Brussels, 09/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - During the “Build a Europe of Asylum” European conference in Paris on 8-9 September, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) called on the 27 European ministers responsible for asylum to better protect journalists and those defending the freedom of expression against reprisals from their governments or groups not connected to the state. In a press release, RWB explained, “The current situation is dramatic and most refugee journalists who mainly come from Eritrea, Iran, Iraq or Sri Lanka are experiencing difficulties that leave them without protection. The long wait in the offices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the almost systematic refusal by Western embassies to grant them visas obliges a significant majority of them to resort to illegal immigration, thus putting their lives in peril. This is why it is urgent, not only to recognise the refugee status of asylum seeking journalists on your territory but also to facilitate protected entry and emergency resettlement procedures”. RWB has supported more than 160 refugees since the beginning of 2007 and estimates that close to a hundred journalists are seeking protection. (B.C/transl.rh)