Statement made on 15 June 2011 by Senator Joan Fraser
Hon. Joan Fraser:
Honourable senators, again this year, I rise to commemorate the 44 journalists and 4 media workers around the world who were killed last year because of the work they were doing as journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 27 of the 44 were murdered because of their work; 6 were killed in crossfire or combat; and 11 were killed on other dangerous assignments.
They were: in Afghanistan, James P. Hunter and Rupert Hamer; in Angola, Alberto Graves Chakussanga and Stanislas Ocloo; in Belarus, Aleh Byabenin; in Brazil, Francisco Gomes de Medeiros; in Cameroon, Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota; in Colombia, Clodomiro Castilla Ospino; in Greece, Sokratis Giolias; in Honduras, Nahúm Palacios Arteaga, David Meza Montesinos and Joseph Hernandez Ochoa; in India, Vijay Pratap Singh; in Indonesia, Alfrets Mirulewan, Ridwan Salamun, Ardiansyah Matra'is; in Iraq, Amira Hatem, Mohamed Abd al-Kareem Hadi al-Bayati, Aysar Mahmoud Hamid Zankana, Omar Rasim al-Qaysi, Tahrir Kadhim Jawad, Safa al-Din Abdel Hamid, Riad al-Saray and Sardasht Osman; in Lebanon, Assaf Abu Rahal; in Mexico, Carlos Alberto Guajardo Romero, Luis Carlos Santiago and Valentin Valdés Espinosa; in Nigeria, Sunday Gyang Bwede and Nathan S. Dabak; in Pakistan, Mohammad Sarwar, Pervez Khan, Abdul Wahab, Misri Khan, Ejaz Raisani, Ejazul Haq, Ghulam Rasool Birhamani, Azamat Ali Bangash and Malik Arif; in the Philippines, Joselito Agustin and Desidario Camangyan; in Rwanda, Jean-Léonard Rugambage; in Somalia, Barkhat Awale and Sheikh Nur Mohamed Abkey; in Thailand, Fabio Polenghi and Hiro Muramoto; in Uganda, Paul Kiggundu; and in Yemen, Muhammad al-Rabou'e.
They died because the work they were doing was so precious for freedom of information and for the rest of the world. They died for us. Honour them, honourable senators.