Press group campaigns against growing violence
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Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 13, 2008 00:00
ISTANBUL - IPI's campaign seeks to change a reality of harassment, prison and even murder of journalists worldwide who report openly while the perpetrators and wrongdoers too often remain at large
A new campaign by the International Press Institute, or IPI, calling for justice for journalists worldwide, was launched yesterday at a press conference in Vienna, Austria.
IPI's "Justice Denied Campaign" seeks to change the reality of many journalists worldwide who face harassment, imprisonment and even murder, while perpetrators too often remain at large.
The campaign highlights compelling stories of impunity and of imprisonment of journalists worldwide, ensuring these stories remain visible to the public, particularly among key decision makers.
"The stories told by IPI's Justice Denied Campaign are stark reminders of the dangers faced by journalists who are committed to informing the public," said IPI Director David Dadge. "When a journalist is attacked or jailed, the loss is felt beyond the person, entire communities lose access to information they sorely need. We trust these stories will offend peoples' innate sense of justice, but we also hope this will prompt people to act."
The stories of impunity include the murder of a Turkish journalist who dared to question fundamentalist views, the disappearance of a Mexican crime reporter, Sri Lankan journalists caught in the brutality of their country's civil conflict and an outspoken press freedom advocate shot dead for resisting restrictions on the press in Gambia.
In addition to the stories of impunity there are also stories of imprisonment. These include the story of a group of Cuban journalists arrested in a massive crackdown triggered by a petition for reforms, an Azerbaijani singled out for continuous legal persecution for his writings and two Iranian journalists facing serious charges, including the death penalty, for addressing the plight of the country's Kurdish community.
IPI is encouraging the media to support IPI's Justice Denied Campaign by publicizing these stories through their own outlets.
The campaign's cases are presented on the IPI's Web site - http://www.freemedia.at/justicedenied - and include background summaries, interviews with and commentaries from individuals familiar with the targeted journalists or the environment in which they operate, and relevant country reports.
Some of the material is currently available in Spanish, Turkish, Farsi and Tigrinya. Serbian, Russian and Bengali translations will be added in the near future.
The IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 120 countries.
IPI's "Justice Denied Campaign" seeks to change the reality of many journalists worldwide who face harassment, imprisonment and even murder, while perpetrators too often remain at large.
The campaign highlights compelling stories of impunity and of imprisonment of journalists worldwide, ensuring these stories remain visible to the public, particularly among key decision makers.
"The stories told by IPI's Justice Denied Campaign are stark reminders of the dangers faced by journalists who are committed to informing the public," said IPI Director David Dadge. "When a journalist is attacked or jailed, the loss is felt beyond the person, entire communities lose access to information they sorely need. We trust these stories will offend peoples' innate sense of justice, but we also hope this will prompt people to act."
The stories of impunity include the murder of a Turkish journalist who dared to question fundamentalist views, the disappearance of a Mexican crime reporter, Sri Lankan journalists caught in the brutality of their country's civil conflict and an outspoken press freedom advocate shot dead for resisting restrictions on the press in Gambia.
In addition to the stories of impunity there are also stories of imprisonment. These include the story of a group of Cuban journalists arrested in a massive crackdown triggered by a petition for reforms, an Azerbaijani singled out for continuous legal persecution for his writings and two Iranian journalists facing serious charges, including the death penalty, for addressing the plight of the country's Kurdish community.
IPI is encouraging the media to support IPI's Justice Denied Campaign by publicizing these stories through their own outlets.
The campaign's cases are presented on the IPI's Web site - http://www.freemedia.at/justicedenied - and include background summaries, interviews with and commentaries from individuals familiar with the targeted journalists or the environment in which they operate, and relevant country reports.
Some of the material is currently available in Spanish, Turkish, Farsi and Tigrinya. Serbian, Russian and Bengali translations will be added in the near future.
The IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 120 countries.