The AEJ has joined more than 40 European and global media organisations in a statement of support for Ukrainian journalists.
A number of other journalist groups have issued their own statements of support and funding campaigns, and there have been public demonstrations against the Russian invasion across many countries in Europe and the Americas.
The statement from the AEJ and other mainstream media organisations, issued on the second day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, utterly condemned the state violence and aggression by Russia that puts thousands of journalists in Ukraine in grave danger.
It pledges all possible support to Ukrainian and other journalists who are now reporting from a war zone in the heart of Europe, and who face acute risks to their lives and livelihoods, and those of their families, together with all the people of Ukraine. And it includes a message of solidarity to those independent Russian media which continue to report the truth in conditions of unprecedented intimidation and pressure in their country.
Separately, the UK’s National Union of Journalists has called on UNESCO to ensure journalists’ safety, joining the International Federation of Journalists and its safety fund which provides emergency financial assistance.
The UK Society of Authors which represents writers, illustrators and translators in the UK has issued a statement of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, in particular “Ukrainian writers, illustrators, translators, journalists, and others whose lives and livelihoods are so entwined with the right to think, speak, write and create freely.”
And one of its members who was CEO of the Kyiv Post has organised a media funding page together with a number of journalist groups – The Fix, Are We Europe, Jnomics, and the Ukraine-based Media Development Foundation as well as media partners from across Europe and in Ukraine.
The full statement from the AEJ and organized by the Justice for Journalists Foundation on 25 February 2022 reads:
We, the undersigned organisations, stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, but particularly Ukrainian journalists who now find themselves at the frontlines of a large-scale European war.
We unilaterally condemn the violence and aggression that puts thousands of our colleagues all over Ukraine in grave danger.
We call on the international community to provide any possible assistance to those who are taking on the brave role of reporting from the war zone that is now Ukraine.
We condemn the physical violence, the cyberattacks, disinformation and all other weapons employed by the aggressor against the free and democratic Ukrainian press.
We also stand in solidarity with independent Russian media who continue to report the truth in unprecedented conditions.
It was signed by:
Justice for Journalists Foundation
Index on Censorship
International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz”
International Media Support (IMS)
Yerevan Press Club
Turkmen.news
Free Press Unlimited
Human Rights Center “Viasna”
Albanian Helsinki Committee
Media Rights Group, Azerbaijan
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
Association of European Journalists
School of Peacemaking and Media Technology in Central Asia
Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan
Reporters Without Borders, RSF
Association of Independent Press of Moldova, API
Public Association “Dignity”, Kazakhstan
PEN International
Human Rights House Foundation, Norway
IFEX
UNITED for Intercultural Action
Human Rights House Yerevan
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, Vanadzor, Armenia
Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, Norway
Society of Journalists, Warsaw
The Swedish OSCE-network
Hungarian Helsinki Committee
Legal policy research centre, Kazakhstan
Public Foundation Notabene, Tajikistan
HR NGO “Citizens’ Watch, St. Petersburg, Russia
English PEN
Public organization “Dawn”, Tajikistan
International Press Institute (IPI)
The Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan
ARTICLE 19
Human Rights House Tbilisi
Rights Georgia
Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center, Azerbaijan
International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee
Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
European Federation of Journalists
Social Media Development Center, Georgia
Populus Rei, Georgia
Justice for Journalists statement
NUJ call for UNESCO support
International Federation of Journalists safety fund
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on targeting journalists
UK Society of Authors statement of solidarity
Media funding support campaign
Reporting from inside Russia – the Moscow Times
Reports of dissent in Russia
Pitfalls in covering an invasion
Aljazeera coverage
