A new documentary film – “Courage – Journalism is not a crime” by celebrated Danish director Tom Heinemann. – premiered on the 25th anniversary of the World Press Freedom Day to a packed theatre in Copenhagen, notes the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS):
The documentary depicts the reality of journalists in countries where those in power do not accept criticism and resistance. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with Tom Heinemann, Amnesty International, and International Media Support. The panel highlighted the need for solidarity and empowerment of independent voices in the three countries featured in the film, which presents the stories of four journalists who fought against their regimes and paid a steep price 
for simply doing their job: Lawi Weng, Erdem Gül, Emin Milli and Mehman Huseynov (right).
“This powerful documentary is a reflection of today’s state of press freedom in Azerbaijan, Myanmar, and Turkey. The documentary is a must-see if you want to feel connected to independent journalists in those countries,” said IRFS Director Emin Huseynov.*
The National Endowment for Democracy’s Center for International Media Assistance also marked World Press Freedom Day with a must-see video package featuring free media advocates Rafael Marques de Morais, Claudia Escobar, Passy Mubalama, and Risham Waseem.
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) holds a briefing on “Democracy Deferred: The State of Elections and Fundamental Freedoms in Azerbaijan.” Contributors: Audrey Altstadt, professor of history at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Emin Milli (left), director of Meydan TV; and Maran Turner, executive director of Freedom Now.
10:30 a.m. – May 9, 2018. Venue: SVC-215, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC. Webcast here
*The film also features international experts: Drew Sullivan, David Kaplan, Sheila Coronel, Jesper Højberg, Christophe Deloire, Gerard Ryle, Henrik Kaufholz, Kyaw Swa Moe, Florian Irminger, Mogens Bjerregård, Mark Lee Hunter and Marina Walker Guevara.
