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CAPSULE REPORT - PALESTINE
13 June 2007
IPI mission calls on government to resolve case of journalist Alan Johnston
SOURCE: International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna
**Updates IFEX alerts of 4 June, 10 and 4 May, 26, 20, 17, 16 and 4 April
2007, and others**
(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 12 June 2007 IPI mission statement:
Vienna, 12 June 2007
IPI Mission to Ramallah Says the Palestinian Authority National Unity
Government Will Also be Judged by Ability to Resolve Alan Johnston's Case
The International Press Institute (IPI) carried out a four-day visit to the
Palestinian Authority (PA) from 4 - 7 June 2007 to advocate for the release
of kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston.
While in Ramallah, the mission met with President Mahmoud Abbas, the
President's Chief of Staff Rafiq Husseini, Deputy Prime Minister Azzam Al
Ahmed, Minister of Information Mustafa Barghouti, Minister of Planning
Sameer Abu Eisheh, Minister of Local Government Mohamed Barghouti and Ghazi
Hamad, Spokesman of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. The mission also met
with representatives of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the
Palestinian News Agency and other interested parties.
Johnston was abducted by masked gunmen while on his way home from his
office in Gaza City on the evening of 12 March. At the time of his
abduction, Johnston, who has been the BBC correspondent in Gaza for three
years, was the only Western broadcast journalist both living and working
there.
According to senior PA officials, Johnston is being held by Mumtaz Durmush,
the leader of a militant group which refers to itself as the Army of Islam.
The group released a video of Johnston on 1 June, the first images released
since his abduction.
The mission heard from sources who are in contact with Johnston's
kidnappers that the journalist is being held in safe conditions and remains
in good health. The mission noted that widespread condemnation of
Johnston's kidnapping was voiced by government officials representing all
parties in the national unity government and was encouraged by comments
that Johnston's release remains a top priority.
Officials who met with the mission expressed their desire to resolve
Johnston's case quickly, and successfully, and noted that concern for the
journalist's safety was the most important factor in any plans to secure
his release. Officials also noted that deteriorating security conditions
throughout Gaza, worsened by the increase in inter-Palestinian fighting in
recent months, have led to widespread destabilisation throughout the whole
of the Gaza Strip. These conditions, as well as ongoing sanctions and
embargoes against the national unity government, have seriously affected
the ability of authorities to maintain the rule of law.
In its meetings with the local press, the mission praised the support given
to Johnston by journalists' groups and civil society organisations
throughout the West Bank and Gaza and noted that these groups have been
rigorous in their efforts to advocate for Johnston's release. The mission
encouraged the local media to continue with these efforts and to maintain
their public pressure on Johnston's captors to release him immediately.
In each of its meetings, the mission noted with grave concern that
Johnston's kidnapping has had a devastating impact on press freedom in the
territories. The risk of kidnap for journalists is extremely high and
foreign news media have been warned against travelling to Gaza. As a
result, the task of reporting now rests entirely with local journalists who
carry out their work amid heightened risk of attack and increased concern
for their personal safety. These concerns have also led to a greater degree
of self censorship among the local media.
Such conditions for journalists severely restrict the free flow of news and
information between Gaza and the outside world. The inability of
journalists to report freely and without fear of harassment and
intimidation has created a news vacuum in which the Gaza story is
effectively not being told.
With this in mind, the mission expressed its strong belief that
independent, accurate and fair reporting by journalists is particularly
important in societies confronted by conflict and stressed the central
importance of press freedom and freedom of expression as fundamental
components of a democratic society and an essential element for building
lasting peace.
The mission called on all parties to the conflict in the Palestinian
Authority to respect freedom of the press and to immediately halt all
threats, harassment, abductions and attacks against media workers.
The mission also called on President Abbas and all other government
officials to strengthen their efforts to secure Johnston's safe and
immediate release. The mission respectfully reminded these representatives
that the effectiveness of the newly formed national unity government will
be judged by its ability to bring about a positive resolution to Johnston's
case.
The IPI delegation was comprised of:
- Piotr Niemczycki - IPI Chairman, Publisher, Gazeta Wyborcza, Warsaw,
Poland
- Johann Fritz - Director, International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna,
Austria
- Radwan Abu Ayyash - Former Chairman, Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation
- Boris Bergant - Vice President, European Broadcasting Union; Advisor to
the Director-General RTV Slovenia
- Kadri Gursel - Foreign News Editor, Milliyet, Istanbul, Turkey
- Isma'ila Isa - Publisher, The Democrat, Kaduna, Nigeria
- Viktor Kocher - Middle East Correspondent, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich,
Switzerland
- Daoud Kuttab - Director, Institute for Modern Media, Al Quds University,
Ramallah, Palestine
- Catherine Power - IPI Middle East and North Africa Coordinator, Vienna,
Austria
For further information, contact IPI at Spiegelgasse 2/29, A-1010 Vienna,
Austria, tel: +43 1 512 90 11, fax: +43 1 512 90 14, e-mail: Michael Kudlak
at mkudlak@freemedia.at, Diana Orlova at dorlova@freemedia.at, or David
Dadge at ddadge@freemedia.at, Internet site: http://www.freemedia.at
The information contained in this capsule report is the sole responsibility
of IPI. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
IPI.
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