Exiled journalists are totaly lost in host countries

There are still many countries in the world, where journalists are not able to do their professional duties and working in fear of being killed for having told the truth. Journalists and their families in these countries sometimes forced to leave their home-countries and move to country of exile

5 exiled journalists from Iran, Pakistan, Somali, Haiti and Cameroon told about social, cultural, administrative problems and challenges, which they have to face in their chosen country of exile during International Journalism Festival 2012 panel discussion “Journalists in exile”.

Reza Ganji, freelance Iranian journalist, who had no other choice than leave his homeland and moved Italy, said that in a country like Iran journalists are afraid of not only for their own lives, but for safety of their families and friends.

“A large number of Iranian journalists is in prison or sentenced to death just because they did their job.  Many newspapers have been closed. That’s why hundreds of journalists have to leave this country”- said Ganji.

But  the escape of totalitar regime of their home countries and moving to chosen country of exile do not guarantee easy and comfortable life for these journalists.

As Ganji mentioned, major part of exiled journalists can’t find a job in host country and even do not have identifying documents for staying there.  “I think that Iranian journalists in exile need to collaborate with their foreign collegues and find a job in host country media. It will help those media resources to improve their own research of Middle East”, – said Iranian journalist in exile.

Jean Claude Mbede, journalist in exile from Cameroon, noticed that they totally got lost in a host country. They have no documents, no contacts and no friends to call to and ask for a help. Besides, absence of language knowledge makes their worse. Exiled journalists can not work as a reporters in their host countries because their degrees and experience are not recognised there.

In Claudio Marteli’s point of view, host countries should be more flexible for exiled journalist and acknowledge their experience in journalism.  “We should do more to open newsroom’s doors for journalists in exile”,- said Marteli.

According to Committee to Protect Journalist’s report , in 2011 nearly 70 journalists were forced into exile, with more than half coming from Iran and Cuba.
Yekaterina Poghosyan – Armenia