Nordic unions: Stop attacs against journalists in Egypt

Situation of journalists covering the events in Egypt is getting worse minute by minute. About the time this statement is being written, Feb 4 around 12 noon GMT, The International Federation of Journalists has already listed some 90 journalists wounded or attacked.

These journalists are there for their legitimate and democratic work, to tell the public what is going on in the country. Our understanding is that the attacks against journalists are an attempt to prevent our colleagues from reporting about the development of events by scaring them silent.

That will not happen, but the risk of inaccurate and incomplete reporting will increase. Now journalists are forced for security reasons to leave the places they are covering and stay indoors, without their technical equipment.

We demand the Nordic governments to use all channels to guarantee the safety of the Nordic journalists there, says Arto Nieminen, president of the Nordic Union of Journalists.

We also demand the Egyptian authorities to take on their obvious responsibility to stop the violence against our colleagues.

Freedom of the Press and Expression are essential for a democratic development of any nation. We consider these attacks against journalists as a temporary setback, since the importance of freedoms of the press and expression to the continuation of the democratic process can’t be overestimated.

• Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard, President, Danish Union of Journalists
• Arto Nieminen, President, Union of Journalists in Finland
• Hjalmar Jonsson, President, Icelandic Union of Journalists
• Elin Floberghagen, President, Norvegian Union of Journalists
• Agneta Lindblom Hulthén, President, Swedish Union  of Journalists

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