Justice Denied Campaign

FREE EXPRESSION SPOTLIGHT
IPI LAUNCHES JUSTICE DENIED CAMPAIGN, TELLING "STORIES OF IMPUNITY ANDIMPRISONMENT OF JOURNALISTS WORLDWIDE"
Another harrowing week for journalists, according to IFEX alerts. Some of the recent stories: a Pakistani journalist was killed at a checkpoint -even though his car was clearly marked "press". A man who murdered anArgentine photographer in 1997 and was sentenced to life imprisonment wasfreed, while a Burmese blogger who criticised the military junta got 20years in jail. International Press Institute's (IPI) newly launched Justice DeniedCampaign seeks to change this reality. It highlights stories of impunityand the imprisonment of journalists worldwide, ensuring that these storiesremain visible, particularly among key decision-makers. The "impunity" figure is often bandied about in free expression circles: innine out of 10 murders of journalists, the perpetrators remain at large.IPI looks beyond the number and tells the stories of impunity. They includea Serbian journalist likely murdered for daring to criticise developmentsin Kosovo, a Mexican crime reporter who simply vanished, a Sri Lankanjournalist caught up in the violence of his country's civil conflict, andan outspoken press freedom advocate shot dead for resisting restrictions onthe press in the Gambia. The stories of imprisonment include a group of Cuban journalists arrestedin a massive crackdown triggered by a petition for reforms, a Bangladeshireporter who has been sentenced to a total of 48 years of imprisonment insix separate cases, and two Iranian journalists facing the death penaltyafter addressing the plight of the country's Kurdish community. "The stories told by IPI's Justice Denied Campaign are stark reminders ofthe dangers faced by journalists committed to informing the public," saidIPI. "When a journalist is attacked or jailed, the loss goes beyond thepersonal, with entire communities losing access to information they sorelyneed. We trust these stories will offend peoples' innate sense of justice,but we also hope that this will prompt people to act." IPI is encouraging the media to support the Justice Denied Campaign by publishing these stories. Background material, interviews and commentarieson cases are presented on IPI's website, at:http://www.freemedia.at/justicedenied
source : Ifex News