International Press Institute (IPI)

The International Press Institute expresses concern over pending criminal charges against two Danish journalists, Nils Mulvad and Kjeld Hansen, who say Denmark may be losing the fight against the spread of a strain of drug-resistant bacteria.

The recent attack and gang-rape of an Indian journalist who was on assignment in the northern state of Uttar Pardesh underscores the dangers faced by female reporters, a newspaper editor told IPI in an interview.

Threats and harassment of the media come amid fresh reports of mass killings of civilians in a conflict that erupted in mid-December, derailing hopes for a peaceful start to a country that gained independence from Sudan in July 2011.

IFEX marks Earth Day by honouring those who speak out in defense of the environment, putting their jobs, safety, freedom and sometimes even their lives at risk.

IPI members approved various resolutions during the course of the General Assembly, including language sharply criticising the governments of Ethiopia and Egypt for their use of anti-terror laws against journalists and a call for authorities in Russia and Ukraine to end pressure on media and allow greater exchange of information between and within both countries.

Iranian journalist Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, the International Press Institute’s newest World Press Freedom Hero, called publicly on his country’s government to unconditionally release the 48 journalists it holds behind bars.

During the IPI World Congress in Cape Town, the organisation’s executive director delivered a report on the state of press freedom in Africa and elsewhere.

“In most of the countries covered by this project, we constantly have threats or attacks on journalists and we need to see legal changes,” SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said.