UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...
UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...
UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...
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As a consequence of frequent attacks directed against educational facilities and teaching<br />
professionals, many schools and universities hold irregular classes or have suspended<br />
classes altogether. 575 Many schools in volatile areas remain closed. 576<br />
2. Journalists and Media Workers<br />
a) Situation in Central and Southern Iraq<br />
Increasing numbers of journalists and media workers have been killed, threatened or<br />
otherwise intimidated with impunity because of their work. Several news outlets have been<br />
attacked. Iraq has become the deadliest conflict in the world for journalists. UNESCO’s<br />
Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, issued a press release on 22 January 2007<br />
condemning the killing of reporters and media staff, saying<br />
“I am horrified by the number of Iraqi journalists who are paying with their lives for their<br />
professional commitment to the fundamental human right of freedom of expression.” 577<br />
While Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the<br />
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have different statistics 578 on the numbers of<br />
journalists and media support staff killed in Iraq since 2003, the most conservative figure<br />
puts the number at 93 as of mid-February 2007. 579 In addition, CPJ reported that 37 media<br />
support workers such as drivers, interpreters, fixers and guards were killed. Thus far, 2006<br />
has been the most lethal year. The majority of the victims were Iraqis. While some have<br />
been killed in crossfire or other acts of war, the majority lost their lives in deliberate<br />
attacks. 580 According to Aidan White, General Secretary of IFJ, “(m)ore than ten per cent<br />
of Iraq’s active journalists’ community has been killed.” 581<br />
Up to 150 kidnapped from Baghdad institute, 14 November 2006, http://www.guardian.co.uk/<br />
Iraq/Story/0,,1947359,00.html; BBC News, Scores seized from Baghdad office, 14 November 2006,<br />
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6146152.stm; IRIN, Iraq: Minister closes universities following mass<br />
kidnapping, 14 November 2006, http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=61940.<br />
575 For example, on 20 November 2006, the University of Diyala warned that it would halt classes if the<br />
Government did not provide better protection for its employees; see UNAMI HRO, December 2006 Human<br />
Rights Report, p. 16, see above footnote 10.<br />
576 Ibid.<br />
577 UNESCO, Director-General condemns wave of killings and abuses against Iraqi journalists, Press<br />
Release N°2007-06, 22 January 2007, http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=36512&URL_DO=DO_<br />
PRINTPAGE&URL_SECTION=201.html.<br />
578 The CPJ requires more evidence to verify reported killings, and therefore its statistics are generally lower.<br />
579 According to RSF, 148 media employees were killed between March 2003 and 15 February 2007; see<br />
RSF, More violence against journalists amid continuing impunity, 15 February 2007, http://www.rsf.org/<br />
article.php3?id_article=21016; the IFJ puts the number of journalists and media staff killed at 171 by<br />
31 December 2006; see IFJ, Journalism Put To The Sword in 2006, http://www.ifj.org/pdfs/JournalistsKilled<br />
2007finalweb.pdf.<br />
580 CPJ, Iraq: Journalists in Danger, a statistical profile of journalists killed on duty since March 2003,<br />
http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/Iraq/Iraq_danger.html [accessed Febuary 2007]; ibidem, Iraq: Journalists in<br />
Danger, media workers killed since 2003, http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/Iraq/iraq_media_killed.html; see also<br />
RSF, Iraq – Annual Report 2007, 1 February 2007, http://www.rsf.org/country-43.php3?id_mot=616&<br />
Valider=OK.<br />
581 IFJ, Iraqi Journalists Call on United Nations to Act over Media “Nightmare”, 19 December 2006,<br />
http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?index=4490&Language=EN.<br />
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