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Issue No. 174 | 11 April 2003 |
Might Does Not Mean Right
Interview: Picking Up The Peaces Unions: The Royal Con National Focus: Around the Grounds Economics: The Secret War on Trade International: United Front History: Confessions of a Badge Collector Politics: Stalin�s Legacy Review: Such Was Not Ned�s Life Poetry: Osama's Top Recruiter Satire: Woolworths CEO Denied Bonus After Company Posts Profit
Judge Puts �Predator� Before Workers Mexican Chain Gangs Win NSW Work STOP PRESS - Brewery Goes Flat Cameron: Feds More Interested in Iraq Working Hours Benefit Millions Journos Urge War Crimes Prosecutions Unions Support Displaced in Iraq
The Soapbox The Locker Room Culture Postcard
Unfair Dismissals More Angry Trots Tom's Tirade
Labor Council of NSW |
News Journos Urge War Crimes Prosecutions
The IFJ is calling on the United Nations to establish an urgent international inquiry to hold accountable those who knowingly target media personnel. The IFJ wants the inquiry to be conducted by the International News Safety Institute, a coalition of more than 100 organisations campaigning for a global news safety program.
The move has been prompted by news of three more journalist deaths this week and evidence that both sides have targeted media despite knowing they were civilians. The latest casualties included a cameraman working for Spanish television station Telecinco, a Reuters cameraman, and an al-Jazeera journalist who were killed in separate attacks on media bases by US forces.
Meanwhile, Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance federal secretary and IFJ president Chris Warren is challenging Coalition assertions that only embedded journos could be guaranteed safety.
Reports are mounting of non-embedded journalists being discriminated against, unfairly restricted and in some cases forcibly removed by the US military.
In the case of Arabic satellite news station Al Jazeera, its journalists have now been pulled from the war zone after being singled out for attack by both sides. Iraq authorities banned one correspondent and asked another to leave. Meanwhile another of its journalists was killed in a US bombing raid on the station's Baghdad offices. The station was also criticised by the US and Britain for showing explicit images of the war.
Warren says combatant forces have a responsibility for all civilians, not just those traveling with them. "If we could only rely on the reports from embedded journalists and from official briefings from either side, we would only have a limited view of what is actually happening."
According to IFJ general secretary Aidan White there is "no doubt at all" that these attacks could be targeting journalists. "If so, they are grave and serious violations of international law."
Twelve journalists have now been killed in Iraq, including freelance Australian cameraman Paul Moran.
For more information visit the Alliance's website at http://www.alliance.org.au.
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