Over 100 journalists were killed in 2015, according to Reporters Without Borders. Many were deliberately targeted. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said recently that freedom of the press is essential in every state. “Quality journalism…works to expose injustice, corruption, and the abuse of power,” he said. Media workers’ safety is “essential for human rights and dignity…for common determination to build lasting peace,” UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said.
With World Press Freedom Day coming up, let’s celebrate 5 journalists who have made an impact on their communities, paying a high price for seeking the truth. 1. Najiba Ayubi, Managing Director of The Killid Group, Afghanistan. Refuses to be intimidated in a country famed for warlords. 2. Jila Bani Yaghoob, Journalist at Kanoon Zanan Irani (Centre for Iranian Women), Iran. On a 30-year ban from reporting for ‘insulting the president’. 3. Oleksiy Matsuka, runs news site Novosti Donbasa, Ukraine. Threatened for covering corruption and abuse of authority. 4. Abdul Bary Taher, former Editor-in-Chief at Al-Thawra, Yemen. Leader in press freedom movement in Yemen. 5. Ruqia Hassan, Citizen Journalist, Syria. Executed for standing up to ISIS via social media.
