World calls for the release of journalists
International Community signs petition for the immediate release of Al Jazeera Journalists held in Libya
Statement from Al Jazeera calling for the release of their captured journalists.
30 March 2011
“International Community Calls for immediate release of Al Jazeera Journalists held in Libya
We have been monitoring the developments in Libya for the past few weeks with extreme vigilance. Every time there is a war or a major crisis almost always the first victims are the ones who report the events. The role of the journalist is to report all sides of the story, irrespective of the event or the place they are reporting from. The current turmoil in the region is no exception; we have seen the difficulties that journalists are going through, risking their personal welfare and lives to report the events on the ground. Many times the reporters themselves have become the target and victims of the very situation they have been covering.
Our colleagues from Al Jazeera have been missing for over three weeks while covering the unfolding events in Libya – they are known to have been detained by the Libyan authorities near Zintan, north-west of the country and subsequently imprisoned in Tripoli. They include:
– Ahmed Vall Ould Eddin
– Kamel Al-Tallou
– Ammar Al-Hamdan
– Lutfi Al-Masoudi
The detention and imprisonment of journalists are against the universal principles of the freedom of speech and against basic international human rights norms. Journalists undertaking their duties under extreme circumstances need to be protected at all circumstances.
We, the undersigned strongly appeal to the government of Libya to take consideration of the rights of the journalists who have been held captive and to the human consideration of their families and to proceed to release them immediately, with same gesture of good will shown to all other journalist released over past two weeks.
We expect that our call for the freedom of journalists will be heeded and we await the immediate release of all journalists detained”
Signatories
MALCOLM SMART, DIRECTOR OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’S MIDDLE EAST PROGRAMME
MOHAMED ABDEL DAYEM, PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
FEDERACIÓN DE PERIODISTAS DE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE
SIMON SPANSWICK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATION FOR INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING
ALAA SHALABY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – MEMBER, BOARD OF TRUSTEES ARAB ORGANIZATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (AOHR)
UNION OF CYPRUS JOURNALISTS
GLOBAL NETWORK FOR RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT (GNRD) – SWITZERLAND
INTERNATIONAL COALITION AGAINST WAR CRIMINALS-ICAWC –( 684 ORGANIZATION) – FRANCE
ARAB COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS – FRANCE
FRENCH OBSERVATORY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS – FRANCE
THE INTERANTIOAL COALITION AGAINST WAR CRIMINALS, FRANCE
KHALED AL-AQAILI, SECRETARY GENERAL, SOLIDARITY ORGANIZATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, GENEVA
ABDEL RAHMAN ALI BERMAN, HEAD OF “SAJEEN” FOR PRISONERS RIGHTS, YEMEN
SALEH AL-SERAIMI, DIRECTOR, CENTER OF RIGHTS STUDIES AND MEDIA, YEMEN
DR. ABDEL-QAWI AL-SHUMAIRI, PRESIDENT, THE PHYSICIANS AND CHEMISTS SYNDICATE, YEMEN
ALI AL-JA’ALI, HEAD, THE ORGANIZATION FOR COMBATING HUMAN TRAFICKING, YEMEN
THE APRIL 17 YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE, SYRIA
THE ARAB-EUROPEAN FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION
THE ARAB-EUROPEAN CULTURE FORUM
DAMASCUS CENTER FOR STUDIES AND CIVIL RIGHTS
THE OBSERVATORY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, FRANCE
THE COMMITTEE TO SUPPORT THE STRUGGLE OF THE EGYPT PEOPLE, FRANCE
THE COMMITTEE TO SUPPORT THE STRUGGLE OF THE TUNISIAN PEOPLE, FRANCE
FREE VOICE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, FRANCE
ARAB ASSOCIATION FOR DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS
THE JOURNALISTS AND BLOGGERES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK, YEMEN
AL-AMAL CITY FOR SOCIAL ASSIMILIATION, YEMEN
AL-WAFD NEWSPAPER, EGYPT
THE ARTICLE 13 COALITION FOR COMBATING CORRUPTION
SUSAN AL-SADIQ ABDUSSALAM, DIRECTOR, NOON CNETER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, SUDAN
DR. ADEL JASSIM AL-DAMKHI, DIRECTOR, THE KUWAITI ASSOCIATION FOR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS
THE SUDANESE ORGANIZATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
NEDAL MANSOUR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE CENTER FOR PROTECTING THE FREEDOM OF JOURNALISTS, JORDAN
AHMED SALEM OULD BUHBINI, PRESIDENT, THE LAWYERS SYNDICATE, MAURITANIA
AL-HUSSEIN OULD AMDU, PRESIDENT, THE JOURNALISTS SYNDICATE, MAURITANIA
ABDUL-RAHMAN OULD HARMA OULD BABANA, PRESIDENT, THE COMMITTEE FOR RESPECTING THE ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF JOURNALISM, MAURITANIA