World Press Freedom Day 2009
World Press Freedom Day provides an opportunity for people around the world to celebrate the fundamental human right to freedom of expression, defend the media from attacks on their independence and honor the memory of journalists who have lost their lives because of the peaceful exercise of their right to speak and write freely.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day in 1993, and it has been recognized on that date every year since then. According to The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Press Freedom Day "serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of press freedom -- a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered."
Amnesty International works to protect journalists from harassment and death threats, free them from arbitrary detention and guarantee them their right to freedom of expression. Take action now on behalf of these journalists around the world.
SRI LANKA – J.S. Tissainayagam
J.S. Tissainayagam, a Sri Lankan journalist, was arbitrarily detained by the police in Colombo on March 7, 2008 and subsequently indicted five months later under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for two articles written by him in a monthly magazine in 2006. He remains in detention while his trial is continuing. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely in connection with his journalistic activities. Take action »
IRAN – Roxana Saberi
Roxana Saberi, a 32-year-old journalist who holds both U.S. and Iranian citizenship, was convicted of espionage and sentenced to eight years in prison following a brief closed-door trial in a Revolutionary Court in Tehran. She had been arrested and detained in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison since January 31, 2009. The evidence against Ms Saberi has not been made public. Amnesty International is calling for her to be immediately released from detention. Take action »
THE GAMBIA – Ebrima Manneh
Ebrima B. Manneh was arrested in July 2006 at the offices of the newspaper Daily Observer by plainclothes officers, thought to have been from the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). He has been held in incommunicado detention without charge or trial for over two years. While the exact reason for his arrest is unknown, it is clear that Ebrima Manneh is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. Take action »
IRAQ – Journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan
The nascent independent press in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has shown itself to be willing to criticize government policies and raise concerns about human rights violations, alleged corruption, nepotism and lack of transparency in government ministries. One consequence of this has been an increase in arrests and other action against journalists, who have been detained, beaten and harassed by security agencies. One journalist was murdered in suspicious circumstances. Take action »
CHINA – Shi Tao
In April 2004, journalist Shi Tao used his Yahoo! email account to send a message to a U.S.-based pro-democracy website. In his email, he summarized a government order directing media organizations in China to downplay the upcoming 15th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy activists. He was arrested in November 2004 and charged with "illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities." In April 2005, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Take action »
EGYPT – Karim Amer
In February 2007, Egyptian blogger Karim Amer was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for the "crime" of publishing on the Internet material critical of Islam and President Mubarak. Amnesty International considers Karim Amer to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned on account of the peaceful expression of his views. The organization condemned the four-year sentence he received and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. Take action »
AFGHANISTAN – Perwiz Kambakhsh
Student and journalist Perwiz Kambakhsh was sentenced to death for blasphemy in January 2008. The prosecution claimed during his trial that he had downloaded an article from the Internet that questioned the condition of women in Islam, added some commentary to it and distributed it at the university where he was studying. In October 2008, his sentence was reduced to a 20-year prison term. The authorities' real target appears to be his brother, also a journalist. Take action »
