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11 Troubling World Leaders At The Paris Charlie Hebdo Rally

What Were These 11 People Doing At A Rally For Free Expression?
Jessica Elgot
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Leaders from Egypt, Turkey and Russia were dubbed grossly hypocritical for attending the Paris march for the journalists murdered at Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Reporters Without Borders accused the leaders of trying to "improve their international image" while "spitting on the graves" of the dead cartoonists and journalists of Charlie Hebdo.

Over one million people lined the streets of the French capital on Sunday in an unprecedented show of solidarity after the killings at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which published images of the prophet Muhammad which were offensive to many Muslims.

So who are the some of the most objectionable?

Press freedom rally
King Abdullah of Jordan(01 of11)
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It's ironic King Abdullah is here standing up for free expression - seeing as his government has blocked access to more than 300 websites in an act of "draconian" censorship, according to Reporters without Borders. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu(02 of11)
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In this year alone:
• More than 70 Turkish journalists are currently the subject of judicial proceedings for referring to the corruption allegations against close associates of Erdogan
• A newspaper delivery man was gunned down for distributing a Kurdish paper
• A newspaper editor and several journalists were detained for 'defamation'
 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (03 of11)
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Though Israeli journalists enjoy press freedom, seven journalists were killed during last year's 'Operation Brother's Keeper' in Gaza over the summer. And Palestinian broadcasters have been threatened with forced closure in the West Bank. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister(04 of11)
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In 2013, Russia ranked 148th out of 179 countries in the Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders. There are too many examples to name, but in 2014 alone, during the Crimea conflict, government surveillance bureau Roskomnadzor blocked websites criticising Russian policy in Ukraine, including pages of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Gary Kasparov and Grani.ru. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa (05 of11)
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12 Bahraini journalists are currently detained in Bahrain, the youngest is only 15. One of them is internationally-known Bahraini photographer Ahmed Humaidan, who received the National Press Club’s John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award “in absentia”. (credit:AFP via Getty Images)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas(06 of11)
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Abbas is a tad touchy about media criticism - two journalists have been sent to prison for 'insulting' him.One of them, Mamdouh Hamamreh, who worked for the Palestinian Al-Quds TV station, was found guilty after he compared Abbas to the villianous French spy in a Syrian TV series. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to France(07 of11)
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This is real brass neck - the Saudis publicly flogged cyber activist Raef Badawi for "insulting Islam" on Friday, and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. And there are more floggings to come, up to 1000 lashes. Many more bloggers and journalists are being arrested in the current clampdown, most recently Suad Al-Shammari, the first female lawyer and joint founder (with Badawi) of the Saudi Liberal Network website.
Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita(08 of11)
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Mali fell 74 places down RWB press freedom Index in just one year, in 2013. The Malian authorities have in the past expelled journalists for criticising the army's treatment of civilians during the ongoing violence. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil(09 of11)
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Lebanese journalist Rami Aysha, who worked for Time and Spiegel Online, was abducted in Beirut in 2013, while researching his story on arms trafficking, repeatedly interrogated and tortured. He was later found guilty of purchasing a firearm. An Al-Jadeed TV crew was physically attacked by officials while trying to do a report on corruption at Beirut international airport in 2012, who hit them and broke their equipment. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba(10 of11)
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RWB says “media freedom has made progress in Gabon but still needs a great deal of improvement," and that "rapid measures are needed to ensure that journalists are no longer the targets of police brutality and intimidation by officials". (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry(11 of11)
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#JournalismIsNotACrime started in Egypt, after the jailing of three Al-Jazeera journalists who are there more than a year after they were arrested. Egypt ranked 159th lowest out of 180 countries in the index. (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

CHARLIE HEBDO

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