5 October 2011

IFEX launches International Day to End Impunity poster contest

Source : Ifex

im•pu•ni•ty \im-'pyü-nə-tē\ n. without punishment, without consequences

A poster about impunity. That's what IFEX wants from you as we prepare to launch the inaugural International Day to End Impunity on 23 November. Deadline for entries is 4 November 2011.

Journalists, media workers, writers and others who speak the truth against power continue to be murdered with impunity in countries from Mexico to Russia, Iraq to Somalia. In our free expression community, impunity consistently ranks among the top concerns and remains a global issue that has defied all borders and political structures.

Fact: More than 500 journalists have been killed and the murderers have gone free in 9 out of 10 cases.

Help draw the world's attention to impunity by designing a poster that depicts impunity in some way. Watch our International Day to End Impunity trailer for some inspiration!

Our favourites will be featured on the International Day to End Impunity website, and the top three winners will receive cash prizes.

The fine print

What can I win?
First prize: US$500
Second prize: US$250
Third prize: US$100

As well, your name and poster will be featured on the International Day to End Impunity website.

Who can participate?
The competition is open to everyone from any country, whether or not you're an established artist, an individual or an organisation. You can submit as many posters as you like.

How do I participate?
All posters must be submitted by email to contest (@) daytoendimpunity.org along with your name, address, email and phone number. (This information is for administrative purposes only - please note that entries will be judged blind.)

The file must be submitted in jpeg, in standard poster format (11" x 17"). Please hang on to the originals! We may ask for them later.

Designs may use any form of photography, illustration, collage or typography, provided no copyrights are violated in the design.

By entering, you have cleared any material submitted to the competition. IFEX assumes all entries are original and are the works and property of the entrant, with all rights granted therein. IFEX is not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant and will not become involved in copyright disputes.

When is the deadline?
The deadline for entries is midnight EST on 4 November 2011. Winners will be revealed on the International Day to End Impunity website on 23 November.

How will my poster be judged?
Your design will be posted on the International Day to End Impunity Facebook page. Members of the public will be invited to vote on the posters from 7-21 November. The public's top 10 posters (as determined by the number of "likes" the posters receive) will make up the shortlist, from which the IFEX Clearing House will select the three winners.

Anything else I should know?
Materials may be reproduced freely by IFEX and/or any of its 95 members. Any material used by IFEX or its members shall carry the designer's credit line.

More questions?
Send us an e-mail: contest (@) daytoendimpunity.org

About IFEX
The International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) is the most extensive community of leaders defending and promoting freedom of expression around the world. We share content, analysis and tools on free expression cases and trends, campaign on critical issues, and support collaboration to increase our members' effectiveness.

More about the International Day to End Impunity
IFEX members chose the symbolic date of 23 November for the International Day to End Impunity because it's the anniversary of the Ampatuan massacre, the single deadliest day for journalists in recent history. The purpose of the day is to raise public awareness and showcase the work of organisations working for justice for those being persecuted for practising their right to freedom of expression. This is the campaign's first year.

"Mother of the Revolution" wins peace prize

12 October 2011

"Mother of the Revolution" wins peace prize; two journalists killed

Tawakul Karman congratulated by supporters in Sanaa after it was announced that she won the Nobel Peace Prize

REUTERS

Freedom of expression organisations around the world are cheering the news that Yemeni press freedom advocate Tawakkul Karman was among three women awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week. But the celebration is also marked with sadness and frustration due to the murders of two more Yemeni journalists, say IFEX members.

The International Press Institute (IPI), Human Rights Watch, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report the Nobel committee has this year recognised the tireless work of three women fighting for peace and democracy: Karman, a partner of several IFEX members, as well as Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Founder of Yemeni group Women Journalists Without Chains, Karman was instrumental in organising the protests against the human rights abuses of the 30-year regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh long before the "Arab Spring". She has been jailed numerous times since her organisation first launched non-violent protests in 2007, notes IPI, IFJ and ARTICLE 19.

While ARTICLE 19 reports that Karman has received many death threats, the mother of three is adored by Yemen's pro-democracy protesters, who refer to her as the "Mother of the Revolution". Thousands gathered in a peaceful sit-in to demand her release from jail after she was arrested in January, says RSF. She has been a tireless advocate for free expression, and held regular sit-ins to demand freedom for jailed journalists.

"I dedicate [this prize] to all the martyrs and wounded of the Arab Spring… in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Syria and to all the free people who are fighting for their rights and freedoms," Karman told the BBC Arabic Service.
Sadly, also last week Abdel Hakim Al-Nour, a cameraman with the Hayel Saeed Anam Association, and Abdel Majid al-Samawi, a reporter with Al-Yemeniya TV, died, according to RSF. Al-Nour was killed on 3 October while reporting on a military offensive in Taiz province. Al-Samawi died in hospital on 4 October, succumbing to a gunshot wound from the sniper fire that hit him a week earlier while covering an anti-government protest in Sanaa, RSF reports.
With IFEX organisations reporting numerous cases of assassination attempts on journalists in Yemen, it is not unlikely the journalists were specifically targeted by pro-Saleh forces.
Their deaths bring the number of journalists killed on duty to five since the start of Yemen's pro-democracy protests. RSF notes that killings of demonstrators have especially escalated since President Saleh returned to Yemen from Saudi Arabia on 3 October.

Recognising that it has been one year since Chinese dissident writer Liu Xiabo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, RSF is calling for this year's three female honourees to use their celebrity to draw attention to the fact that Xiabo remains in prison, where he is often held in solitary confinement and denied family visits.



Source : IFEX

Pakistani journalist tortured found lifeless

12 October 2011

Journalist tortured in "targeted killing 

 

"The lifeless body of Faisal Qureshi, a Pakistani journalist who wrote for British online publication "The London Post", was found in his Lahore home on 7 October, report the International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The 28-year-old's throat had been slit and his body bore signs of torture, the organisations report. Qureshi's brother, Zahid, says the journalist had received death threats from men who said they were from the Muttahida Quami Movement, Pakistan's third-largest political party. "The London Post" had published a series of articles investigating the MQM's links to terrorism and murder and calling into question the suspicious travel activities of its exiled London-based leader.

CPJ called Pakistan "the deadliest country in the world in 2010," and noted it "ranked 10th on CPJ's global Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are regularly slain and authorities fail to solve the crimes."

Also pointing out the danger for journalists in Pakistan, RSF said, "This year, journalists have been threatened, attacked, kidnapped, tortured and murdered by religious extremists, Taliban, separatists, security agencies, soldiers, police and political movements."

In 2011, at least eight journalists have been killed in Pakistan in retribution for their reporting, RSF says.


Source : IFEX