Journalist organizations condemn violence against journalists in MiddleEast conflicts

[caption id="attachment_20333" align="alignleft" width="300"] National Press Club[/caption]

Gordon Matila----"The recent police attacks on journalists in Turkey are part of a pattern of violence, impunity and a disregard for freedom of the press," National Press Club President Angela Greiling Keane said.  "The Turkish government and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan must immediately carry out a comprehensive and unbiased investigation into the attacks on journalists, and Turkeyshould forbid its police from impeding journalists' efforts to cover public protests."

Around the world journalists put themselves at risk in order to cover the news. In areas where there is violence, they are at particular risk, as the National Press Club recently has condemned the attacks against journalists in Turkey.

Over several days journalists working in Turkey for a number of news groups sustained injuries from rubber bullets and a grenade.

Journalists reported that some of the police began the attacks on them well knowing they were assaulting members of the media. The police initiated the attacks after checking the press credentials.

One of the journalists, freelancer Ahmet Sik, told Reporters Without Borders that police were aggressive in trying to prevent him and other journalists as people were arrested near Taksim Square in Istanbul. The police even threatened the journalists with rubber bullets.

The recent assaults come after a summer of crackdown on many of the journalists covering the "Occupy Gezi" demonstrations, according to the Association of Turkish Journalists.

 Turkey is the world's largest jailer of journalists, human rights groups maintain.

Reporters Without Borders, joining the National Press Club's remarks, issued a statement about the violence against reporters in Egypt. The organization described a "heavy toll" on journalists in Egypt since the coup that overthrew President Mohammed Morsi, arresting, attacking, deporting and killing them.

In Syria female reporters have taken the lead, including a number of outspoken Syrian women.Samar Yazbek, a female Syrian writer and journalist speaks of the bravery of these women,  “Syrian women didn’t pick up arms, but kept helping the revolution by documenting violations, organizing, writing and in the media.” Syria has a more open society when it comes to the rights of women and women do not face the sexual violence they do in Egypt in general and when working as reporters.