Mr. Speaker, during Freedom to Read Week, I want to stress the courage of men and women here and elsewhere who have committed to fight for freedom of expression, often putting their lives, health or safety at risk.
2003 was a terrible year for freedom of the press. Forty-two journalists were killed, mainly in Asia and the Middle East, due to the war in Iraq. The memory of Zahra Kazemi, the Iranian-born Quebec photographer murdered in the line of duty, is still fresh in our minds.
The situation in many regions of the world remains of great concern. I am thinking in particular of Algeria, where, last Friday, several imams called journalists traitors and enemies of Islam.
Freedom of expression is a precious legacy we must defend doggedly. Even in a so-called free country, this right can be threatened. We need only think of the search at the office and home of Juliet O'Neil, a journalist with the Ottawa Citizen .