This is the latest installment of our press freedom round-up, recapping the latest attacks on journalists, their right to publish, and our right to know. Here’s the news for the week of September 29, 2024.
Julian Assange testifies before Council of Europe; CoE Parliamentary Assembly recognises Assange as a ‘political prisoner’
Addressing the public for the first time since before his arrest in 2019, Julian Assange spoke before the Legal and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on October 1 in Strasbourg, about his prosecution, detention and imprisonment.
“I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today because after years of incarceration I pleaded guilty to journalism. I pleaded guilty to seeking information from a source.”
On October 2, PACE adopted a resolution based on a report by Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir, saying that Assange’s treatment warranted his designation as a “political prisoner”, citing the severe charges brought against him by the United States of America, exposing him to possible life imprisonment, combined with his conviction under the US Espionage Act “for what was – in essence – newsgathering and publishing”.
Palestinian journalist Wafa Aludaini killed by Israel in her home in Gaza
An Israeli air strike killed Palestinian journalist, Wafa Aludaini, a prominent English-speaking reporter who worked with international news outlets. Aludaini was killed alongside her husband and two children in a direct attack on her home in the central Gaza Strip.
Israel has killed more than 170 journalists since the beginning of its assault on Gaza, while dozens of others have been injured or evacuated. For this reason, Courage co-organized a coalition of more than 100 journalists to sign a letter to U.S. Sec. Antony Blinken, urging an immediate U.S. arms embargo on Israel.
UN Security Council urged to not turn a blind eye to Israel’s attacks on press freedom
In his speech at the UN Security Council, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu decried the attacks against journalists perpetuated by Isreal and highlighted that “the veto continues to paralyse the Council from stopping Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people.”
IFJ demands governments stop interfering in the work of journalists
To mark the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the International Federation of Journalists demands that governments around the world make public information public, and stop interfering in the work of journalists.
“Across the world, access to public information is at risk of being restricted in the name of national security and anti-terrorism legislation. These increasingly broaden definitions of ‘classified information’ and limit exceptions for journalism.”
IFJ turned the spotlight to five cases from different regions of the world that illustrate how the universal right to information has been infringed by governments.
Mohammed R. Mhawish writes about his experience as a journalist in Gaza
In an opinion piece for MSNBC Palestinian journalist, Mohammed R. Mhawish, recounts his experience as a journalist working in Northern Gaza.
“I experienced firsthand the dangers of reporting on the ground, and the scrutiny I was subjected to for being affiliated with Al Jazeera. The press badge on my chest, meant to ensure my safety, functioned as a target. In December 2023, my home was bombed with me and my family inside, as a direct result of my work, after I received multiple threats via phone calls and text messages from the Israeli military ordering me to stop reporting and cease writing.”