Thursday, March 11, 2004

IPI and Egunkaria

It was about time the international community would start expressing their discontent for Spain's anti-democratic actions, this note appeared today at Berria English:

International Press Institute denounces closing down of Basque daily Egunkaria

It is one of the largest international organisations supporting press freedom

Editorial Staff – DONOSTIA (San Sebastian)
In its annual report on press freedom the International Press Institute (IPI) has denounced the closing down of Egunkaria. In the section on Spain in its report for 2003 prominence has been given to the closing down of Egunkaria. [See www.freemedia.at/wpfr/world.html]. It also mentions the imprisonment of the Al-Jazeera television correspondent Tayseer Alouni and the summoning of Andoni Ortuzar, the Director-General of the EITB, before a judge for broadcasting images from an ETA video.

The IPI brings together directors and journalists of the media of 115 states. It was founded in 1950 by the editors of 34 newspapers of 15 countries. It has its headquarters in Vienna.

The report gives details of the closing down of Egunkaria and includes the words of Joel Simon, Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Journalists: “Closing a newspaper is a drastic measure, and it is incumbent that the Spanish government justify its actions by making the evidence against Euskaldunon Egunkaria public.”

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