(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a WAN press release: Paris, 8 May 2002 For immediate release New Press Freedom Group Formed for Arab World A new group to promote press freedom in the Arab world has been formed by leading writers and intellectuals from the Middle East, with the support of the World Association of […]
(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a WAN press release:
Paris, 8 May 2002
For immediate release
New Press Freedom Group Formed for Arab World
A new group to promote press freedom in the Arab world has been formed by leading writers and intellectuals from the Middle East, with the support of the World Association of Newspapers.
The Arab Organisation for the Defence of Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression, which was launched on World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2002, will defend the rights of journalists, writers and others to express their opinions and will promote the independence of Arab media and democratic principles.
The group plans to offer an annual press freedom prize to an Arab journalist or institution and will create a monthly magazine and a web site dedicated to press freedom and democratic issues. It plans to monitor and publicise press freedom violations in Arab countries and will work closely with other press freedom groups.
Arab journalists, editors and intellectuals, some of them in exile, created the group. The President of the group is the Syrian editor Nizar Nayouf, winner of the WAN Golden Pen of Freedom and the UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. He was exiled to France in July 2001 after nine years in a Syrian prison.
Other founding members are Ahmed Hazem (Germany), Fayez Abbes (Israel), Siham Ben Sedrine (Tunisia), Yehya Chokair (Jordan), Tujane El Faysal (Jordan), Lahouari Ghazzali (Algeria), Salwa Kanaana (Israel), Salah Nayouf (Syria), Pierre Ata Allah (Lebanon), Abd el-ali Reggad (Algeria), Mikhail Saed (Canada), Suleyman Soways (Jordan), and Mazen Yaghi (Syria).
WAN, the global association of the world’s press, provides technical assistance to the group and helped it create an organisational framework. The group is also supported by UNESCO, the International Press Institute, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
“There is a serious lack of press freedom in the Arab world, and the need for a pan-Arab press freedom organisation is obvious,” said Timothy Balding, Director General of the Paris-based WAN. “We are looking forward to collaborating with this new organisation and its members to further the cause of press freedom and democracy.”
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 71 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 100 countries, 13 news agencies and seven regional and world-wide press groups.
