EU Australia Online - News & information from the capital of Europe direct to Australian businesses
«
»

Many Journalists In Gaza Evacuation

  • June 3rd, 2010
  • Posted by EUEditor

geraghty-reduced.jpgAs over six hundred people from the Gaza flotilla were being evacuated from Israel to Turkey (2.6.10), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said it had been pushing for safe conduct of several media workers in that  group.

Among them, photographer Kate Geraghty of the Sydney Morning Herald (picture), says she was hit by a Taser stunning device.

She said she’d been hurt by a blow to the arm that made her feel sick, as Israeli commandos began taking over the ships.

“Three of the soldiers on the deck were Australian Israelis; I couldn’t believe it”, she said.

She was with the newspaper’s Chief Correspondent, Paul McGeogh, who was travelling on an Irish passport.

The IFJ General Secretary, Aidan White, said up to one hundred journalists were believed to have been on the ships that attempted to break the blockade of the Gaza territory, (See EUAustralia, “Gaza flotilla …”, 1.6.10).

They were intercepted on Monday, with nine people believed killed and several others wounded, including an Australian man shot in the leg.

Mr White said Israel had given assurance that it would treat all professional journalists the same way as politicians who accompanied the flotilla.

“The Israeli authorities must not play cat and mouse with professional journalists who are doing their job, not just for the company they serve but inn the service of a worldwide audience”, he said.

“We are grateful for the tremendous efforts being made by leaders of the National Federation of Israeli Journalists to defend the rights of working professionals caught up in these tragic events.”

The Brussels based IFJ represents over 600000 journalists in 125 countries.

Reference

IFJ, Brussels, media release, IFJ calls for immediate release of journalists…, 1.6.10.

Jason Koutsoukis, Kirsty Needham, Jessica Mahar, ‘“I was ‘Tasered’ by Israelis”, says Herald photographer’, Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 3.6.10.  http://www.smh.com.au/world/i-was-tasered-by-israelis-says-herald-photographer-20100602-wzv3.html, (3.6.10).

Picture  SMH