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World's Press Protest
Arrests, Closures Over Mohamet Cartoons
The World Association
of Newspapers and World Editors Forum have protested against a
wave of repressive action against editors and other journalists
in Arab and Muslim countries who have published the cartoons of
Mohamet at the centre of the current controversy.
In letters to the governments
of Algeria, Yemen, Malaysia and Jordan, together with that of
Russia, the Paris-based WAN and WEF have called for the release
of jailed journalists and the reopening of banned publications.
The organizations said
that governments should not interfere with editorial decisions
and that the arrests and closures violated the right to freedom
of expression.
"While appreciating
that the cartoons have caused offence to many Muslims, we respectfully
remind you that the decision as to whether or not to publish such
material is an editorial decision and not one with which the State
should interfere," said the letters.
In Algeria, Kamel Bousaad,
Director of the weekly Panorama and Berkane Bouderbala, Director
of the weekly Essafir were arrested, and their publications closed,
after they printed the cartoons that were first published in Denmark.
In Yemen, the Editor-in-Chief
of the Yemen Observer, Mohammad al-Asaadi, and two journalists
from al-Hurriya -- the Managing Editor, Abd al-Karim Sabra and
a reporter, Yehiya al-Abed -- were jailed. An arrest warrant has
been issued for Kamal al-Aalafi, the editor-in-chief of al-Rai
al-Aam. The publishing licenses of all three newspapers have been
revoked.
In Malaysia, the government
closed the regional daily Sarawak Tribune for publishing the cartoons
on 4 February and declared it an offence for anyone to publish,
produce, import, circulate or possess the caricatures.
In Russia, authorities
in Volgograd closed Volgograd-Info after the Gorodski Vesti newspaper
published a cartoon in which caricatures of Christ, Moses, Buddha
and Mohammad were featured. The four religious figures were seated
in front of a television set that showed two groups of men about
to fight. "We never taught them that!" the caption read.
WAN and the WEF had
earlier protested to the Jordanian government against the jailings
of Editors Jihad Momani of the weekly Shihan and Hisham Khalidi
of al-Mehwar, for re-publishing the cartoons. The editors have
subsequently been released on bail.
Read the full letters
at http://www.wan-press.org/article9285.html
The Paris-based WAN,
the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and
promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 18,000 newspapers;
its membership includes 73 national newspaper associations, newspapers
and newspaper executives in 102 countries, 11 news agencies and
nine regional and world-wide press groups.
The WEF is the organisation
for editors within the World Association of Newspapers (http://www.worldeditorsforum.org).
Inquiries
to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy
St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33
1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr
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