–PEC
Continued from Part I
08.10.2021. NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. The Press Emblem Campaign warmly congratulates journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov (photo) who have won the Nobel Peace Prize for their fights to defend freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia. “PEC welcomes the choice of the Nobel committee on the very day of the 15th anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya’s murder. It is a posthumous tribute and an encouragement for all journalists and organizations fighting for press freedom and against impunity”, said PEC General Secretary Blaise Lempen.

Ms Ressa, who co-founded the news site Rappler in 2012, openly critical of President Rodrigo Duterte, was commended for using freedom of expression to “expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in the Philippines”. The Nobel committee said Mr. Muratov, the co-founder and editor of independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, had for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions. Six of its reporters, including Anna Politkovskaya, have been murdered because of their journalistic work. October 7, 2021 marks 15 years since journalist and human rights defender Anna Politkovskaya was killed in Moscow for her brave work bringing to light human rights abuses in the conflict in Chechnya. The PEC again urges that all of those involved in her murder be identified and held accountable for their crimes.

06.10.2021. CAMBODIA. PEC insists on fair trial to convicted Cambodian journalist Youn Chhiv (photo). The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) expressed serious concern over the imprisonment of a Cambodian journalist without a fair trial and urged the government led by Prime minister Hun Sen to help Youn Chhiv defend his position in the legal courses of action.

05.10.2021. INDIA. PEC demands an authentic probe into the killing of Indian scribe Raman Kashyap. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) condoles the demise of young television scribe Raman Kashyap (photo) at Lakhimpur Kheri locality of Uttar Pradesh in central India and demands an authentic probe into the incident that led to the killing of the rural reporter on 3 October 2021. Raman Kashyap is the 59th journalist killed so far in 2021 across the globe and the 4th in India.

04.10.2021. AFGHANISTAN. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) laments the shrinking space for press freedom and the collapse of the media fraternity in Afghanistan. Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the Geneva-based global media rights body, laments over missing of newspapers from the stands across Afghanistan as most of the media managements shifted to online space after the arrival of Taliban forces in the capital city of Kabul. Expressing serious concern on the growing security threats for professional journalists in the southeast Asian country, the PEC calls upon the United Nations and the international community to urge the new government in Kabul to respect press freedom and the safety of journalists. On October 2, Afghan journalist Sayyed Marof Saadat was killed in a shooting incident in Nangarhar province. It brings to 11 the number of media workers killed this year in Afghanistan (photo: a recent demonstration of women in Kabul brutally interrupted by the Taliban – for female journalists, the work is more and more difficult).

17.09.2021. HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL – 48th session. MYANMAR. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) urges UNHRC to demand the release of all Burmese journalists. Expressing concern over the recent arrest of three more journalists by the military rulers of Myanmar, the Switzerland based global media rights body Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) calls upon the UN Human Rights Council meeting now in progress at Geneva to condemn the military junta and initiate for release of over 50 scribes along with a large number of political prisoners (photo: Mizzima News former editor-in-chief Myo Thant was arrested on 15 September).

07.09.2021. AFGHANISTAN. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) is sad to hear of the death of Fahim Dashti (photo), the spokesperson of the Resistance Front in Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Panjshir, who was killed in fighting in the province on Sunday. Dashti was the editor of Kabul Weekly and a member of the Federation of Afghan Journalists. When the Taliban invaded Afghanistan, he joined the resistance. The death of Fashim Dashti brings to 10 the number of media workers killed this year in Afghanistan since January, making it the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. The PEC calls on the country’s new authorities to ensure the safety of journalists and to respect press freedom.
The Taliban must immediately cease detaining journalists, end the use of violence and beating against them, preventing them from filming, and allow the media to operate freely, added the PEC. In the last few days, the Taliban briefly detained at least 14 journalists covering protests in Kabul, according to reports.
03.09.2021. THE LIST OF JOURNALISTS DEAD FROM COVID-19 IS GROWING. More than 1,788 media workers have succumbed to the virus in 80 countries in the 18 months since the start of the pandemic, the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) announced Thursday in Geneva. During the months of July and August, at least 117 more journalists died from the coronavirus, or nearly 2 a day. Given the new variants, the PEC warns that the number of journalists who have died from Covid-19 is likely to reach the 2,000 mark by the end of the year. The average age of victims is now younger.

28.08.2021. AFGHANISTAN. Two journalists were among the casualties of the Kabul airport blast: Alireza Ahmadi (left), a reporter for the Raha News Agency, and Najma Sadeqi (right), a presenter at Jahan-e-Sehat TV channel, according to the AFJC (Afghanistan Journalists’ Center), were killed in the suicide attack on August 26 that also claimed the lives of more than 180 people including 13 US military personnel amid a chaotic evacuation effort. The Afghan affiliate of the ISIL (ISIS), known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), claimed responsibility for the attack. The Press Emblem Campaign strongly condemns the attack and is saddened at the deaths of yet two more journalists in Afghanistan. The Kabul’s airport deaths bring to 9 the number of media workers killed this year in Afghanistan since January, making it the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. The PEC renews its concern for the safety of journalists at this critical juncture and urges the international community to evacuate all journalists and NGO members at risk who want to leave the country before it’s too late.
21.08.2021. MYANMAR. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the Switzerland-based global media rights body, expresses serious concern over the continued harassment to journalists and media workers in Myanmar by the Burmese junta.
15.08.2021. AFGHANISTAN. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) is very concerned by the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan. Over the past 20 years, independent media has proliferated in Afghanistan. As the Taliban are gaining power across the country, journalists are coming under increasing attack. Those who defy the Taliban face threats, pressure, kidnapping, and murder. Female journalists are at greater risk due to their public role.

The PEC is gravely concerned about the wellbeing of local journalists as well as journalists reporting for international media. Seven journalists and media workers including four women have already lost their lives in 2021. Suspected Taliban fighters killed Toofan Omari (photo) a manager of the privately-owned media center Paktia Ghag in Deh Sabz district in Kabul on Sunday 8 August and kidnapped Nematullah Hemmat, a journalist in southern Helmand province. The PEC calls on all governments to ensure the protection of courageous journalists who continue to do their work in Afghanistan. The Taliban must respect press freedom and journalists’ safety if they want to give a positive image to the world.

13.08.2021. INDIA. SECOND JOURNALIST KILLED IN ONE WEEK. Expressing shock at the mysterious death of a television scribe in Bihar, the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) demands an authentic probe into the incidents that led to Manish Kumar Singh’s untimely demise so that the probable culprits can be punished under the law. He is the second journalist killed this week in the populous country, the fourth this year.

10.08.2021. INDIA. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) expresses shock at the murder of young journalist Ch. Keshav (photo) in Andhra Pradesh of central India and demanded a thorough probe into the incidents which led to his death, so that the culprits can be booked under the law. He is the third journalist to be killed in India this year, the 45th worldwide.

08.08.2021. AFGHANISTAN. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) strongly condemns the targeted killing of the director of Afghanistan’s media and information centre Dawa Khan Menapal (photo), assassinated by Taliban militants in Kabul on Friday. The Taliban said he had been “punished for his deeds”. The PEC is very worried by the deterioration of press freedom in Afghanistan as journalists have come under increasing threat, in a bid by the Taliban to silence voices of dissent in the war-torn country. The PEC welcomes recent announcements by Britain and the United States to offer refuge to Afghan journalists who worked with British and US-based media outlets and are under threat from the Taliban.

05.08.2021. MYANMAR 6 MONTHS AFTER THE COUP – The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) demands relief to journalists, political prisoners. As the pandemic claims many victims in the country, it is of the utmost importance that journalists be able to inform freely about the evolution of the disease (photo: Thin Thin Aung arrested by the military)

30.07.2021. MALTA. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) welcomes the conclusions of a 437-page inquiry into the October 2017 assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia (photo). The report said the state of Malta should shoulder responsibility for her death. It concluded that a culture of impunity was created from the highest echelons of power and singled out former prime minister Joseph Muscat (who resigned in January 2020 amid allegations that his right-hand man Keith Schembri was involved in the murder) for enabling this culture of impunity. It found his entire cabinet collectively responsible for their inaction in the lead-up to the assassination. The board said all the evidence heard throughout the inquiry led to a conviction that Caruana Galizia’s assassination was either intrinsically or directly linked to her investigative work.
“This long-awaited report is an important milestone in the fight against the culture of impunity. We call on all governments around the world to draw the lessons of this inquiry in order to better protect the work of journalists. We fully support the recommendations of the inquiry board. Anyone involved must be held accountable. We once again congratulate Daphne’s family for its courage and perseverance in shedding light on this shameful crime”, said PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen.