More than 30 press freedom and media development organizations met in London in advance of the Global Media Freedom Conference to call on all participating States to ensure the protection and safety of all journalists and media workers in compliance with their existing obligations and international standards.
During a panel discussion marking the one-year anniversary of the imprisonment of three Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt, ICFJ Vice President of Programs Patrick Butler emphasized the importance of freedom of the press in Egypt and around the world.
Al Jazeera’s Bahar Mohamed, Mohamed Fahmy and Peter Greste were arrested in Cairo on Dec. 29, 2013 after interviewing members of the Muslim Brotherhood, an opposition group banned in Egypt shortly after Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s takeover.
