IPI's Director David Badge on 'Justice Denied' campaign

Caf? Prucker is not a particularly well-known caf? in Vienna but its traditional atmosphere makes it a pleasant place to read and sip a coffee. Interesting paintings hang on the walls and there are table lamps to light reading materials. This month, the cafe was the scene of a press conference held by the International Press Institute, or IPI, to start a new campaign, "Justice Denied."

IPI's headquarters are in Vienna. It was founded in 1950 and has a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 120 countries.

IPI's new campaign, instead of protesting for every journalist that has been beaten, murdered or imprisoned under harsh press laws across various countries, is to focus on just 10 journalists. They are either serving unjust prison sentences, or their attackers are benefiting from impunity. Uta Melzer, IPI press freedom manager, said the campaign focuses on a limited number of cases "to ensure our efforts are meaningful."

IPI Director David Dadge introduced the Justice Denied program saying, "We hope stories told in this campaign will sound the alarm and encourage those with the power to do so, to take action. The authorities have allowed the trail to go cold. We have to let the public know the murder and imprisonment of journalists impacts upon them too, as they lose information about the world around them."

Dadge said all of these cases involve countries where the effectiveness of the rule of law is questionable. The main targets of the campaign are to maintain visibility and push key decision makers into action.

Dadge is strongly committed to freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Although Dadge has a doctorate in and has practiced law, the 42-year-old was an editor and deputy director at IPI before becoming the director. He is best known for his book, "Casualty of War: The Bush Administration's Assault on a Free Press."

In the book, Dadge manages to be firm and accusatory without inciting a witchhunt. As one would expect from a lawyer, he provides detail and documentation of each particular incident. As a review in the American Journalism Review said, "he turns the book into something unexpectedly positive; a cogent, compelling argument that a free flow of information may itself be a partial antidote to terrorism."

Dadge stated in the book that an increase in freedom of expression, rather than the suppression of the media, is beneficial to political and military institutions. An increase in freedom of information and expression is in his opinion the best way to fight terrorism, not limiting it as the Bush administration did in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

IPI has recently been joined by a national committee representing Slovakia, another link in the expanding network of journalists who are concerned with press freedom, freedom of speech and information. In welcoming the establishment of IPI Slovakia, Dadge said the new national committee would no doubt help strengthen media freedom in Slovakia.

"The 'right to reply' law has shown while democracy flourishes, governments continue to think of new ways to censor the media. IPI Slovakia can play an important role by growing a broad membership and convincing the government, through discussion and dialogue, to deal fairly with the media."

Bravery not just a show
During the last annual meeting held in Belgrade in June, Dadge addressed Boris Tadic, the president of Serbia on press freedom. A United States reporter from the Seattle Times who attended the convention applauded Dadge's courage in addressing the president, in his home territory, on the murders of a number of journalists that have gone unsolved.

Dadge is currently in Istanbul and plans to meet with IPI's national committee, headed by Hürriyet Newspaper foreign editor and columnist, Ferai Tin? and other journalists. Dadge's request to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was refused, as the latter was busy.

In the past year IPI has been critical of Erdoğan. In July this year, the committee voiced its concern over a string of arrests carried out in the context of an investigation into an alleged plot to overthrow the Turkish government, known as the Ergenekon affair. At least five journalists have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the alleged conspiracy.

IPI has also called on the prime minister to stop pressuring the Dogan Media Group on the reporting of allegations of money being funneled to Erdoğan from Germany.

"There is no place for Erdogan to question or criticize the media's right to report on an issue of public importance, such as the Deniz Feneri e.V. corruption scandal, and the media are under no obligation to justify their reasons for doing so," said Dadge. "Such pressure from the head of the Turkish government raises serious doubts as to his commitment to having an independent media, free to report on matters of public interest. IPI calls on Erdogan to publicly retract his ultimatum to the Dogan Media Group immediately and to cease all attempts to pressure the Turkish media."

IPI has also strongly criticized proceedings brought against Turkish cartoonists, Musa Kart and Zafer Temocin. Both cartoonists are being investigated for caricatures considered insulting to the President. "The proceedings brought against Kart and Temocin are deeply disappointing. At a time when the international community is encouraging the Turkish government to ease its restrictions on freedom of expression, it appears that it may be moving in the opposite direction ... This latest matter occurred in a week in which over 10 newspapers were fined, and the anniversary of the murder of Hrant Dink came and went without any sign of the reforms to article 301 that were mentioned in the weeks after his death."

In a letter Dadge wrote to Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, he said, "IPI would like to express its disappointment at the Turkish government's failure to initiate reform of the criminal defamation articles laid down in the Turkish penal code, in particular article 301. As you are aware, article 301 criminalizes insults to 'Turkishness' and carries a sentence of up to three years imprisonment. This article has been heavily criticized by the international community and its reform is a prerequisite to Turkey's accession to the European Union."

People who know Dadge say that he has enlivened the IPI ever since becoming its director. They describe him as a peacemaker and a unifier, who is constructive, calm and transparent. He has brought new initiatives to the IPI and is working very hard to achieve them. He has also connected the organization with other groups involved in human rights, and freedom of expression and thought. It is not surprising David Dadge is being lauded.