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McKinnon calls for release of BBC journalist Alan Johnston

26 June 2007

A lively, free and responsible press is an indispensable element and a key marker of a functioning democracy, says McKinnon

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has called for the release of Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist who was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip on 12 March this year.

Speaking during a Summer Media Party held at Marlborough House, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters in London, on 25 June 2007, Mr McKinnon said that a lively, free and responsible press is an indispensable element and a key marker of a functioning democracy.

“Today we think particularly of the BBC’s Alan Johnston, now held captive for over 100 days in Gaza. Our concern is even greater than ever, as we hear news of him wearing a ‘bomb vest’. We join you, his media colleagues in standing with him, and calling for his immediate release,” the Secretary-General stated.

The party was attended by a number of journalists working in London.

Mr McKinnon said that the media are “also a hugely influential vehicle for sharing the stories and the lessons of economic and particularly social development in areas like health and education, as well as democracy.”

The Secretary-General emphasised that democracy and development are the two pillars of Commonwealth work.

Citing statistics about media environment around the globe, Mr McKinnon noted that last year more than 100 journalists were killed in the line of duty, 900 were arrested, 1,500 were physically attacked or threatened … and 50 were kidnapped.

“These are chilling facts that you know all about and we will speak up about. World Press Freedom Day was last month, but press freedom matters every day,” he added.