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Birima Fall: Apparently Gisele has not heard any information on the death of her husband since June. What does this mean? This means that if nothing is done for light to be shed on the assassination, then nothing will ever happen. That is why I said a while ago that major networks should devote attention to what is happening in certain countries in Africa and Asia.
The death of Gisele's husband is a very interesting case, where three months after the beginning of the inquiry, we know nothing. She hasn't heard anything. I would like to ask her whether journalists do the same thing when a matter is being investigated. Do they talk about the case under investigation? If not, why not? Is it forbidden by law in your country?
Gisele Khoury: I would like to say to my dear friend Nakhle that I'm not a fatalist, but how can one protect oneself in Lebanon? What can protect us? The rule of law, is all. The murderers have to be punished and have to be put on trial. That's the only way we can protect ourselves.
I'm a soldier. I cannot live in an Arab state that is not free and not democratic. I cannot live in a country where you have terrorists who kill people - in schools in Iraq, in hotels in Jordan, in residential parts of Saudi Arabia or in Lebanon - not for the same reasons, but with the same Mafia-like mentality. This is not life. We like life. We who love democracy and freedom like life, and we must therefore fight against these murders.
As for international organisations, there are none siding with the journalists. Reporters sans frontières exists in France, but Samir Qasir had an Arabic name. He held two nationalities, French and Lebanese, but he wasn't Florence Aubernas, was he? So we have to take that into account as well. What does the average Frenchman see in our country? We're not prominent in their minds.
The American and European press don't do enough when a journalist dies. I don't know whether a PR network for the pres is the solution. I think each one of us, in our own country, has to see to it that the murderers are punished.
We don't have an audiovisual law in our country, or a law on satellite channels. We have local laws that are derisory. They go back to the Middle Ages - perhaps a little better in Lebanon than elsewhere, but hardly.
And to the person who took the floor about independent justice in Lebanon, I would like to say that our country was dominated by foreign troops - even if they were sister or friendly forces, as they say. These people set up their own system in our country, and it's a system of dictatorship. These people took control of the country on everything. You'd have to be utopian to say the contrary. They had a firm hand on everything - the media, the judiciary, political life. Some people tried to fight against this; they were killed or jailed, or they left the country.
As for the independence of the Lebanese judiciary - it is not independent. Politicians have to take a stand on this. It is the political class that nominates judges, so we can't say the judiciary is independent. This takes time. There is a little more freedom and mobility. We don't now have reports from the secret services on everything. Inquiries are launched, though this is going to take a very long time. But I'm sure we'll manage, win and overcome.
Elizabeth Palmer: Thank you for joining us. And please tell May that there are hundreds of her colleagues here who are thinking of her and praying for her safe recovery.
Nick Radlo (freelance journalist, London): This question of putting international pressure on governments - the naming and shaming thing that Richard Sambrook referred to earlier - I'd be interested to know what the practical proposals are to get the big global networks to put a bit more emphasis on these problems. How do you do it? Richard mentioned getting maybe a Security Council resolution on journalists, getting something added to the Geneva Convention. What you do there is maybe you get the networks to co-operate and you have a stable of international politicians you wheel out every time you have a case. How could that work? I'd be really interested to know.
Elizabeth Palmer: I think we all would. When is your report due, Richard?
Richard Sambrook : It's due out in May, though it may take a bit longer than that. We're very open to anyone's ideas, and you can contribute those via the INSI website.
We've been concentrating, understandably, on the personal aspects of this, on our colleagues' safety, quite rightly. But there is also a bigger principle underlying all of that. It is quite clear that this is one of the biggest inhibitions on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Intimidation of the media, and of reporters, and self-censorship that follows from that, is really quite serious now.
Alastair McDonald mentioned earlier that, in his view, there's a view among some of the American military that any kind of media coverage equals hostile propaganda. Whether that's true or not, this whole issue of intimidation and violence against journalists and the self-censorship that follows from it, really is a big danger for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. So there is a very fundamental issue that lies behind these difficult personal issues of safety.
Sarah de Jong (deputy director, INSI): I want to set the record straight here. Shame on all of you here - time for some honesty. There are several global, dedicated organisations that have been fighting on exactly these issues for decades, counting every year the number of dead journalists, calling for justice, campaigning quite heavily. These are the International Federation of Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters without Borders.
It's almost shameful to sit here and listen to very important people pretending as if these organisations don't exist. They have made a lot of progress in the last couple of decades and they are campaigning very strongly. And they are all united in a global PR network, exchange or whatever you want to call it, which is called the International Freedom of Expression eXchange. It should be noted for the record that it does exist, and there are a hell of a lot of people out there very dedicated to all of these issues, working very hard every single day to get this to the attention of the world. And the "shame on you" part goes to the media, for not covering the stories. [Applause]
Rodney Pinder : These are very important issues, and there is much we can do. INSI is taking practical steps to address the issue of impunity, and we hope through the Security Council resolution to do something quite good on that.
We've had some successes. We have, in discussions with the British military, got them to accept for the first time the issue of safety of journalists on the battlefield, and the right of journalists independently to be in the battle space. This is a step that we will use to try to bring similar pressure on the Americans, the Israelis and the NATO countries.
Training is important, and we have evidence that, time and time again, proper training does save lives. We have testimony from many journalists who say that their safety training did get them out of situations. We have to get past this situation of journalists being the only professionals out there on the battlefield without proper training on what to expect there.
INSI has now raised money to provide free safety training to 300 journalists around the world in the past 18 months. From this meeting last year, we took the Mo Amin Award, which was to do something for Iraqi freelance cameramen, and we expanded that amount of money, and out of that managed to give safety training to 12 Iraqi cameramen, the unsung heroes of the coverage there.
When we talk about journalists uniting, my friend and colleague Sarah was quite right that there are organisations out there that we can help. But principally I would like to appeal to you all: INSI was set up only three years ago, precisely out of the concern that we have for journalists being killed, and to do something about it. We were formed by concerned journalist support groups and concerned news organisations. But when we look around at our 80 members and count how many news organisations there are in the world, our membership is pretty damn thin.
We need your support, and we need your tiny amounts of membership dues - really small amounts of money - to continue our work to help save journalists' lives, and I would appeal to you all: If journalists are going to get together and do this, there is no more practical, pragmatic and effective way to do it than to support the International News Safety Institute in the work that we're doing, with your money and your help and your information and your influence to go to governments and international organisations, to save journalists' lives.
Elizabeth Palmer: It is Remembrance Day today and so, to close, we've collected the names of journalists who have died in the line of duty, and it would be appropriate to take a few minutes now to watch and to remember them.
[Videotape, listing names of journalists who died in the previous year]:
November 2004
Stephen Omaois - Guru Press / DZRK
Allan Dizon - Freeman / Banat News
Gregorio Rodriguez - El Debate
Masimba Albert Karikoga - Herald
December 2004
Prashant Bhole - Lokmat
R V Syed - Jan Aadesh
Mohammed Salem Al-Sagheer - Al-Waseet
Lal Jayasundara - Photographer
Deida Hydara - Pape Seine / AFP
January 2005
Julio Palacio - Lemas
Abdias Jean - Freelance journalist
February 2005
Edgar Amoro - DXKP
Allah Noor - The Nation
Mir Nawab - Freelance cameraman
Abdul Hussein Khazal - Al-Hurra TV
Kate Peyton - BBC
Sheikh Belaluddin - Sangram
Dier Karam Ali - Al-Ittihad Al-Islami, Al-Ofoq Al-Islami
Kiat Saetang - Had Yai Post
Hernando Marne Sanchez Roldan - El Pais
Raledah Mohammed Wageh Wazan - Ninevah TV
Unknown - Al-Hurra
Arnulfo Villaneuva - Asian Star Express Balita
March 2005
Elmar Huseinov - Monitor
Asim Nath - Aajkaal
Romeo Sanchez - DZNL
Laik Ibrahim - Kurdistan TV
Hussam Hilal Sarsam - Kurdistan TV
Marlenee Garcia Ezperat - Midland Review
Ricardo Gonzalves Rocha - Jornal Vecentino
April 2005
Khagendra Shrestha - Dharan Today
Laraque Robenson - Radio Tele Contact
Raul Gibb Guerrero - La Opinion
Fadhil Hazem - Al-Hurriya TV
Ali Ibrahim Issa - Al-Hurriya TV
Saman Abdullah Izzedine - Kirkuk TV
Guadalupe Garcia - Stereo 91
Ahmed Al-Rubai - Al-Sabah
Julio Augusto Garci Romero - La Bocina
Oscar Acosta Aruas - El Sabaneteno
Saleh Ibrahim - Associated Press
Sivaram Dharmeratnam - Tamilnet.com
May 2005
Klein Cantoneros - DXAA
Philip Agustin - Starline Times Recorder
Najem Abed Khudair - Al Mada
Ahmed Adam - Al Mada
Ali Jassem Al Rumi - Al Safeer
Shalma Rizaee - Tolo TV
Mervin Forde
Pavel Makeev - Puis TV
Mohammed Golam Mahfuz - Comilla Mukta Kantha
Jerges Mahmood Mohamed Suleiman - Nineveh TV
June 2005
Samir Qasir - Al-Nahar
Daif Al Ghazal - Libya Al-Youm
Duniya Muhiyadin Nur - HornAfrik
Alim Kazimli - Yeni Musavat
Jassim Al-Qais - Al Siyada
Yasser Salihee - Knight Ridder
Bardehul Ajeti - Bota Sot
Maha Ibrahim - Baghdad TV
Ahmed Wael Bakri - Al-Sharqiya
Magomed-Zagid Varisov - Novoye Delo
July 2005
Khaled Sabih Al Attar - Al-Iraqiya
Joscaido Amorim Pinto - Radio Comunitaria Alternativo
Rolando Morales - DXMD
Ubaidullah Azhar - Journalist
Jacques Roche - Le Matin
Adnan Al Bayati - Rai, Mediaset TG3
Alberto Martinez - Journalist
Harry Yansaneh - For Di People
August 2005
Steven Vincent - New York Times
Relangi Selvarajah - Rupavahini Corporation
Rony Adolfo Olivas - La Prensa
Elyuddin Telaumbanua - Berita Sore
Rafed Mahmoud al-Rubai - Al-Irakiya
Waleed Khaled - Reuters
Bhimashi Mannapur - Karnataka Times
Devdas Shahade - Mahasatta
September 2005
Erman Tasrial - Singgalang
Hind Ismail - As-Saffir
Fakher Haider - New York Times
Firas Maadidi - As-Saffir
Ahlam Youssef - Al-Iraqiya
October 2005
Maheshwor Pahari - Swabhiman
Vasily Grodnikov - Narodnaya Volya
Mohammad Harun Hassan - Nabdh Al Shabeb
Malwand - Da Solah Pagham
Jose Marcia Ramos da Silva - Diario do Nordeste
November 2005
Santi Lammaninin - Freelance journalist
Frank Kangundu - La Référence Plus
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