Delegates gather for 72nd EBU General Assembly (EBU/ Stefano Santucci)

The EBU community, meeting in Naples for its summer General Assembly, has demanded the release of three Al-Jazeera journalists convicted on Monday 23 June for “falsifying news to aid a terrorist organisation”.

The motion was unanimously passed by more than 180 participants, including a record number of directors-general, attending the two-day conference.

The declaration expresses "strong concern over the recent Egyptian court decision to imprison three journalists of Al Jazeera – Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed – and to convict three further foreign journalists in absentia for allegedly “falsifying news” regarding the protests in Egypt last summer."

The motion continues: “We make use of this opportunity to recall as well that this is not the first time that the Egyptian authorities have imprisoned or detained journalists, including those working for our organizations, such as Turkish Radio Television’s (TRT) Metin Turan."

“Our 74 radio and television Member organizations in 56 European countries and our associate members in Asia, Africa and the Americas, call upon the court in Egypt to re-consider the verdicts, and on the government to do everything within its power to secure their immediate release, in view of the universal obligations of freedom of expression enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Article 19 states, "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

"The EBU believes all journalists must be allowed to work anywhere around the entire world without fear of persecution,” said EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre. "This motion calls for all media organizations and the international community to join us in making strong representations to the relevant Egyptian authorities in order to secure the release of these journalists without delay. Reporting on serious civil unrest is not a crime.”

The General Assembly also passed a declaration commending EBU Members in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia for the "indispensable role they played as public broadcasters in supplying information to citizens" during the recent catastrophic flooding in the Balkans, and "for their cooperation to provide their viewers and listeners with the best possible coverage."

The motion noted "with deepest sympathy and solidarity the severe consequences for the people and broadcasters affected" and applauded Members in neighbouring countries for their "activities to raise relief funds and goods in support of the suffering populations."

The declaration went on to state the EBU's support for "political initiatives to secure financial aid from the European Union and elsewhere, and to include public service media in the framework."

In the motion the Assembly also urged Members to react to requests from the affected organizations in Bosnia-Herzegonina, Croatia and Serbia by "offering quality programmes free of rights and by donating technical equipment as needed in the region."