Habituation VENOM

Habituation VENOM

By Carl Wilhelm Macke *,

Day after day, in all parts of the world human rights are abused, they are kicking. However, until the stronger and painful assault on human rights goes almost unnoticed. It occurs in silence, always hidden in the daily routine, always very close (in the direct proximity) from us. And quite often we ourselves are the authors of this contempt for respect for human rights to get used to the news that they are not met, they are constantly violated.

Article 19 of human rights, which seems particularly valuable to journalists and publicists, refers to that "everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression: this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek their views, the receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers, by any means of expression. "

Press freedom, without abuse of the press

Big words for the undersigned line after line. In very dramatic, for example, when a journalist is killed during the course of their work, perhaps we pause a moment, meditate. But when we get too terrible news from around the world, begins the brutalization of any attention.

The venom of habituation to human rights violations extends. Late August 2004: in Iraq kidnapped Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni and running. Outside his homeland, Italy, barely heard about this event. Immediately after this execution of Baldoni, also in Iraq, kidnapped two French journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot and threaten them with a brutal execution in case the French Government does not accept political blackmail. These were avoided aggravating dramatic, but unfortunately you have to have other similar abductions. Only during the first eight months of 2004, 75 media employees killed in Iraq, as prescribed by the International Federation of Journalists. At this point we are already too used to this news from Iraq. It begins to repress. At the same time you arrive at the Journalists Association of Journalists help (JHJ) requests for support for colleagues from Bangladesh, Haiti and Nepal.

The three countries belong to the poorest regions of the world in which journalists can only dream of the purposes of Article 19 of human rights. In Nepal more and more journalists who fall between the fronts of a Maoist guerrilla aggressive and Nepalese security services, which are no less brutal. In the Dominican Republic comes the cry for help from a journalist who fled political persecution in Haiti. A reporter from Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, please support the purchase of a laptop, not having to write their articles with a rickety typewriter.

Exceeds the possibilities of the small association Journalists Journalists help respond to all requests for financial support. Often we can only provide token assistance. For example, to a journalist from Zimbabwe who fled persecution by the Mugabe regime in Germany. The JHJ promised support for their livelihood on the pricey German exile.

In the City of Munich, the twin city of Harare (Zimbabwe) at the same time think how you can help the colleague of a more practical way in their struggle for press freedom in his country. These requests for support in particular cases accompanied by news coming from Iran, the Philippines, Maldives, Pakistan, Cuba, Ukraine and Russia on murders, harassment and arrests of journalists.

Realize this news about abuses of human rights and human dignity is often the only thing you can do. But get used to this news means nothing to accept, without resistance and without any warning or the poison of habituation to the persecution of journalists.

* Carl is manager of the German Association "Journalists help to Journalists"

July 2010