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AFP journalist Eyad Baba poses for a picture in the Gaza Strip on April 24, 2025. Already at that time Palestinian text, photo and video journalists working for the international news agency said desperate hunger and lack of clean water is making them ill and exhausted. Photo AFP

262 Czech journalists from 66 newsrooms including 23 editors-in-chief and some of the biggest names in Czech journalism have signed an open letter calling for the Czech President Petr Pavel and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala to support journalists in Gaza. The two Czech public broadcasting corporations Czech Radio and Czech TV are among the three newsrooms with the largest representation among the undersigned journalists. Virtually all major Czech newsrooms are represented. The call was organized by the Czech news organization Deník Referendum.

The text is a translation of a call addressed to Governments, International Organisations, Media Institutions, and Civil Society published by 15 press freedom groups, including Committee to Protect Journalists, International Press Institute, Reporters Without Borders, on August 6th. The only addition is the opening paragraph that provides the text with Czech context and explains that it is being published in Czech in response to the latest case of targeted killings of Palestinian journalists by the Israeli military on August 10th.

The sheer number of signatures under the call is unprecedented in Czech journalism. The importance of the effort is underlined by the fact that the Czech Republic is generally considered the staunchest supporter of Israel in the EU frequently blocking any efforts of a united European and international pressure on Israel to respect international law including the protection of journalists as civilians.

The four central demands of the call are:

• Immediate Food and Medical Access: Urgent delivery of food, clean water, and medical supplies to all journalists in Gaza through protected humanitarian corridors.
• International Media Access: End the blockade on foreign press entry into Gaza and allow global journalists to operate freely and independently.
• Accountability: Investigate and prosecute those responsible for the starvation and killing of journalists in accordance with international law.
• Sustained Protection and Aid: Commit to long-term protection mechanisms for journalists operating in conflict zones, with specific support for those reporting under siege.

The organizers of the Czech open letter now call on the international press freedom groups and organizations of journalists to support the Czech initiative by sending letters in support of the call to the Czech President and government and by urging Czech media organizations to fully support the journalists who signed the letter.

Jakub Patočka, the editor-in-chief and publisher of Deník Referendum and the principal organizer of the initiative has said: “We are aware of cases of Czech journalists attacked in their own newsrooms for signing the open letter. This is utterly unacceptable. It is a fundamental right of every journalist to express solidarity with colleagues in need. Czech news organizations should provide full support to all journalists who have signed the letter.

Czech news organizations also have the responsibility to cover the situation in Gaza, Israel and occupied Palestinian territories in line with the elementary standards of international journalism. And, unfortunately, this has not always been the case even in the most respected organizations of Czech journalism. We owe this to our colleagues in Gaza who so often pay the ultimate prize just for performing this noble profession.”