A wave of support for journalists working in Iraq has come from journalists’ groups around the world who today, on Iraq National Press Day, launched an appeal for action to curb the violence against media staff which has claimed at least 130 lives in just three years. A statement from a global Committee for the Defence of Journalists in Iraq also highlights a worldwide humanitarian appeal to help the media victims of violence.
The statement, supported by the International Federation of Journalists, the Federation of Arab Journalists, the Iraqi Syndicat of Journalists and the Kurdistan Syndicat of Journalists, both affiliated to the IFJ, and released in Brussels and in Baghdad, says:
“Today, on the occasion of Iraqi National Press Day, more than 120 journalists’ leaders and leaders of unions and association of journalists and media staff across the world are joining together to salute the courage of journalists and media staff in Iraq and to draw the world’s attention to the media victims of a tragic conflict that has killed thousands with media staff among its targets.
“Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 at least 130 reporters, broadcasters and media support staff have been killed, often in horrifying circumstances. It is an unprecedented level of suffering that has added to the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty and profoundly undermines efforts in favour of peace and democracy.
“At least 101 journalists and media staff from all regions of Iraq are among those killed. It is a catastrophe for press freedom on a scale not seen in any conflict in modern history.
“What can you do?
• Support calls on the newly-appointed Iraqi Government to provide enhanced security and protection for media personnel and for media organisations;
• Press governments engaged in military operations within the country to create the conditions for peace, remove all obstacles to the exercise of journalism and to investigate fully cases of violence against media in which their personnel have been involved.
• Donate to the international humanitarian appeal, launched today.
“Cash support will be given to the families of the dead and also to the many hundreds of journalists and other who have been wounded, disabled or otherwise traumatised by the conflict with donations which are being channelled to the victims through the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists and the Kurdistan Syndicate of Journalists
“Please send contributions to Iraqi Journalists Appeal, IFJ Safety Fund, Fortis Bank, Rond-Point Schumann 10, 1040 Brussels. International account nr BE64 2100 7857 0052.”
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LIST OF SIGNATURES:
Christopher Warren; President, International Federation of Journalists; Shihab al Tamimy; President, Iraqi Journalists’ Syndicate; Farhad Awni; President, Kurdistan Journalists' Union; Armand Shkullaku, APJ – Albania; Ylli Rakipi, LAJ – Albania; Kamel Amarni, SNJ -Algeria; Ismael Mateus, SDA –Angola; José Leopoldo Insurralde, FATPREN - Argentina; Astghik Arsen Gevorkian, UAJ – Armenia; Alan Kennedy, MEAA-Australia; Franz C. Bauer, GDJPSJ- Austria ; Mushfiq Aleskerly, JuHI - Azerbaijan; Isa Al Shaiji, BJA -Bahrain; Zhanna Litvina, BAJ- Belarus; Luc Standaert, AGJPB/AVBB - Belgium; Wilfrid Hervé Adoun, UPMB - Benin ; Miljenko Karacic, ACJ - Bosnia-Herzegovina; Branislav Bozic, AJRS- Bosnia-Herzegovina; Branko Peric, IUJRS - Bosnia-Herzegovina; Sergio Murillo De Andrade, FENAJ - Brasil; Milen Valkov, BJU - Bulgaria; Nickolay Varadinov, UJBP -Bulgaria; Jean-Claude Meda, AJB - Burkina Faso; Um Sarin, CAPJ –Cambodia ; Om Chandara, LCJ - Cambodia; Jean Marc Soboth, SNJC – Cameroun; Brian Payne, CEP - Canada; Chantale Larouche, FNC - Canada; Arnold Amber, TNG -Canada; Paulo Jorge Fortes Lima, ADJ - Cape Verde; Domingo Vargas Cornejo, FENATRAMCO -Chile; Sergio Fernández, SNP - Costa Rica; Dragutin Lucic Luce, CJA – Croatia; Jasmina Popovic, TUCJ- Croatia; Kemal Darbaz, UPW - Cyprus ; Andreas Kannaouros, UCP – Cyprus; Miroslav Jelinek, SNCR - Czech Republic; Benjamin Yogolelo, SNPP- DR Congo; Mogens Blicher Bjerregard, DJ -Denmark; Angel Rafael Feliz; SNTP - Dominican Republic; Otelio Ote, SJTL - Virgílio Da Silva Guterres, TLJA-East Timor; Timor Lorosae Journalists' Union-East Timor; Milagro Emely Pineda, SINPESS- El Salvador; Ebba Rääts, EUJ – Estonia; Kifle Mulat, EFPJA – Ethiopia; Pekka Laine, SJ - Finland; Ivan Andreevski, JAMS - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Alain Girard: SNJ - France ; Michel Diard: SNJ-CGT – France; Tristan Malle FO – France; Hervé Morland, CFDT-France; Madi M.K. Ceesa, GPU - Gambia; M. Basilashvili, CUJG - Georgia; Zviad Pochkhua, IAGJ - Georgia; Malte Hinz, DJU – Germany; Michael Konken, DJV – Germany; Ajoa Yeboah-Afari, GJA - Ghana ; Chris Morley, NUJ – Great Britain; Manolis Mathioudakis, UADN – Greece; Demetrios Glavas, PFJU – Greece; Ioannis Plachouris, PEPU – Greece; Fela Isabel Duarte, APH – Honduras; Guillermo Pagán Solorzano, SITINPRESS - Honduras; Ping-Ling Cheung, HKJA - Hong Kong; Eötvös Pál, MUOSZ –Hungary; Csaba Kósa, MUK – Hungary; Eva F. Kováts, HPU– Hungary; Robert Marshall, BI – Iceland; N.K.Trikha, NUJ India - India; K.L. Kapur, AINEF – India; Suresh Akhouri, IJU - India; Heru Hendratmoko, AJI –Indonesia; Ali Mazrooee, Iran: Association of Iranian Journalists; Chris Morley, NUJ - Ireland; Arie Shaked, - NFIJ – Israel; Franco Siddi, NNSI – Italy; Amos Beonaho, UNJCI - Ivory Coast; Toyosaku Nitta, Nipporo - Japan; Kazuya Usai, MIMPOROREN - Japan ; Katsunori Miura, SHIMBUN ROREN – Japan; Naomi Okamoto, JCMU - Japan; Tarek El-Momani, JPA - Jordan; Eric Orina, KUJ - Kenya; Chung, il-yong, JAK - Korea; Huang Lim Shin, NUMW/KFPU – Korea; Kuban Mambetaliev, PAJ – Kyrgyzstan; Ligita Azovska, LUJ - Latvia; Elisabeth Hoff, PUL – Liberia; Dainius Radzevicius, LJU - Lithuania; Roger Infalt, ALJ - Luxemburg:; Francis Rasoamaharo, ALJM - Madagascar; Norila Mohd Daud, MUJ - Malaysia; Ibrahim Famakan Coulibaly, UNAJOM – Mali; Rogaciano Méndez Gonzalez, SNRPTASC – Mexico; S. Batmunkh, CMJ - Mongolia; M'Jahed Younouss, SPM – Morocco; Bishnu Nisturi, FNJ – Nepal; Tej Prakash Pandit, NUJ – Nepal; Murari Kumar Sharma, NPU - Nepal; Thomas Bruning, NVJ – Netherlands; Trevor Atkinson, NZEPMU - New Zealand; Leyla Martinez Centeno, NTUJN – Nicaragua; Ado Wada, SAINFO - Niger ; Smart Adeyemi, NUJ – Nigeria; Ann-Magrit Austena, NJ – Norway; Mazhar Abbas, PFUJ - Pakistan; Naim Tobassi, PJS - Palestine; Jaimes Beitía, SPP - Panama; Miguel H. López, SPP – Paraguay; Roberto Mejia Alarcón, ANP-FNTCS – Peru; Inday Espina-Varona, NUJP – Philippines; Jerzy Domansky, SDRP - Poland; Krystyna Mokrosinska, SDP – Poland; Alfredo Maia, SJ – Portugal; Israel Rodriguez, NG - Puerto Rico; Cornelius Popa, SZR - Romania; Vsevolod Bogdanov, RUJ – Russia; Nadezda Gace, NUNS – Serbia; Nino Brajovic, UNS – Serbia; Vesna Pejovic, ITUJM - Serbia and Montenegro; Dragana Cabarkapa, JUS – Serbia; Zuzana Krutka, SSN - Slovakia; Abdallah Sall Alpha, SYNPICS – Senegal; Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, SLAJ - Sierra Leone; Gregor Repovz, SAJ – Slovenia; Iztok Jurancic, USJ – Slovenia; Mohamed Barre Haji, NUSOJ - Somalia; Phumela Zenzile, MWASA - South Africa; Fernando González Urbaneja, FAPE - Spain; Enrique Fossoul de la Sierra, FCTCCOO – Spain; Gurutz Gorraiz Armendariz, ELA IGEKO – Spain; Ranjith Chandrasekera, FMETU -Sri Lanka; Daya Perera, WLWJA - Sri Lanka; Victor Ivan, FMM - Sri Lanka; Agneta Lindblom-Hultén, SJF – Sweden; Stephan Ruppen, SSM – Switerland; Stephanie Vonarburg, CoMedia – Switzerland; Stefan Rohrbach, Antoine Gessler, Impressum – Switzerland; Jean Shih, ATJ - Taiwan; Godfrey Kambenga, TUJ - Tanzania; Veera Prateepchaikul, TJA – Thailand; Peter Sassou Dogbe, UJIT – Togo; Faouzi Bouzeyene, AJT - Tunisia; Lotfi Hajji, SJT – Tunisia; L. Dogan Tilic, CGD – Turkey; Behzat Erkoc, TGS – Turkey; Michael Wakabi, UJU – Uganda; Igor Lubchenko, NUJU – Ukraine; Sergey Huz, IMTUU – Ukraine; Mohamed Yosif, UAEJA - United Arab Emirates; Manuel Méndez, APU - Uruguay; John Connolly, AFTRA – USA; Gerard Colby, UAW – USA; Linda Foley, Newspaper Guild/CWA, USA; Gregorio Salazar, SNTP, Venezuela; Hafez Albukari, YJS – Yemen; Benjamin Mwanza, ZUJ – Zambia; Foster Dongozi, ZUJ – Zimbabwe.