(WiPC/IFEX) – The following is a WiPC press release: INTERNATIONAL PEN WRITERS IN PRISON COMMITTEE INTERNATIONAL PRESS FREEDOM DAY 3 May 2003 Over the past ten years International PEN has recorded the murders of more than 400 writers, journalists and media workers. PEN is marking 3 May 2003 – World Press Freedom Day – by […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – The following is a WiPC press release:
INTERNATIONAL PEN
WRITERS IN PRISON COMMITTEE
INTERNATIONAL PRESS FREEDOM DAY
3 May 2003
Over the past ten years International PEN has recorded the murders of more than 400 writers, journalists and media workers. PEN is marking 3 May 2003 – World Press Freedom Day – by highlighting three of those cases: two of which concern journalists whose murders have gone largely uninvestigated by the authorities, and one of a writer facing punishment for having criticised the lacklustre investigation of a murder. The statement forms part of PEN’s year-long Impunity Campaign, launched in November 2002, which seeks to draw attention to the alarming number of cases in which the killers of writers and journalists are not brought to justice.
PEN, the world association of writers representing members in 96 countries, aims to promote the role of literature as a means of building understanding between nations and cultures. Its Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) co-ordinates campaigns on behalf of those oppressed for the expression of their opinions in writing. Nowhere is this oppression more pronounced than in the continued murder of writers and journalists every year because of their work. In many countries, individuals who make a living through the written word are deliberately targeted by those who seek to silence them. They are often killed because their investigations and criticism have exposed those in power, thereby threatening their positions of influence. Many reporters investigate cases of corruption that involve public officials or business figures. Journalists have also spoken out against military officials or criminal elements, such as drug traffickers. Local reporters covering crime, corruption and human rights violations are especially vulnerable, particularly in countries where conflict is widespread and impunity is the norm. Not only is each murder a personal tragedy but, when these crimes go unpunished, they send a message to others to engage in self-censorship rather than risk meeting the same fate.
PEN’s three World Press Freedom Day cases for 2003 are Gerardo Bedoya, a Colombian newspaper editor and journalist murdered in 1997; Edgar Damalerio, a Filipino investigative journalist shot dead in 2002; and Nasser Zarafshan, a lawyer and writer sentenced in 2002 in connection with his criticisms of official investigations into the murders of writers and journalists.
– Gerardo Bedoya, Colombia: The editor and journalist for the Cali daily El País was gunned down at point blank range in 1997 by an unknown assailant. Those said to be responsible for the murder were elements within Cali’s drug cartel. Bedoya had been an outspoken critic of drug lords in the region. More than five years later, his murder remains unsolved.
Appeals for those involved in the murder of Gerardo Bedoya to be brought to justice to:
Presidente Alvaro Uribe Vélez
Presidente de la República
Palacio de Nariño
Carrera 8 No. 7-26
Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: +57 1 566 2071 or 342 0592
– Edgar Damalerio, Philippines: On May 13, 2002, two men on motorcycles shot dead the 34-year-old journalist in Pagadian, Mindanao Island, as he was driving from a press conference. Damalerio, who had investigated corruption among local police and politicians, had previously received death threats. The ensuing investigation has failed to identify those responsible. In addition, witnesses have been threatened and, in one case, killed.
Appeals calling for a thorough investigation of the murder of Edgar Damalerio to:
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Malacanang Palace
Manila, Republic of the Philippines
E-mail: president@gov.ph
– Nasser Zarafshan, Iran: The noted attorney and writer was sentenced in 2002 to five years’ imprisonment and fifty lashes for “disseminating state secrets and the possession of firearms and alcohol.” Zarafshan was legal representative for the relatives of two of the families of Iranian writers and journalists murdered in 1998. His conviction is believed to be for his criticism of the official investigation into the murders and also as a means of silencing others who seek the truth behind the killings.
Please send appeals calling for the dropping of all charges against Nasser Zarafshan to:
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khameni
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
His Excellency Hojjatoleslam Sayed Mohammad Khatami
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Please note that there are no fax numbers available for the Iranian authorities, so you may wish to ask the diplomatic representative for Iran in your country to forward your appeals. It would also be advantageous to ask your country’s diplomatic representatives in Iran to intervene in the case.
Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Iran in your country if possible.
