About IFEX:

News by region:

IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy:

IFEX Email Products:

Opportunities and assistance:

Alert

Journalists face charges over Gibraltar oil protest

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 February 2003 IFJ media release:


Drop the Charges, Says IFJ, as Journalists Face Court Action Over Gibraltar Oil Protest

The International Federation of Journalists called for charges to be dropped against two Spanish journalists facing a court case in Gibraltar on March 4th after their arrest with 12 other journalists last month when covering a protest by environmentalists.

José Martin, an editor with the private station Tele 5, and Virgillo Moreno, a photo-journalist with another private channel, Antena 3, were among a group of reporters and photographers arrested at sea with a number of activists and held for 10 hours on January 20th. They were travelling in launches trying to film the protest over the use of the dock by an oil tanker which had been taking part in dumping activity, which protesters say is responsible for oil spills in the region.

"These journalists are being victimised for doing their job," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "It is scandalous that they are being brought to court for following a story and for highlighting a matter of serious public concern."

Martin and Moreno will face judicial authorities over incidents surrounding their arrest, but the IFJ says the court action is unjustified and only further penalizes journalists who have "suffered enough".

"These journalists were arrested at sea in a dangerous manner, detained for more than 10 hours and then only freed after paying fines of 1,600 Euros and 750 Euros," said Aidan White. "It is unacceptable that they should suffer further. All charges against them should be dropped."

The IFJ says that the original arrests - of journalists from the Spanish El Mundo and El País newspapers and the state-run TV Española, Canal Sur network and the private Antena3 and Tele5 - were provocative and insensitive. "The treatment of the journalists demonstrates an astonishing lack of tolerance and respect for press freedom on the part of the Gibraltarian authorities," says the IFJ.

Public concern in Spain over oil pollution has grown since last November, following the ecological and economic catastrophe caused by the sinking of the oil-tanker Prestige, which began to founder off the northwest coast, spilling 20 tons of fuel. It was towed out to sea and sank and now sits on the sea bed but continues to leak its toxic load.

The arrest of the Spanish journalists has sparked support from other journalists' groups in Europe, including the National Union of Journalists in Britain and Ireland, which this week joined the IFJ in a plea to the judicial authorities in Gibraltar to drop the cases against Virgillo Moreno and José Martin.

The IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries.