Journalists Worldwide Join GlobaI Day of
Action and Solidarity for Philippines
Affiliates and partners of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) around the world joined a Global Day of Solidarity and Action on December 9 to call on their home governments and the Government of the Philippines to assure justice for the victims of the November 23 massacre in Maguindano province and to end to the culture of impunity for the murders of journalists in the Philippines. Some organisations initiated their local actions as part of the lead-up to December 9
Philippines
In Mindanao, local journalists participated in the Global Day of Solidarity and Action by travelling (under military escort) to the Ampatuan Town Massacre site to lay wreaths in memory of their 31 slain colleagues.
In Manila, an estimated 400 people participated in a rally and march near the Malacanang Palace, joined by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and members of the IFJ international mission to the Philippines. Unconfirmed estimates were that as many as 2000 people attended the march. The rally was addressed by 50 speakers, including members of the mission. The protest called for an end to impunity and for justice for the victims of November 23.
Other protests were held across the country in the provinces of Bacolod, Bulacan, Cebu, Iloilo, Masbate, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon and Sorsogon, and in the cities of Cotabato, Davao, Baguio and Zamboanga.
The IFJ is disappointed that despite requests to President Arroyo to meet with the international mission, she assigned her Press Secretary, Cerge Remonde, to meet the mission at Malacanan Palace on December 9. The full and frank discussion focused on the culture of impunity under the Arroyo administration.
Around the World:
In Bali, Indonesia, journalists and press freedom advocates representing press councils and journalists’ organisations across Asia-Pacific, the Arab World and Europe expressed their solidarity and sorrow to the families of the November 23 victims and to all journalists in the Philippines.
The conference - the Bali Forum: Media Accountability in Practice, being held under the umbrella of the IFJ and the Indonesian Press Council - opened on December 9 with all delegates standing in silence to pay tribute to the 31 journalists and media workers killed on November 23. They commended the extraordinary courage and determination of journalists in the Philippines to tell the world their story and, in the face of enormous personal risks, to make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Earlier, Indonesia’s Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), which participated in the international mission as well as the Bali meeting, held a protest action in front of the Philippines embassy in Jakarta and met the Philippines Ambassador to Indonesia on November 26 to express outrage at the massacre. AJI has also demanded that the United Nations Human Rights Council and ASEAN Human Rights Commission take all necessary steps to bring the perpetrators of the massacre before an international criminal tribunal.
Messages of solidarity to the NUJP, letters of protest to the Philippines Government, press conferences and local rallies and meetings with Philippines consular officials were organised by the following affiliates and organisations.
Abbotabad Union of Journalists (AUJ), Pakistan
Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Indonesia
Association of Journalists from the Republic of Poland, Poland
Association of the Press of Uruguay (APU), Uruguay
Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ), Taiwan
Bahwalpur Union of Journalists (BUJ), Pakistan
Claudia Julieta Duque, Unión de Periodistas de Bogotá (UPB) member, Colombia
Dansk Journalistforbund, Denmark
Deutsch Journalistinnen und Journalisten-Union, Germany
Faisalabad Union of Journalists (FUJ), Pakistan
Federacion Argentina de Trabajadores de Prense (FATPREN), Argentina
Federation of Journalists of Latin America and the Carribean (FEPALC), Brazil
Federacion de Periodistas de America Latina y El Cariba (FEPALC), Latin America
Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU), Sri Lanka
Federazione Nazionale della Stampa Italiana, Italy
Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Nepal
Filipino Journalists in the United States
La Federacion de Asociaciones de Periodistas de España (FAPE)
Finlands Journalistforbund, Finland
Indian Journalists Union (IJU), India
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Asia-Pacific, Australia
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Headquarters, Belgium
Islands Journalistforbund, Iceland
Japan Broadcasting Labour Union (NHK Worker's Union), Japan
Media Alliance, Australia
National Union of Journalists of Nepal (NUJN), Nepal
National Union of Journalists of Peru
National Syndicate of Journalists of Costa Rica
Norsk Journalistlag, Norway
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Pakistan
Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ), Russia
Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Prensa de la Republica Dominicana, Dominican Republic
Suomen Journalistilitto Union, Finland
Svenska Journalidforbundet, Sweden
UNI-MEI
Union of Cyprus Journalists
If your organisation's name is not listed, please alert the IFJ at ifj@ifj-asia.org
or ifj@ifj.org