"Journalists go to the most dangerous places to give voice to the voiceless" UN Chief António Guterres

By Ethiopia Zare Staff

Antonio Guterres, the UN (United Nations) Secretary-General, has called for an end to the crackdown on journalists who he described as a “voice of the voiceless” on a video released for this year’s World Press Freedom Day, 3rd May.

Every year, 3rd May, World Press Freedom Day is celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

IPI 2017 Award

International Press Institute (IPI) named Ethiopian journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega IPI’s 69th World Press Freedom Hero and the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee as the recipient of the 2017 Free Media Pioneer on 25 April 2017.

Journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega has been imprisoned since 2011 after criticising his country's abuse of anti-terror laws to silence the press.

The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee has been awarded the 2017 Free Media Pioneer Award in recognition of the group's courageous and trailblazing work to prevent, combat and monitor attacks on journalists in one of the world's most dangerous media environments, reported IPI Media.

Both awards, which for the past three years have been given in partnership with Copenhagen-based International Media Support (IMS), will be presented during a special ceremony on May 18 in Hamburg, Germany during IPI's annual World Congress and General Assembly.