WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Thursday in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day:

“All around the world, every day, reporters work to gather facts, ask questions, and report the news in the spirit of the free, open, and transparent societies and governments that all people deserve. Too often, reporters are harassed, jailed, and even killed simply because of the nature of their intrepid work.

“I applaud the bravery of reporters like Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo of Reuters who are detained in Burma for shining a light on the horrific abuses that occurred in Rakhine State, and Ethiopian journalists like  Eskinder Nega, Temesghen Desalegn, Zone 9 bloggers Befekadu Hailu and Mahlet Fantahun, and Zelalem Workagegnehu who are routinely arrested for criticizing the Ethiopian government and exposing human rights abuses in the country. I stand in solidarity with them and their many colleagues around the world who risk their freedom and lives in pursuit of truth, often at substandard pay and over long hours.

“On this World Press Freedom Day, it is more important than ever for leaders in the United States and around the world to stand up for the importance and integrity of a free press.”

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