which journalists worked in 2008.

"The declines in East Asia are particularly disappointing, given the increased attention on the region because of the Beijing Olympics," said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Freedom House senior researcher and managing editor of the study. "China should have had a better record in 2008 and upheld its promise to ensure press freedom during the Olympics, but instead it chose to remain the world's largest repressor of media freedom."

Key trends that led to numerical movements in the study include:Fragile Freedoms: Declines in Israel, Italy and Taiwan illustrate that established democracies with traditionally open media are not immune to restricting media freedom. Over the last five years, a number of emerging democracies have also suffered considerable declines in press freedom including: Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Thailand, the Philippines and Senegal. Consolidating Control: Authoritarian states are increasingly consolidating control of the media. In the last five years, space for independent media shrunk significantly in countries like Russia, Ethiopia and The Gambia. Violence and Impunity: The level of violence and physical harassment directed at the press by both government and non-state actors continues to rise in many countries. Many of these cases go unsolved and these attacks have a chilling effect on media, contributing to self-censorship. Punitive laws: Both governments and private individuals continue to restrict media freedom through laws that forbid "inciting hatred," commenting on sensitive topics such as religion or ethnicity, or "endangering national security." Libel and defamation laws remain a widespread way to punish the press. New media: Freedom House’s recently released internet freedom index finds that new media outlets are often freer than traditional media and have the potential to open repressive media environments such as China and Iran. However, as new media gains influence, governments are beginning to crack down on internet users by employing traditional means of repression.

The world’s worst-rated countries continue to include Burma, Cuba, Eritrea, Libya, North Korea and Turkmenistan. The study found that the level of media freedom in these countries remained stagnant in 2008, despite hope that the internet and new media might provide openings in the media environment.

The methodology and graphics from the survey are available by contacting Laura Ingalls at ingalls@freedomhouse.org or by calling +1-202-683-0909. Full reports for select countries and territories in the study will be available in June. 

***29.04.09. INSI calls for practical action by governments to staunch news media bloodshed

Washington, 29 April - The International News Safety Institute on Wednesday laid out a programme of action for governments to help stop the killing of journalists worldwide.

INSI Director Rodney Pinder said too many journalists continued to die trying to provide the world with the news that sustained free societies everywhere.

"The time for more words has long since passed.We hear daily the cries for help and we need to respond with effective action," he told a meeting entitled Dangerous Truth: Safeguarding Journalism and Media Workers at the US Congress called to mark World Press Freedom Day.

"It is entirely appropriate that we take up this subject, of fundamental importance to our democratic freedoms, at the legislative heart of the country which stands before the world as a bastion of free speech..." Pinder said.

"Whenever a journalist dies in the course of their duty, another window closes on the flow of information which fuels good governance, politics and business in an interdependent world."

INSI counts more than 1,300 journalists and other news professionals who have died trying to cover the news in 105 countries since 1996.

Pinder proposed a four-point plan for governments to help staunch the bloodshed:

• Support for the letter and spirit of UN Security Council Resolution 1738 which addresses the safety of news media personnel in conflict and urges an end to impunity for the killers of journalists

• Democratic governments to take a country's record on the murder of journalists into account when deciding aid programmes. "Morally, democracies have no business supporting regimes that encourage or turn a blind eye to murder of journalists," Pinder said. "Practically, corruption negates the best aid programmes unless exposed."

• All government-funded media training projects should include safety training for journalists."Too often media development tax dollars are wiped out by the men with guns," Pinder said.

• Governments must develop a long-term strategic process that puts safety and security at the heart of media development work.

Pinder expressed INSI's support for the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act introduced by the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press. It aims to establish an annual State Department report on the status of press freedom in every country in the world and create a grant programme aimed at broadening and strengthening the independence of journalists and media organisations.

Pearl, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002.

"What better way to make the sacrifice of a thousand journalists worthwhile than to help save the lives of a thousand who will go into danger in our name in the years to come," Pinder concluded.

The World Press Freedom Day debate, Dangerous Truth: Safeguarding Journalism and Media Workers, was organised by the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). It was co-hosted by Senators Richard Luger and Christopher Dodd and Congressmen Adam Schiff and Michael Pence, co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus for the Freedom of the Press.

See Rodney Pinder's address to the United States Congress at: http://www.newssafety.org/images/stories/pdf/aboutinsi/INSI_USCongress.pdf

INSI is a non-governmental organisation established on 3 May 2003 by a unique coalition of news organisations, journalist support groups and humanitarian campaigners concerned by the rising numbers of journalists killed around the world.

Any questions on this news release should be addressed to Rodney Pinder, mobile +44 7734 70926, email rodney.pinder@newssafety.org 

***23.04.09. SEEMO/IPI marks tenth anniversary of NATO strike on Radio-Television Serbia (RTS)

Exactly ten years after NATO bombed the headquarters of Serbian state radio and television (RTS), the Vienna based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute, today calls for NATO to ensure an independent investigation into the attack.

On 23 April 1999, 16 media workers were killed when NATO bombs fell on the headquarters and studios of RTS in central Belgrade. Those killed were: Jelica Munitlak (28 years old), Ksenija Bankovic (28), Darko Stolmenovski (26), Nebojsa Stojanovic (27), Dragorad Dragojevic (27), Dragan Tasic (31), Aleksandar Deletic (31), Slavisa Stevanovic (32), Sinisa Medic (32), Ivan Stukalo (34), Dejan Markovic (39), Milan Joksimovic (47), Branislav Jovanovic (50), Milan Jankovic (59), Tomislav Mitrovic (61), and Slobodan Jontic (54).

According to Serbian sources, the media workers who died that day were ordered by the then-management of RTS to remain in the building despite a decision by the government that RTS should evacuate its staff and equipment to another location.
In the first step of an investigation by the authorities in Belgrade, Dragoljub Milanovic, the former director of RTS, was sentenced in 2002 to ten years in prison for failing to protect the lives of the 16 RTS employees killed in the NATO strike. However, to this day, NATO has failed to ensure full accountability for this unprecedented attack on a media outlet.

SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said, "The fact that the Serbian state media was perceived by some as a propaganda tool in the war cannot be used as an argument to justify the bombing of RTS as a legitimate target." Vujovic continued, "SEEMO would welcome a full and transparent investigation by NATO, and urges NATO to admit it was mistaken to target a media outlet, in order to ensure that justice is administered and to finally bring some peace to the families and colleagues of the victims."

Ten Years On, IFJ Says NATO "Must Apologise" over Belgrade Media Killings

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today said that, ten years after NATO forces defied the protests of journalists and human rights groups and bombed a television centre in Belgrade killing 16 media staff, the damage from that unprecedented strike is still being felt. "When NATO forces decided to strike at the television of station RTS in Belgrade because they found its propaganda offensive they set a terrible precedent," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "That attack opened the door to a decade of attacks on media in conflict zones and has made journalism more dangerous than ever."

Boumelha says that NATO should admit its mistake on April 23rd 1999 when it targeted the Serbian state broadcaster in its struggle with the regime of Slobodan Milosevic. "The lives lost are gone forever, but an apology from NATO to the families and colleagues of those who died is long overdue," he said.

Only days before the attack, the IFJ had received an assurance from NATO officials that it would not attack media during the conflict over the future of Kosovo. Such an attack is in contravention of international law, warned the IFJ and other press freedom advocates, even if the media concerned are guilty of propaganda. Attacks are only permitted on media when they are actively engaged in the strategic process of war. 

But the NATO strike went ahead. Those who died were forced to stay at their posts despite warnings of the attack, raising claims that they had been deliberately placed in danger by the RTS bosses. Following the attack , other assaults on media installations - particularly by the Israeli military which attacked media in Lebanon in 2006 and in the Gaza Strip earlier this year - have been justified by NATO's action.

The IFJ pledged at this anniversary to support journalists in Serbia in their efforts to seek justice for their colleagues who died during the attack and to overcome the legacy of divisive politics which for so long has undermined the profession.

***18.04.09. IRAN. Iranian-American journalist gets eight years on spying charge

Reporters Without Borders “firmly condemns” the eight-year prison sentence which a Tehran revolutionary court passed today on Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi on a charge of spying for the United States.

“This conviction was unjust under the Iranian criminal code and the sentence was severe,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Saberi’s lawyer was not with her when she appeared before the judges for the single hearing on 13 April. Coming as it does in the run-up to elections, this sentence is a warning to all foreign journalists working in Iran.”

The Saberi case is the latest example of how the Iranian authorities arbitrarily use spying charges to arrest journalists and tighten the gag on free expression.

Aged 31, Saberi has been detained ever since her arrest in Tehran in late January. The trial opened before a revolutionary court on 13 April and only one hearing was held, lasting a day. Her lawyer, Abdolsamad Khoramshahi, confirmed today to Reporters Without Borders that she has been convicted and sentenced and said he was going to appeal.

Saberi’s arrest was revealed by National Public Radio (NPR) in the United States on 1 March following a call it received from her father on 10 February. The day after the NPR report, the Iranian authorities confirmed she was being held in north Tehran’s Evin prison. On 2 March, foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said she had been working “illegally” in Iran. Judicial authority spokesman Alireza Jamshidi said on 3 March that she had been “arrested on the order of the Tehran revolutionary court and is now in detention in Evin prison.”

Born and brought up in the United States, Saberi has an Iranian father who became a US citizen. She moved to Iran six years ago, working as a stringer for NPR from 2002 to 2006. She also worked for the BBC and Fox News. The Iranian authorities do not recognise dual citizenship and regard her as an Iranian like any other.

Her father, Reza Saberi, told Reporters Without Borders that she had not worked for the media since 2006. She did not have access to news and information as she did not have press accreditation, he said. “Her writings were just personal notes and comments about cultural and literary subjects with a view to writing a book about Iran,” he said, adding that “she had been concentrating since 2006 on studying Farsi and Iranian culture at a Tehran university.”

***13.04.09. Somali Journalists receive bulletproof jackets and helmets

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), Thursday, distributed
some 20 bulletproof jackets and helmets to Somali journalists for a long time
endangered by the unending conflict in the country.

In a ceremony held at Hotel Sahafi in capital Mogadishu, which was attended by
Somalia’s first Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Abdirahman Haji Aden,
Minister of Sports who is also acting Minister of Information, Suleyman Olad
Roble, top leadership of the Somali Clerics Council and the Civil Society,
independent journalists and frequently targeted news media organisations in
Mogadishu were awarded the equipment- the kind of its nature in the country’s
history.

The gesture, in recognition of Somalia being the most dangerous country for
journalists in Africa, was courtesy of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom, which
had donated 100 bulletproof jackets and helmets to Somali media professionals.

Speaking on behalf of NUSOJ, Ali Moallim Isak, NUSOJ’s Organizing Secretary,
said today marked the beginning of the equipment distribution exercise
targeting journalists in Puntland and south-central regions of the country.

“These bulletproof jackets and helmets will improve the safety of Somali
journalists who are daily threatened by the dangers of flying shrapnel and
other dangerous objects as a result of war and violence. We must support our
journalists even morally, but above all this is practical solidarity for our
colleagues,” said the NUSOJ Organizing Secretary.

***13.04.09. FEPALC CONSIDERA HISTÓRICO FALLO QUE CONDENA
A 25 AÑOS DE PRISIÓN A ALBERTO FUJIMORI

La Federación de Periodistas de América Latina y el Caribe (FEPALC), en representación de las organizaciones más importantes del gremio de periodistas de América Latina y el Caribe, hace suya la declaración de su afiliada, la Asociación Nacional de Periodistas del Perú, en relación al fallo histórico resuelto por la justicia peruana, la misma que condenó a 25 años de prisión efectiva al ex presidente Alberto Fujimori Fujimori por delitos de lesa humanidad.

De manera singular, la FEPALC comparte con la ANP su dolor por las violaciones de derechos humanos que entre los años 1990 y 2000 causaron también el asesinato de 26 periodistas, la mayoría de ellos dirigentes y afiliados a la ANP.

La FEPALC considera que la declaración deja precedente de mantener en pie de alerta al gremio de la prensa mundial para combatir la impunidad, prevenir la discriminación, defender las libertades políticas y poner atajo a las atrocidades de toda forma de terrorismo. Celso Schroder - Presidente FEPALC

***08.04.09. The Palestinian center for development & Media freedoms (MADA) - Violations of media freedom in (OPT) during March 2009

The occupied Palestinian territories (OPT) witnessed a number of media freedom violations during the month of March. The Palestinian violations included putting a bomb in front of Al-Jazeera TV’s office in Gaza, firing at “Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah” Newspaper’s headquarters in Al-Berieh city, persecuting “Felesteen” newspaper columnist Isam Shawar as well as Sakher Abu Oun, head of AFP office in Gaza.

Violations committed by the Israeli occupation forces included the injuring of Maan News Agency photographer Khalil Rayash, and Reuters cameraman Bashar Nazzal, the detention of the Quds Net correspondent Mohammad Mahareeq, and attacking Reuters photographer Nayef Hashlamon.

The Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms (MADA) expresses denunciation of all violations against media outlets and journalists, and considers them gross violations of freedom of expression.

MADA is expressing concern over the continuation of Israeli attacks against journalists and the continued house arrest imposed on Al-Alam correspondent Khader Shaheen and producer Mohammad Sarhan, since their release on 15 January, after 10 days under arrest.

MADA is expressing concern about an explosive device left in front of Al-Jazeera’s office and gunshots fired at “Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah” newspaper headquarters for the fourth time in the last few months, which endangers the lives of media workers.

MADA considers the persecution of Isam Shawar by the intelligence service in Qalqilia city for 28 days, as well as the persecution of Abu Oun, the head of AFP’s office in Gaza Sahker by the internal security service in Gaza city, to be a severe violation of freedom of expression. In addition, the expropriation of Abu Oun’s passport and Shawar’s ID card limits their freedom of movement and travel, which is considered a clear breaching of Article 13 of the International Declaration of Human Rights.

MADA demands:
The halting of journalists’ persecution and attacks, either by occupation forces or by Palestinian security services, in West Bank & Gaza Strip.The release of all arrested journalists.Journalists and media outlets to be allowed to work freely and safely.

Details of violations:
(March 2) - "Felesteen" newspaper columnist Dr. Issam Shawar was summoned by the Palestinian intelligence service in Qalqilia city. Shawar said that from 2 to 20 March he was detained daily for several hours from 10 a.m. until 5 or 7 p.m. in a building under construction. Then they released him and asked him to come back again the next day, at the same time without asking him anything. Since 20 to30 March, he was detained in a cell either individually or with another prisoner until 5 and sometimes to 7 or 9 p.m. On 30 March they gave him his ID card, but he was forced to sign an obligation "not to criticize the political line of the Palestinian authority and its figures".
(March 7) – An explosive device was put in front of Al-Jazeera TV’s office in Gaza city. Al-Jazeera correspondent Wael Dahdouh said that one of the office staff received a call from an unknown person at 9 p.m. saying "we want to bomb Al-Jazeera office – the ghosts of Samih Al-Madhoun". After searching they found the explosive device in front of the office, and they called the police, who dismantled it. They also found a written paper saying “If you are thinking of a solution, the solution is to leave - Samih Al-Madhoun ghosts”.
(March 19) - The Israeli occupation forces detained Quds Net correspondent Mohammad Ahmad Mahareeq (25 years), near Gilo checkpoint between Bethlehem and Ramallah city. He said that he was preparing a report about the Israeli checkpoints; where there were three checkpoints between Bethlehem and Gilo in that day .He was detained from 9.30 a.m. until 3.30 p.m. They questioning him about his work and the agency that he is working for. They informed him that checkpoints are a closed military area, and he cannot take pictures there. He told them that even according to the Israeli law they do not have the right to detain him, because he is doing his job as a journalist.
(March 19) - Sakher Medhat Abu Oun (44 years), AFP office head and the chief of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in Gaza, was summoned by the internal security service, which belongs to the Interior Ministry in the dismissed government. Abu Oun said that they questioned him for two hours in the first session about his speech in a media conference in Dubai, and about a training course for journalists in Cairo, also about the financial and material assistance provided by the International Federation of Journalists for a number of journalists and their families in Gaza Strip. In addition, they questioned him about the elections of the Journalists Syndicate, then they asked him to come back again after two days, when they confiscated his ID card and his passport.
(March 20) - Maan News Agency photographer Khalil Mohammad Rayash (31 years) and Reuters cameraman Bashar Mohammad Nazzal (29 years) were injured by Israeli occupation forces in Jayous village (Qalqilia). Rayash and Nazzal said that they were deliberately injured in their upper left leg with a rubber bullet by the Israeli occupation forces, while they were covering the weekly demonstration against the apartheid wall in Jayous village. They were treated in UNRWA hospital in Qalqelia, and then they filed a complaint to the Palestinian police against the Israeli forces.
(March 27) - The Israeli occupation forces attacked Reuters photographer Nayef Hashlamon in Al-Ma’sara village south of Bethlehem. Hashlamon said that one Israeli soldier’s foot was placed on his leg, and he fell down. Also the soldier aimed his gun towards some journalists (Agence France Press photographer Mousa Al-Sha’er and Reuters cameraman Mohammad Abu Ghaneya) and pushed them back, but an officer got him away, while they were covering the weekly demonstration against the apartheid wall in Al-Ma’sara.
(March 30) - “Al-Hayat Al-Jadedah” newspaper’s headquarters was fired upon by an unknown gunman in Al-Berieh city near Ramallah. Its managing editor Bashar Barmawi said that an unknown person fired at the newspaper headquarters at 12:45 a.m., hitting the building without hurting anyone. The policemen who are guarding the building day and night called the security forces, which came at once and started the investigation. Barmawi confirmed that the repeated firing on the building is endangering workers’ lives, and leads to permanent anxiety among them. This is the fourth time that the headquarters was fired upon within the last three months; two of them were in last February.
Contact: Mousa Rimawi
MADA Coordinator
Ramallah
info@madacenter.org -madapalestine@yahoo.com
http/:www.madacenter.org

***08.04.09. IFJ Calls on Obama to End US Silence Over Injustice of Media Killings in Iraq 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on United States President Barack Obama to intervene over the injustice of journalists killed in Iraq at the hands of the US military. Marking the sixth anniversary of United States army attacks on media in Baghdad on April 8th 2003, in which three journalists died, the IFJ says President Obama must act to investigate a series of killings in the conflict which remain unresolved. In a  letter   to the US President, IFJ President Jim Boumelha, says the April 8th attack by US forces on Baghdad's Palestine Hotel, which was filled at the time with media staff, "has come to symbolise impunity over attacks on journalists and media staff in Iraq and around the world.

Two journalists, José Couso of Telecinco in Spain, and Taras Protsiuk, a Ukrainian cameraman who worked for Reuters died in the attack and on the same day, US forces attacked the offices of Al-Jazeera in Baghdad, killing reporter Tareq Ayyoub.

Boumelha told President Obama that these attacks have not been independently investigated or properly explained to the satisfaction of the victims' families, their friends and their colleagues. Reports published by US authorities, he said, had failed to thoroughly examine the evidence available and instead merely exonerated US personnel at all levels of command. The Pentagon's November 2004 report on the attack on the Palestine Hotel was, he said, "flawed and unconvincing."

The IFJ has catalogued 16 other cases involving journalists and media staff who have died since March 2003 at the hands of US soldiers. In all of them the families and friends of the victims "wait for credible investigations and honest reports about how and why their loved ones died" said Boumelha.

IFJ national affiliates have also sent letters to US embassies urging US authorities to take responsibility for their part in the deaths of journalists and media staff in Iraq. This year, Boumelha told Obama, journalists "will be encouraged by your vision and plans concerning Iraq which have given hope to millions in this country and across the world."

Boumelha says there should be a review of all the cases and a convincing process of investigation that would "honour your commitment to democracy, human rights and justice. " 

***06.04.09. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) welcomes UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize 2009 awarded posthumously to Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge

  The late Sri Lankan journalist and editor of the Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge, who was assassinated on 8 January this year, has been named laureate of the 2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize. The Director-General of UNESCO Koïchiro Matsuura today endorsed the choice of the Prizes jury of 14 professional journalists from all over the world.

  Jury members were moved to an almost unanimous choice by a man who was clearly conscious of the dangers he faced but nevertheless chose to speak out, even beyond his grave, said Joe Thloloe, President of the jury and Press Ombudsman of the Press Council of South Africa, referring to the laureates posthumous editorial in which he voiced his commitment for press freedom at the risk of his life. Lasantha Wickrematunge continues to inspire journalists
around the world, added Mr Thloloe.

  Mr Matsuura welcomed the choice of Mr Wickrematunge: In awarding the 2009 World Press Freedom Prize to a committed journalist who opposed war, UNESCO, along with media professionals from all over the world, recognizes the important role that freedom of expression can play in fostering mutual understanding and reconciliation, the theme of this years World Press Freedom Day celebration.

  The Director-General will present the World Press Freedom Prize in a ceremony on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, which UNESCO will celebrate this year in Doha, capital of Qatar.

  Born in 1958, Lasantha Wickrematunge trained as a lawyer and was a member of the Sri Lankan Bar Association. While working as an attorney-at-law, he began working as an investigative reporter for the Sun/Davasa newspaper.

  In 1994, Mr Wickrematunge started the Sunday Leader with his brother and used the publication to campaign vigorously against the war between Sri Lankas army and Tamil rebels.

  In 2000, Mr Wickrematunge secured a court victory which led to the abolition of the law that allowed the government to curb the media. In November 2007, the Sunday Leader was damaged in an arson attack that Mr Wickrematunge said resembled a commando action.

  Mr Wickrematunge expected to be assassinated and went so far as to write an editorial for publication after his death. It appeared in the Sunday Leader on 11 January 2009, three days after he had been murdered. In his editorial, Mr Wickrematunge voiced his commitment and readiness to die for press freedom: [] there is a calling that is yet above high office, fame, lucre and security. It
is the call of conscience.

  Created in 1997 by UNESCOs Executive Board, the Press Freedom Prize is awarded annually to honour the work of an individual or an organization defending or promoting freedom of expression anywhere in the world, especially if this action puts the individuals life at risk. Candidates are proposed by UNESCO Member States, and regional or international organizations that defend and promote
freedom of expression.

  Since its creation, the US $25,000 prize - financed by the Cano and Ottaway family foundations, and by JP/Politiken Newspaper LTD - has been awarded to the following laureates: Lydia Cacho (Mexico, 2008), Anna Politkovskaya (Russian Federation, 2007), May Chidiac (Lebanon, 2006), Cheng Yizhong, (China, 2005), Raúl Rivero (Cuba, 2004), Amira Hass (Israel, 2003), Geoffrey Nyarota (Zimbabwe,
2002), U Win Tin (Myanmar, 2001), Nizar Nayyouf (Syria, 2000), Jesus Blancornelas (Mexico, 1999), Christina Anyanwu (Nigeria, 1998), Gao Yu (China, 1997)

**03.04.09. PAKISTAN - Fact-finding visit by Reporters Without Borders to Swat “valley of fear” - Reporters Without Borders is alarmed about the impact that the imposition of the Sharia (Islamic law) in Pakistan’s northern Swat valley is having on press freedom. Following a fact-finding visit, the press freedom organisation urges both the authorities - federal and provincial - and Taliban leaders to guarantee the freedom and safety of journalists in the region (Read this very interesting report on: www.rsf.org )

***02.04.09 AMERICA LATINA - FELATRACS CONDENA ASESINATO  DE PERIODISTAS EN CENTRO AMÉRICA Y EXIGE INVESTIGACIÓN INMEDIATA  
 
La Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores de la Comunicación social –FELATRACS,  expresó hoy, en un comunicado, su condena a los asesinatos de los periodistas Rafael Murguía de Honduras y Rolando Santos, de Guatemala. El comunicado expresa lo siguiente:  "La Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores de la Comunicación social - FELATRACS,  condena de forma enérgica los asesinatos de Rafael Murguía, corresponsal de Radio Cadena Voces, en Honduras,  y de Rolando Santiz, periodista de la televisora Telecentro Trece, en Guatemala.   Rafael Murguía, fue victimado a balazos por desconocidos, la noche del 31 de marzo. En tanto, elementos no identificados asesinaron la tarde del 1 de abril,  a Rolando Santiz, dejando al camarógrafo que lo acompañaba gravemente herido. La FELATRACS, organización comprometida en la defensa y protección de los derechos humanos de los trabajadores  de la comunicación social, solicita de de las autoridades judiciales  de Honduras y Guatemala, la investigación inmediata  para dar con los responsables de tan execrables crímenes. Asimismo,  advierte del peligro cada vez más latente de quienes tienen la noble misión de informar en América Latina. 
La FELATRACS, se encuentra en estos momentos al lado de su afiliada el Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Prensa, renovando su voluntad de no cesar en esta lucha por la verdad hasta que no se haga justicia". 

GUATEMALA: ASESINAN A  PERIODISTA DE TELEVISIÓN EN CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA
 
Desconocidos asesinaron ayer de varios disparos al periodista guatemalteco Rolando Santiz, quien falleció en un ataque en Ciudad de Guatemala en el que también resultó herido de gravedad el camarógrafo Antonio de León, según informó el portavoz de Bomberos Voluntarios, Mario Cruz. 
El reportero, empleado de la cadena Telecentro 13, se dirigía hacia su lugar de trabajo cuando varios hombres le dispararon por causas desconocidas. "Falleció de forma inmediata debido a que las heridas fueron en órganos vitales", lamentó Cruz, mientras que el camarógrafo fue trasladado al hospital San Juan de Dios. 
Santiz perdió el control del vehículo en el que viajaba como consecuencia de los disparos y, además, arrolló algunos puestos callejeros, según informaciones de 'Prensa Libre'. El subdirector de la Policía, Rember Larios, prometió que las autoridades trabajarían para esclarecer el caso, después de que los periodistas se enfrentasen contra las fuerzas de seguridad para pedir una investegación a fondo. 
Por su parte, el director de Telecentro 13, Juan Carlos Lange, condenó el asesinato de Santiz y dijo de él que era "un buen amigo, un gran compañero". "Una persona incapaz de causarle daño a alguien y que cumplió hasta el final con su tarea periodística", recordó, al tiempo que insistió en frenar la ola de delincuencia que azota al país iberoamericano. 

IFJ Condemns Spate of Journalists' Killings in Latin America

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today joined its Latin American regional group, the Federation of Journalists for Latin America and the Caribbean countries (FEPALC) to express its absolute dismay following two murders of journalists in as many days in Central America. According to FEPALC, Rafael Munguia, a correspondent of Radio Cadena Voces in Honduras was shot dead on 31 March by gunmen who fired at him several rounds of bullets, killing him instantly.

The next day on 1 April in Guatemala, Rolando Santis, journalist for Telecentro Trece , was also killed by unknown assailants. His cameraman was seriously wounded in the attack.

  "Unfortunately, we are witnessing once again the extreme vulnerability of those who have the mission to inform Latin America citizens," says Celso Schroeder, President of FEPALC. "We demand that governments of this region, especially those of Honduras and Guatemala, conduct a rapid investigation until those who are responsible are identified and their motives discovered. Unless these crimes are solved quickly, impunity will continue to undermine justice in both countries."

  FEPALC commits to using all the resources of its affiliates in the region to continue fighting against this type of killings in Latin America, which are as much attacks against the rights of citizens as they are to press freedom and freedom of expression.

"It is the time for solidarity and this demands that all together, we raise both our voices and actions," says Zuliana Láinez, Secretary for Human Rights in FEPALC. "We should stand in front of diplomatic buildings and embassies of the countries concerned to make their governments know, once for all, that when a journalist is killed, the thirst for truth and justice remains".

The IFJ and FEPALC express their total solidarity with colleagues in Honduras and Guatemalan, as well as with the families of the two victims brutally murdered. Our two organizations declare their firm will not to allow these deaths to go unpunished. 

***01.04.09. Rapport du représentant régional de la PEC pour l'Afrique de l'Ouest Ibrahima Cissé  

Le mois de mars 2009 a été marqué par la nomination du représentant régional en Afrique de l’Ouest et Centrale. La presse sénégalaise, en particulier, s’est montrée très intéressée à cette nomination. Le communiqué de presse annonçant cette nomination a été très largement repris dans les médias (papiers et électroniques : voir recherche dans google.com) de la région, et de nombreux messages de félicitations et de soutien ont été adressés au représentant. Ce qui traduit un intérêt manifeste de la corporation à la PEC.

Activités : La nomination du représentant régional est intervenue dans un contexte de campagne électorale pour les élections locales (élections des maires, président de conseils régionaux et présidents de conseils ruraux) du 22 mars 2009. A cause de la forte mobilisation de la presse (organisations de journalistes, responsables et journalistes reportes) pour l’observation et la couverture de cette campagne, puis du scrutin et de la période post-électorale, le représentant régional n’a pas eu les rencontres de prise de contacte et de courtoisie nécessaires. Il est prévu de relancer les demandes de rendez-vous durant la seconde semaine du mois d’avril, devant coïncider avec la fin du long processus électoral.
 
Situation des journalistes et des médias : La situation de la presse est restée globalement calme en Afrique de l’ouest et centrale, sauf en Côte-d’Ivoire et en Mauritanie. 
 
En Côte-d’Ivoire : un journaliste de l’hebdomadaire «Le Repère» (proche de l’opposition), Nanankoua Gnamanteh, a été emprisonné du 19 au 31 mars 2009 à la prison centrale d’Abidjan, la Maison d'arrêt et de correction  (MAC) pour «Offense au chef de l’Etat». Toutefois, le tribunal a condamné le journaliste à une amende de  20 millions de francs CFA (30.488 euros). La même amende a été infligée au