IFJ: Surveillance Of Journalists Main Worrying Threats To Press Freedom

5/2/2022 10:04:51 AM

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS, May 2 (KUNA) -- Surveillance of journalists by using spyware all over the world is one of the main and most worrying threats to press freedom, said the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Monday.
In a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day which falls on May 3, it said that cases of spying on journalists and media workers using sophisticated spyware programs have multiplied in recent years all over the world.
'From Asia Pacific to Latin America, passing by European and the Middle East, governments have reportedly used sophisticated spyware products designed to fight crime to target independent journalists,' it noted.
In recent months, media organizations and international bodies have reported multiple cases of espionage on media professionals. In July 2021, the Forbidden Stories project revealed that 180 journalistsآ' smartphones were infected with the Israeli Pegasus spyware all over the world, it said.
IFJ called for strict regulations that ban surveillance of journalists and recognise the inviolability of journalists' communications.
IFJ President Younes Mjahed said: 'Surveillance brings no security to journalists. Every day a new case of espionage on a journalist is discovered. The digital espionage of journalists is growing and both global and national actions are urgently needed to curb it.'
'The next IFJ Congress in Oman will explore how surveillance can be tackled,' he added.
The Brussels-based IF represents around 600,000 journalists across 146 countries worldwide.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement EU High Representative Josep Borrell said 'as we mark World Press Freedom Day, brave journalists, camera crews, reporters, photographers and bloggers are risking their lives to keep us informed about Russiaآ's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine.'
'Russian forces are detaining, abducting or kidnapping and targeting journalists and civil society actors to prevent the world from hearing the truth. We strongly urge the Russian Federation to immediately stop such attacks and practices,' he said. (end)
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