Global Day of Solidarity with Iraq Journalists tomorrow

Demonstrations in Iraq and in several capitals of the region and the world are to be held on Thursday, June 15 -- Iraq's National Day of the Press -- to express solidarity with Iraqi journalists.

"Our appeal today is for action to end the suffering, for humanitarian support for the media victims of violence and, above all, to stand with our Iraqi colleagues and to assure them that they are not alone," Aidan White, general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) told a news conference in Brussels Wednesday.

"The crisis facing journalists in Iraq touches all of us and we pledge to work together to bring an urgent end to their continuing ordeal," he said.

On May 13, in Beirut, a regional meeting of unions and associations from throughout the Arab world and Iran recommended that the IFJ organize an international Day of Solidarity with Iraqi Journalists on June 15, 2006 to highlight the crisis facing media people in this country.

"Stop Killing Journalists in Iraq" is the motto of the day of action for Iraq, where 130 media personnel have lost their lives and hundreds more injured or disabled in what has become the deadliest media war in modern history.

"We mourn, but we also demand action to end this slaughter," White said.

The June 15 Day of Action has three aims:

* Launch a special humanitarian assistance fund for the media victims of violence in Iraq and their families.

* Encourage all journalists' unions and associations to send messages of support and to protest the killing of journalists in Iraq,

* Organize a coordinated lobbying activity in support of Iraqi journalists at the level of the United Nations and European Union and in all major national capital cities.

The Brussels-based IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in over 100 countries.