Mourners pray over the body of journalist Ahmed Mansur at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on April 8, 2025. Photo: AFP / Lehtikuva
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Seven press freedom and media organisations in Finland have called on President Alexander Stubb to take concrete steps to protect journalists in Gaza, the International Press Institute reports.
In a joint statement released on 4 September, the organisations urged Finland to use its diplomatic position to push for stronger protections for media workers and accountability for attacks on journalists. They cited Finland’s current role as co-chair of the Media Freedom Coalition and as chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The statement follows the killing of Hossam Al-Masri, a Palestinian journalist, in an Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on 25 August.
The organisations said that since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October 2023, an unprecedented number of journalists, most of them Palestinian, have been killed by Israeli military actions. Several independent investigations have concluded that some of these were deliberate, targeted attacks. Under international humanitarian law, targeted attacks on journalists are considered war crimes.
Despite repeated appeals from press freedom groups, there has been no effective international accountability mechanism. The statement noted that international journalists remain barred from entering Gaza, forcing local reporters to work under conditions of bombardment, displacement, and famine.
The signatories include IPI Finland National Committee, Reporters Without Borders Finland, the Council for Mass Media, the Finnish Media Federation, the Association of Editors (PTY), the Union of Journalists in Finland, and the Foundation for Media and Development (Vikes).
The organisations called on the president to advocate for unimpeded press access to Gaza and to support international efforts to investigate attacks on journalists.
They stressed that Finland’s leadership in global media coalitions gives it the responsibility to act.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
