Tag: Protest Letters by PPF

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Ruhakana Rugunda, Prime Minister of Uganda expressed concern over the assault of a female journalist Madiinah Ssebyala in Uganda.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the government of Uganda to take action against Kassaga for assaulting and intimidating a female journalist who was doing her professional duty.

According to Human Rights Network for Journalists – Uganda, Madiinah works for Bukedde Paper and had been covering a land case of Kasagga Swaibu where he accuses Kenneth Mukiibi of selling him land and failing to offer the land title.

According to Madiinah when she was going from the Mukono Magistrates court Kasagga dragged her several times and threatened her of dire consequences if she did not stop covering his case.

The commercial cyclists (boda boda) rescued her and were witnessed of the incident. Madiinah had registered a case of threatening violence at Mukono Central Police Station.

Sserumaga Moses, a correspondent for Kamunye stated that he was eyewitnesses to see Madiinah weeping right after the alleged assault.

Madiinah stated that prior Kassaga had attacked on her on June 20, when she was taking pictures of the same court. Kassaga tried to snatch her camera and warned her to delete the pictures or he would break her camera.  In the state of fear she had to delete the pictures.

 

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, Prime Minister of Somalia expressed concern over the murder of Abdiasis Mohamed Ali reporter of Radio Shabelle.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the government of Somalia to order for the swift action against investigating the reason of murder of Mohamed Ali and bring the killers to book. PPF also urges your government to follow precautionary measures for safety of media workers in Somalia.

According to African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), Mohammad Ali was shot on September 27, by unidentified armed men in Mogadishu. He was also known as Haji in his area. He had been associated with Radio Shabelle for more than seven years. Police and the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) had arrested him at various times in connection of his journalism.

The motive of his murder has not clear yet. However, he is the second journalist murdered this year in Somalia. Previously, in June of this year Sagal Salad a female journalist with Somali National Television station (SNTV) was also murdered. It has been four months of her murder but her killers not arrested and prosecuted for their brutal act.

The journalist community in Mogadishu is alarmed by his murder and there is a widespread concern that journalists are at risk due to upcoming indirect national elections for politically motivated assassins to eliminate defenseless journalists to send a political message.

Media personnel in Somalia have been pursuing their duties under the dangerous environment.

 

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Peter O’Neill, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea expressed concern over the safety of media personnel in Papua New Guinea after Clifford Faiparik of The National and Jason Gima Wuri, of the National Broadcasting Corporation seriously injured in an attack.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the government of Papua New Guinea to swiftly take action against the attack, identify the perpetrators and book them. Aslam Ali also urged to provide better protection for media personnel in of Papua New Guinea.

According to Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF), on September 15, Faiparik and Wuri were travelling back to Port Moresby with the group including Goillala MP William Samba and his District Administrator Titus Girau after visiting the Central Province electorate, when they were attacked on the road and injured seriously.

Reports cite the attack as taking place along the Hiritano Highway, with Samba and his District Administrator the main targets for the roadblock-style attack by men armed with knives. They managed to escape by through the road block while being stoned.

Faiparik was injured on the elbow and stomach while Wuri underwent surgery for gash wounds to his right-hand and Girau also got cuts to his body.

The incident raises important concerns for journalists and their news organizations over the need for media personnel to have access to prompt medical support.

 

 

Pakistan Press Freedom (PPF) in letter to Rodrigo Duterte, President of Philippines expressed concern over the threats to freelance journalist Gretchen Malalad and Jamela Alindogan Caudron correspondent of Al Jazeera.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged Philippines government to ensure safety of Malalad and Alindogan Caudron, also identify and penalize the perpetrators.

According to International Federation of Journalists and National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NJUP), both journalists became targets of social media attacks in recent days, receiving threats of rape and harm to them and their families.

They have been targeting for writing about the anti-drug campaign, which has seen almost 2,500 people killed since the inauguration of President Rodrigo Duterte on June 30, 2016.

Malalad allegedly provided information to a TIME Magazine journalist writing about the tragic consequences of the government policy. Alindogan Caudron has been threatened for her reports relating to the Philippine-based Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf.

In July, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar announced establishing of a special task force that would investigate media related killings and said that his office was in the process of drafting the details of the team. The NJUP has highlighted the potential for this task force to tackle the threats against Malalad and Alindogan-Caudron.

Philippines remains one of the most dangerous countries for practicing journalists, with 145 media workers killed since 1990.

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Prime minister of Iran expressed concern over the arrest of two Iranian journalists, Sadra Mohaqeq and Yashar Soltani.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged Iranian government to immediately release both journalists and ensure that media exercises freedom of expression.

According to Committee to Protect Journalists, Soltani, the editor of the architecture and urban development news website Memari News, was detained by security forces after he reported alleged corruption in Tehran’s municipal government.

Iranian intelligence forces arrested Mohaqeq, editor of the reformist newspaper Shargh Daily from his home in Tehran on September 19. Mehr News Agency portrayed Mohaqeq as a collaborator for anti-revolutionary media outlets outside Iran and reported them about internal affairs. Although it was not apparent these allegations referred to formal criminal charges.

Tehran’s Second Press Court on September 17 jailed Soltani after he turned unable to post bail of two billion rials (roughly $63,700) which did not specify the charges.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s mayor, and Mehdi Chamran, the chairman of Tehran’s Municipal Council, filed a criminal complaint against Memari News. The complaint was based on a report of August 23 about alleged corruption in land deals, the semi-official ILNA news agency reported on August 30 without specifying the substance of the complaint. ILNA reported that Iranian authorities contacted the website’s hosting company, Shuttel, and ordered it to be censored immediately.

Soltani stated that Memari News’s report was based on public information and the website had not violated any law in publishing it.

 

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal welcomed the swift action of district police of Nepal to arrest the attackers of a reporter.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the government of Nepal to prosecute the attackers for their violent act.

According to Freedom Forum, Raj Kamal Singh reporter with News 24 TV, online Khabar news portal and Arthik Abhiyan daily from Dhanusha district was attacked for publishing news story in the Arthik Abhiyan daily on 14 September 2016. The story was about misuse of the budget in the District Development Committee (DDC) and Constituency Development Fund.

According to Singh he was in a teashop at local Bhanuchowk of Janakpurdham when a group of seven people from DDC attacked him and attempted to abduct him. He received a serious injury to the back of my head.

After few hours of the incident the district police arrested five of the attackers, Nawin Gohiwar, Rajdevi Gohiwar, Pushpendra Goit, Sanjiv Kumar Mandal and Santosh Yadav.

Attack on Singh has violated press freedom and the rights of journalists to make public administrative and financial irregularities.

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal welcomed the swift action of district police of Nepal to arrest the attackers of a reporter.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the government of Nepal to prosecute the attackers for their violent act.

According to Freedom Forum, Raj Kamal Singh reporter with News 24 TV, online Khabar news portal and Arthik Abhiyan daily from Dhanusha district was attacked for publishing news story in the Arthik Abhiyan daily on 14 September 2016. The story was about misuse of the budget in the District Development Committee (DDC) and Constituency Development Fund.

According to Singh he was in a teashop at local Bhanuchowk of Janakpurdham when a group of seven people from DDC attacked him and attempted to abduct him. He received a serious injury to the back of my head.

After few hours of the incident the district police arrested five of the attackers, Nawin Gohiwar, Rajdevi Gohiwar, Pushpendra Goit, Sanjiv Kumar Mandal and Santosh Yadav.

Attack on Singh has violated press freedom and the rights of journalists to make public administrative and financial irregularities.