“WAN-IFRA reiterates its call for the release of 2007 Golden Pen of Freedom laureate Shi Tao, and all other journalists imprisoned or held without charge in connection to their work,” the Board of WAN-IFRA, the global organization for the world’s press, said in a resolution issued during its meeting at the 65th World Newspaper Congress and 20th World Editors Forum, currently underway in Bangkok.
The resolution called on the Chinese authorities to recognize that a free press helps promote a more prosperous, equitable and just society.
Recent data shows at least 32 journalists are held in Chinese prisons, making the country one of the world’s worst jailers of media professionals.
The resolution also called on the government to cease its pursuit and harassment of ‘netizens’ and bloggers who are increasingly targets of repression, and to welcome a more open and participatory information age.
The full resolution can be read here.
WAN-IFRA issued four other resolutions that:
• Calls for the government of the United Kingdom to withdraw its proposed Royal Charter on Self Regulation of the Press, given the negative effect it will have on the independent press in the United Kingdom and worldwide;
• Call for the government of Myanmar to guarantee media independence and to create the conditions for press freedom to flourish;
• Congratulated the Pan-African Parliament on recognising the Declaration of Table Mountain and its call to repeal criminal defamation and insult laws, but identified urgent concerns for the governments of Ethiopia, Burundi, South Africa, Eritrea and Egypt where the freedom of the press is compromised by restrictive legislation;
• Calls on the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, to immediately stop the current government-led campaign of intimidation against independent media.
