14 December 2005
IFEX MEMBERS MOURN VICTIMS OF PLANE CRASH
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is offering to assist the families of journalists who died last week in an airplane crash in Tehran, Iran, a disaster it called the worst-ever in which journalists and media staff lost their lives.
On 6 December 2005, 94 people, mostly journalists, died when a C-130 military plane crashed into an apartment building. The aging plane had developed engine trouble soon after taking off and lost control. The journalists were traveling to the southern city of Bandar Abbas to cover military exercises.
IFJ says it is pledging support from its International Safety Fund to help relatives of the journalists killed in the crash. IFJ joined other IFEX members, including the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) in mourning the deaths.
For more information on the safety fund, see: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Issue=SAFEFUND&Language=ENVisit these links:
- IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=3586&Language=EN- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2005/Iran06dec05na.html- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15835- PINA: http://www.pinanius.com/news/publish/article_1487.shtmlFor updates on freedom of expression in Iran, visit: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/221/