As Alan Johnston spends 100th day as hostage, protests staged in Paris, London and Arab capitals

Organisation:

RSF_en

BBC correspondent Alan Johnston was kidnapped 100 days ago in Gaza. At the initiative of Reporters Without Borders, more than 100 news media from all over the world have issued a joint appeal for his release and the release of the 14 journalists held hostage in Iraq. The press freedom organisation displayed the logos of all these media underneath the Eiffel Tower today to show the extend of the support for these demands.

Reporters Without Borders has organised activities in Paris, London and Arab countries to mark BBC correspondent Alan Johnston's 100th day today as a hostage in Gaza. The press freedom organisation believes it is essential to keep campaigning for Johnston's release as no previous kidnapping in Gaza ever went on so long. In Paris, Reporters Without Borders today brought 100 activists and volunteers together on the grass of the Camp-de-Mars, opposite the Eiffel Tower, where they brandished the logos of more than 100 news media throughout the world who responded to the organisation's call to participate in a collective appeal for the release of Johnston and 14 journalists held hostage in Iraq. Last night, Reporters Without Borders staged a projection of Johnston's photo on the facade of the famous Battersea Power Station building overlooking the Thames in London. Posters of Johnston were also put up in Gaza and Beirut, and were due to be displayed in other Middle East capitals. The organisation also produced an Arabic-language spot calling for the release of kidnapped journalists in the Palestinian Territories and Iraq that has been broadcast by local and satellite TV stations in the region. “We must now, more than ever, take action to demand Alan Johnston's swift release,” Reporters Without Borders said. “This BBC correspondent must not be forgotten as the Gaza Strip is plunged into more and more violent crises. It falls to Hamas, which now has sole control of the Gaza Strip, to do everything possible to obtain his release. Johnston should not have to pay for the instability in the Palestinian Territories, which he had been covering since 2005.” The press freedom organisation added: “Ismael Haniyeh and the other Hamas leaders must also order their security services to ensure that journalists are able to work safely and without restrictions in the Gaza Strip. Otherwise, more journalists will be taken hostage in the future.” 100 days in captivity Kidnapped on 12 March in Gaza City, Johnston today completes his 100th day as a captive. The chaos reigning in the Gaza Strip is making negotiations even more difficult. Promises by different Palestinian officials that he was about to be freed have not been kept. After saying nothing for nearly two months, a known group calling itself the Army of Islam claimed responsibility for his abduction on 8 May and demanded the release of several Muslims held in Britain, including Abu Qatada, a Palestinian who has been detained since 2005. Nearly a month later, the group reiterated its demands in an undated video showing Johnston.

Alan Johnston List of the media participating in the Champ-de-Mars appeal Algeria : El Watan
Austria : Die Presse, ORF, APA, Der Osterreichische Journalist, Der Standard, Profil, Stadt Wien
Azerbaijan : Turan
Belarus : BelaPan
Belgium : Belga, De Standaard, La Libre Belgique, Le Soir, RTBF TV, RTL TVI, Enjeux Internationaux, Le Vif / L'Express, Vers l'Avenir, VRT
Bosnia : Oslobodjenje
Brazil : O Globo, FSB
Burkina Faso : L'Evénement
Cameroon : Le Jeune observateur
Canada : CBC, Radio Canada, La Presse, The Gazette, Le Devoir, Le Journal de Montréal
France : 20 Minutes, AFP, Euronews, Europe 1, France 2, France 24, France 3, France Info, France Inter, I-Télé, La Croix, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Les Echos, L'Express, Libération, Métro, Nouvel Observateur, NRJ, Ouest France, RMC Info, RTL, TF1, TV5 Monde, N-TVEMI CFD (école), LCI
Gambia : The Point
Germany : ARD, Arte, Der Spiegel, Deutsche Welle, Die Tageszeitung, Die Welt, Focus, Frankfurter Rundschau, Stern, Süddeutsche Zeitung, ZDF, EPD, Financial Times Deutschland,
Great Britain : BBC, Channel 4 News, News of the World, The Guardian, The Sun, The Sunday Times, The Times, CPU, ITN, ITV News, Skynews, The Independent
Greece : Infogrece
Israel : Jerusalem Post, Yedioth Ahronoth
Italy : AGR, La Repubblica, What's up, Il Manifesto, Il Messaggero, La Stampa
Japan : Asahi Shimbun
Lebanon : As-Safir, Al-Akhbar, LBC
Moldavia : Timpul
Morocco : Le Journal hebdomadaire
Pakistan : Daily Times, Friday Times
Poland : Gazeta Wyborcza, TVN 24, Dziennik
Qatar : Al-Jazeera
Saudi Arabia : Al-Arabiya, Asharq Al-Awsat
South Korea : The Monthly Chosun, Busan Ilbo
Spain : ABC, Antena 3, Cadena SER, EFE, El País, El Periódico, Servimedia, TeleCinco, TVE, La Vanguardia, Cambio 16, Cuatro, El Mundo, Grupo EIG, La Sexta
Sweden : Aftonbladet, Svenska Dagbladet, Göteborgs-Posten
Switzerland : Giornale del Popolo, Le Courrier, Le Temps, Tribune de Genève, Sonntags Blick
Ukraine : Unian, Kanal 5
United Arab Emirates : Gulf News
United States : ABC News, AP, Boston Globe, CBS News, CNN, Newstatesman
Venezuela : Tal Cual

Published on 20.06.2007