IFJ Bulletin - December 2010

In this bulletin:
1. Journalism Under Attack in Pakistan
2. Sri Lankan Journalists Injured in Political Attack
3. Sri Lankan Journalist Awarded
4. Abductions and Attacks On Media Houses Continue in Nepal
5. Criminal Charges Against Magazine Reporter in India
6. Report Highlights Poor Working Conditions in Nepal
7. Nominations Invited for Awards and Fellowship Program
8. US to Host World Press Freedom Day 2011

1. Journalism Under Attack in Pakistan

SAMSN partner and IFJ affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) is calling for immediate investigations into five deadly attacks on journalists in the past month. Mohammad Khan Sasoli, a correspondent with DawnNews TV and president of the Khuzdar Press Club, was shot dead in Khuzdar, Balochistan province, on December 14. Abdul Hameed Hayatan, 25, was found with a bullet wound in the head in a village in the province on November 18. This was followed by the death of journalist Altaf Chandio, who was shot at his home in Sindh province on December 5. The following day, two TV journalists, Abdul Wahab of Express News and Pervez Khan of Waqt TV, were among 50 killed in a suicide bomb attack in the Mohmand Agency in the tribal areas. SAMSN partners have expressed their solidarity with colleagues in Pakistan during an acute safety crisis.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/pakistan-authorities-must-act-to-stop-balochistan-murders
http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-outraged-by-murder-of-journalist-in-balochistan
http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-condemns-cold-blooded-murder-of-journalist-in-pakistan
http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-mourns-two-journalists-killed-in-pakistan-attack

2. Sri Lankan Journalists Injured in Political Attack

SAMSN partners the Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA) have expressed outrage and demanded accountability for an attack on two journalists covering a well-known left-wing politician’s return to Sri Lanka after an overseas trip. The politician was attacked by employees of the country’s principal international airport for his alleged “treason” in speaking out about Sri Lanka’s human rights record while he was abroad. Journalists Shanta Wijesuriya of Lanka-e-News and Prema Lal of Sirasa TV, who had been assigned to cover the politician’s return, were also attacked, reportedly with deliberate intent.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/journalists-injured-in-attack-on-political-leader-in-sri-lanka

3. Sri Lankan Journalist Poddala Jayantha Honoured

Poddala Jayantha, a leading activist and president of the SLWJA, was honoured by the global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International for journalism that contributes significantly to public integrity. In one report for Silumina, Jayantha exposed an alleged LKR 3.6 billion (USD 37 million) case of tax fraud. Jayantha suffered a brutal vigilante attack in Colombo in June 2009, leaving him with permanent disabilities. He now lives in exile.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/international-award-for-sri-lankan-journalist

4. Abductions and Attacks On Media Houses Continue in Nepal

SAMSN partner the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) reports that Sushil Dhungana, a reporter and publisher of Ghodaghodi Weekly, was abducted by five unidentified attackers on motorcycles in Sandhepani, Kailali district, in western Nepal, on November 14. Dhungana was taken to a forest, where his fingers were cut. He was released three hours later. Meanwhile, Radio Jana Awaj in Dhangadi, also in Kailali district, was forced off the air after an unidentified group invaded the premises and stole essential equipment on November 21. Staff members were locked inside the newsroom while the group vandalised the premises, claiming that a bomb had been placed inside the station.

See: http://www.fnjnepal.org/index.php?page=press&action=english&id=97
http://www.fnjnepal.org/index.php?page=press&action=english&id=99

5. Criminal Charges Against Magazine Reporter in India

The Delhi Union of Journalists and other SAMSN partners have protested against the criminal charges brought against a magazine reporter, K.K. Shahina, for a report that casts doubt on the prosecution of an Islamic cleric and political campaigner on terrorism charges. The report is based on interviews with key witnesses cited in the case made by police in Karnataka state in southern India against Abdul Nasar Mahdani, an Islamic cleric who heads the Peoples’ Democratic Party, active mainly in the neighbouring state of Kerala.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-condemns-criminal-charges-against-magazine-reporter-in-india

6. Report Highlights Poor Working Conditions in Nepal

SAMSN partners in Nepal have drawn attention to a report by the country’s statutory Committee for the Fixation of Minimum Wages, which has highlighted continuing issues with wages and working conditions for journalists. The committee, set up under Nepal’s Working Journalists’ Act, has found that 37 percent of the country’s journalists are paid below the prescribed minimum wage, while 45 percent are working without letters of appointment. Among the media houses surveyed, 48 percent had failed to introduce basic measures such as retirement and welfare funds, medical cover and insurance.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/report-highlights-poor-working-conditions-in-nepal

7. Nominations Invited for Awards and Fellowship Program

The International Women’s Media Foundation is calling for nominations for its annual “Courage in Journalism” and “Lifetime Achievement” awards. Last date for receiving nominations is March 4, 2011.

Applications are also invited for the Persephone Miel Fellowship, sponsored by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The fellowship is intended to fund a reporting project that focuses on a global crisis under-reported in the mainstream American media. Applications close February 1, 2011.

See: http://iwmf.org/honoring-courage/nominate-a-journalist.aspx
http://pulitzercenter.org/persephone-miel-fellowship

8. US to Host World Press Freedom Day 2011

The Centre for International Media Assistance (CIMA) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) will host the 2011 World Press Freedom Day event in the US, as announced by the US State Department in a December 7 statement.

See: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/12/152465.htm. http://www.connect.connect.facebook.com/WPFD2011

ENDS

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