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Touring tribute to murdered journalists visits NUJ headquarters
photographs exposing the Amazon’s deforestation and threats to its indigenous peoples while making calls to action. “This is a story about challenging political regimes that do not subscribe to ecologically sustainable models of living,” said Dominique Davies, Phillips’s niece and one of the exhibition organisers, at an evening discussion hosted by the NUJ at Headland House. “It’s about the protection of journalists to allow them to report freely and safely and about asking for justice for Dom, Bruno and the Amazon.” Brazil’s union of journalists, FENAJ, documented 430
THE NUJ’S head office has hosted a touring exhibition commemorating the work and legacy of murdered British environmental journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous rights advocate Bruno Pereira, Cristina Lago writes. Phillips and Pereira were killed in June 2022 by men involved in illegal fishing while on a research trip in the Brazilian rainforest for the book Phillips was writing, How to Save the Amazon. Phillips was a respected freelance journalist who had written
extensively on environmental issues and the destruction of Indigenous communities for The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Times and other outlets. He had met Pereira in 2018 during a reporting trip in the Javari valley. The exhibition, For Dom, Bruno and the Amazon, was
produced by designers at Lancaster-based events space Halton Mill with the help of Phillips’ family members, environmental organisations, journalists and academics. It features
aggressive acts against journalists in 2021 and raised concerns about the country’s previous administration’s continuous attacks on media professionals. After Phillips and Pereira disappeared, former president Bolsonaro accused them of undertaking an “adventure” that had been “ill advised”. “When Dom was murdered, he was not in the wrong place at
the wrong time,” said Jim Boumelha, former president of the International Federation of Journalists and chair of the NUJ’s policy committee. “It was not just any journalist writing on climate change issues. He understood well the politics of this dark period in the history of Brazil and its impact not only on this country but on the rest of the world.” In January, Brazil’s new justice minister, Flávio Dino, announced the creation of the National Observatory of Violence against Journalists, an initiative supported by FENAJ. Phillips’s family is appealing for funds for the completion of
How to Save the Amazon:
https://gofund.me/a5529377 The exhibition For Dom, Bruno and the Amazon is available to host on tour. Contact Fiona Frank on
fiona@haltonmill.org.uk
Global journalist death toll rises
LAST year 68 journalists were killed while working, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), with Ukraine the most dangerous country in 2022. The annual toll compares with 47
journalists’ deaths in 2021. Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine saw journalists reporting from war zones, and Ukraine recorded the highest number of journalists’ deaths, with 12 murdered this year. Violence
in Colombia led to the deaths of four journalists and media workers and, in Mexico, 11 deaths were documented, as criminal organisations continued to wield power. In Africa, four journalists
were killed in Chad and Somalia, marking the lowest number of murders among the five regions recorded in the IFJ’s list.
The number of journalists’ deaths in the Middle East and Arab World rose from three to five and included the shooting of
Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces. Around the world, media
professionals have been targeted for a number of reasons including their efforts to expose criminal behaviour by gangs, environmental harm and state corruption.
Reporter dies after attack in Bangladesh Police have arrested someone
THE NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in condemning the murder in Bangladesh of reporter Ashiqul Islam. On January 9, Islam (left) was left
seriously injured and later died in hospital after being attacked by assailants on his way home.
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suspected of involvement in his death. Anthony Bellanger, IFJ general secretary, said: “The IFJ expresses its condolences to the Bangladeshi journalists’ fraternity and joins them in seeking a swift investigation into the case and for the
“
It’s about the protection of journalists to allow them to report freely and safely and about asking for justice for Dom, Bruno and the Amazon
Dominique Davies, Dom Phillips’ niece
authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.” The NUJ is also urging the authorities to ensure justice is sought for Islam’s death. His murder is the first journalist killing in the country this year, following Shabnam Sharmin’s death in late 2022.
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