World calls for the release of journalists

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