Helping journalists and media in difficulty, 25 grants sent in the last 3 months

On 11 September, 800 euros were sent to the family of Janullah Hashimzada, an Afghan journalist who was gunned down on 24 August near the town of Jamrud in northwestern Pakistan. Up to now, no serious investigation has been ordered. The money was intended to enable his widow and children to cover their most urgent needs. Reporters Without Borders sent 700 euros to an exiled Iranian journalist on 3 September to enable him to pay for his basic needs. On 1 September, Reporters Without Borders sent 850 euros to Haitian journalist Sainlus Augustin, who had to seek refuge in a Port-au-Prince hotel with his wife and two children after gunmen fired on their home. The money was to cover their living needs. Reporters Without Borders sent 1,000 dollars on 26 August to the families of six imprisoned Gambian journalists – Emil Touray, Pa Modou Fall, Pap Saine, Ebrima Sawaneh, Sam Sarr and Sarata Jabbi-Dibba. The money was to help the families cover their living needs and to help pay for the medical expenses of the detained journalists, all members of the Gambia Press Union. They were released on 3 September 2009. A Somali journalist who had been threatened by the Al-Shabaab militia was sent 600 euros on 12 August to enable him to seek a safe refuge by leaving Somalia Reporters Without Borders sent 400 euros to Pakistani journalist Rehman Buneri on 31 July to help him rebuild his house, which was destroyed in an attack by about 60 men. On the same day, an exiled Iranian journalist was sent 600 euros to help him cover his most urgent day-to-day needs. On 20 July, Reporters Without Borders sent 2,000 dollars and 20 bullet-proof vests to 15 journalists employed by leading Somali news media. Reporters Without Borders provided funding to Chinese journalist Jiang Weiping on 15 July to help him to resume working as a journalist in Canada, where he has found refuge after serving six years of an eight-year sentence in China on charges of endangering state security and divulging state secrets. A mainland China correspondent for Hong Kong news media, Jiang was arrested in the northeastern city of Dalian in December 2000. Read Jian Weiping's account, "Life of a Chinese journalist": Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Last Part A Belarusian journalist was given 400 euros on 10 July because she was unable to continue working after her husband, a press photographer, was the victim of a physical attack. Reporters Without Borders helped a Sri Lankan journalist to find refuge in Germany on 7 July. He had been seriously threatened as a result of articles criticising violence against the news media in Sri Lanka. He will receive training in Germany and will be able to work with other exiled Sri Lankan journalists. For safety reasons, Reporters Without Borders has to keep the names of some of the recipients of the grants secret.