NEWS : free expression and struggles

IFEX launches International Day to End Impunity poster contest

2011-10-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-16T22:21:00.000-07:00

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

India : Another right to information activist shot dead

2011-08-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

24 August 2011

Another right to information activist shot dead

Shehla Masood joins a dozen people killed in the last year for seeking information under India’s Right to Information Act

A Tribute to Martyr Shehla Masood Facebook page

A woman activist who was a strong advocate of India's right to information law has been gunned down in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, making her the 13th right to information activist murdered in the past year, say Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and news reports.

Shehla Masood, who was also an environmental and anti-corruption activist, was shot dead on 16 August in front of her home as she prepared to go to a demonstration in support of jailed anti-corruption leader Anna Hazare. He has since been released from prison.

Over the past two years, Masood had been campaigning for the 2005 Right to Information (RTI) Act to be better implemented. Since her death, she too has attracted a lot of attention, with nearly 1,500 supporters on a Facebook tribute page already.

The act allows Indian citizens to file requests for information to most government bodies. Through RTI requests, activists have often uncovered illicit activities, making them targets of threats and violence.

In a January 2011 visit to India, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders said that "RTI activists, who may be ordinary citizens, have increasingly been targeted for, among others, exposing human rights violations and poor governance, including corruption of officials."

Masood joins a dozen people "apparently killed last year… for seeking information under the act," says RSF.

She had reported threats to the local police as early as January 2010 but nothing was done, RSF added.

"I think it is very risky and unsafe for activists to work for civil rights in India, especially in Madhya Pradesh," RTI activist Ajay Dubey, who is also based in Bhopal, said in an interview with "The Wall Street Journal".

According to the paper, Dubey is the founding member of Prayatna, an activist group of which Masood was a member. RTI requests have been their main weapon. Dubey says that he alone has filed more than 5,000 RTI applications, on issues ranging from industrial pollution to police reforms. One particularly successful RTI request led to the closure of illegal mines in his home state, Dubey said.

Dubey told the paper that he blamed Masood's murder on the lack of state protection. "There is no provision to protect activists; this puts RTI activists in particular danger since they often collect evidence that can cause problems for corrupt officials."

Dubey and Masood had both been pressing for the state government to implement a law aimed at protecting whistleblowers. In February 2010, Masood wrote about "the need for a Whistleblower (Protection) Act in India" on her blog.

According to "The Wall Street Journal", family members and fellow activists have filed a request to the Indian government demanding the Central Bureau of Investigation, the country's top investigative body, to probe Masood's death. The request is currently under consideration.

Source : IFEX , The wall Street Journal

August 22, 2011, 10:30 AM IST

Whistleblowers Demand Greater Protection After Masood’s Death

By Margherita Stancati

The murder of Shehla Masood last week stoked fresh fears among Right-to-Information activists, who renewed demands for greater state protection.

: Prakash Singh/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images; Survivors of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy gathered outside the Prime Minister’s office to file a Right-to-Information petition in New Delhi in May 2010.

Ms. Masood, an environmental and anti-corruption activist, was shot dead outside her home in Bhopal, in India’s central state of Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday. Ms. Masood joins a growing list of RTI activists who many say have been targeted because of the information they gathered under the law.

The 2005 Right-to-Information Act allows Indian citizens to file requests for information to most government bodies. Through RTI requests, activists have often uncovered illicit activities and this has made them targets of threats and violence. Many feel too little has been done to safeguard whistleblowers.

“I think it is very risky and unsafe for activists to work for civil rights in India, especially in Madhya Pradesh,” RTI activist Ajay Dubey, who is also based in Bhopal, said in an interview on Friday.

Mr. Dubey is the founding member of Prayatna, an activist group of which Ms. Masood was an active member. RTI requests have been their main weapon. Mr. Dubey says that he alone has filed “more than 5,000” RTI applications, on issues ranging from industrial pollution to police reforms. One particularly successful RTI request, Mr. Dubey said, led to the closure of illegal mines in his home state.

Mr. Dubey, who described Ms. Masood as “one of the leading activists in Madhya Pradesh,” is sure her death is linked to her activism, and suspects it may have to do with her campaign in support of tiger conservation. Others, including Manoor Sachdev, a friend of Ms. Masood, instead suggested her death may have to do with her anti-corruption work.

Police said it’s too early to say. “We are still investigating the case and we are not in a position to say what is the reason behind the attack,” superintendent of police Adarsh Katiyar said in a phone interview from Bhopal on Wednesday.

Mr. Dubey blamed Ms. Masood’s murder – the first of an RTI activist in Madhya Pradesh – on the lack of state protection. He is also concerned about what could happen to RTI activists like himself. “There is no provision to protect activists; this puts RTI activists in particular danger since they often collect evidence that can cause problems for corrupt officials.”

Mr. Dubey says he’s pressing the state government to implement a law aimed at protecting whistleblowers. This is something Ms. Masood herself had been campaigning for — in February last year, she wrote about “the need for a Whistle-blower (Protection) Act in India” on her blog.

Family members and fellow activists have filed a request to the Indian government demanding the Central Bureau of Investigation, the country’s top investigative body, to probe Ms. Masood’s death. The request is currently under consideration, a spokesman for the Madhya Pradesh government said Friday.

– Vibhuti Agarwal contributed to this post.

You can follow Ms. Stancati on Twitter @margheritamvs.

A prominent Pakistani journalist found dead

2011-06-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

1 June 2011

Journalist found dead after reporting links between Pakistani officials and militants

Source : IFEX
A prominent Pakistani journalist considered to be an expert on Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants was found dead on 31 May about 150km outside the capital, Islamabad, where he had been abducted two days earlier, report the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Freedom House and other IFEX members.

Syed Saleem Shahzad, 40, was the Pakistan bureau chief of the "Asia Times" online website and South Asia correspondent for the Italian news agency Adnkronos International (AKI). On 29 May, he was on his way to participate in a talk show on Dunya Television to discuss his investigative work, describing links between Al-Qaeda and Pakistani naval officials. But Shahzad never arrived at the TV station. Two days later his body was pulled from a canal, and showed signs of torture.

He recently reported in an "Asia Times" article published on 27 May that members of Al-Qaeda had carried out a 22 May attack on a naval air station in Karachi, in retribution for the arrest of several naval officers with ties to the militant group. It was the first of a two-part series. He was also the author of the recent book "Inside al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11".

Shahzad had told Human Rights Watch that he was afraid of being killed by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and had reported receiving threats from ISI members. There are concerns that the ISI may have been involved in his disappearance, IFEX members report.

"Shahzad was an experienced journalist who covered very sensitive subjects and it is highly likely that his reporting upset people within the government or armed forces," said Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

In a joint action sponsored by CPJ, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), 34 IFEX members urged the Government of Pakistan and its law-enforcement and security agencies to protect media personnel and to prosecute murderers of journalists in Pakistan.

In recent years, journalists have been murdered in North Waziristan, Wana, Quetta, Punjab and Swat, but authorities have failed to conduct proper investigations; only in the internationally high-profile case of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl have culprits been identified and prosecuted. The joint action supports the PFUJ in its recent request to Minister for Interior Rehman Malik to initiate and oversee a comprehensive inquiry and report into the killings of journalists in all of Pakistan's provinces.

"Previous enquiries into the murders of journalists have not been made public and it is not clear if the fate of the enquiry into Shahzad's death would be any different," said PPF.

War correspondents invited to apply for Bayeux-Calvados Awards

2011-04-27T00:51:00.000-07:00

3 April 2011
War correspondents invited to apply for Bayeux-Calvados Awards

War correspondents and photographers from all over the world are invited to apply for the Bayeux-Calvados Awards for War Correspondents, which honour journalists who risk their lives in the world's hot spots to cover the news. The deadline for applications is 6 June 2011.

The prize carries five cash awards of 7,000 Euros (US$10,100) each in the categories of television, radio, print, photography, and new this year: web journalism.

Four special awards, worth 3,000 to 3,800 Euros (US$4,300-$5,500) each, are also up for grabs, including a Young Reporter Prize for journalists 28 and under.

The entry should report on a conflict and its consequences for the civil population, or an event concerning the defence of press freedom and democracy.

Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Bayeux, France, in October.

For more information, see the
Bayeux-Calvados Awards website

Apply now for Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship

2011-04-27T00:44:00.000-07:00

20 April 2011

Apply now for Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship

Elizabeth Neuffer

The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) is now accepting applications for the 2011-12 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship, which is open to women journalists working on human rights and social justice issues. The deadline for applications is 27 May 2011.

The fellowship allows one woman journalist to spend nine months in a customised academic programme in the U.S., with access to Boston-area universities, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as popular newspapers "The Boston Globe" and "The New York Times".

The fellowship is named for the 1998 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner and "The Boston Globe" correspondent who was killed in Iraq in May 2003.

Click here to apply.

Help Human Rights Watch win a Webby Award

2011-04-27T00:35:00.000-07:00

20 April 2011
Take action!
Help Human Rights Watch win a Webby Award

You can help Human Rights Watch win a People's Voice Webby Award and amplify the voices of brave human rights defenders and survivors of abuses in Burma, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. You have until 28 April 2011 to cast your vote.

To vote, follow these three steps.

1. Register to vote via Facebook, Twitter or email: http://webby.aol.com/

2. Click each of the following links (one for each nomination):

Deadly Threats: Successors to the Paramilitaries in Colombia
Still images and audio document the strength and survival of ordinary people who stand up to armed groups that attack and kill civilians.

Dear Obama: A Message from Victims of the Lord's Resistance Army
A direct appeal from the children and adults who survived attacks by the rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries.

Exiled: Burma's Defenders
The stories of Burmese people fighting for change.
3. Vote for Human Rights Watch. Check the box below the Human Rights Watch logo and click "Cast My Vote".

Human Rights Watch also hopes you will spread the word. Donate your Facebook status to asking your friends to register and vote for all three nominations: http://bit.ly/hrw2011webbys

Tweet your votes from the polling page, or retweet the votes of your fellow supporters.

And comment on the videos. Tell the Webby community why you voted for Human Rights Watch. More comments increase the profile of Human Rights Watch's work.

The 15th Annual Webby Awards received more than 10,000 entries from more than 60 countries. Winners will be announced on 3 May, and honoured at a ceremony in New York City on 13 June.

Threatened journalist killed

2011-04-27T00:22:00.000-07:00

20 April 2011
Threatened journalist killed

A journalist who had been threatened for his critical coverage of criminal groups and local authorities was shot dead in the northeastern city of Vitória de Santo Antão, Pernambuco, report the Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo (ABRAJI) and other IFEX members.

Luciano Pedrosa, host of the TV show "Ação e Cidadania" (Action and Citizenship) on TV Vitória and contributor on Radio Metropolitana FM, was shot in the head at a restaurant on 9 April 2011. According to witnesses, Pedrosa was followed to the restaurant by two men on a motorcycle.

A police spokesperson said there was no indication it was a robbery.

According to the Knight Center, Pedrosa had received several threats, but he had never submitted a formal complaint about them. "On the threats, he had always spoken with me, because he was at the department all the time to ask the police to investigate issues he covered on his show. But he never submitted a police report, because he said he didn't fear anyone and thought it was all a joke," officer Maria Betânia Tavares, the lead investigator on the case, told Brazilian daily "O Globo".

Pedrosa's killing was the second shooting of a Brazilian journalist this year. Last month, critical blogger Ricardo Gama was seriously wounded when an unidentified gunman shot him in the head, neck, and chest as he walked in his Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood.

Italian journalist kidnapped and killed in Gaza

2011-04-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

20 April 2011
Italian journalist kidnapped and killed in Gaza

Vittorio Arrigoni (left)

Hamas officials have found the body of an Italian journalist and activist who was kidnapped last week in Gaza, report the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) and the International Press Institute (IPI). Vittorio Arrigoni was affiliated with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian rights group, and reported on Palestinian issues for the Italian newspaper "Il Manifesto" and online paper Peacereporter, and also wrote a blog.

Arrigoni was kidnapped on 14 April by a militant Islamist group, Jihad Salafist, which released a YouTube video saying that they would kill Arrigoni unless Hamas released a number of political prisoners. But before the 15 April evening deadline had passed, Hamas announced that Arrigoni's body had been found.

The last foreigner kidnapped in Gaza was BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, who was captured in March 2007 and held for four months. He was released without violence after negotiations between Hamas and his kidnappers, who belonged to a radical group calling itself the Army of Islam. Since then, there has been a "history of bad blood" between the rival Islamist groups, IPI reports.

But journalists working in Gaza and the West Bank have frequently complained of attacks and harassment by Palestinian security forces, from both Hamas and Fatah, the political group that dominates the Palestinian National Authority and has de facto control over the West Bank. A new report by Human Rights Watch, "No News is Good News", found that since Hamas's takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, the majority of abuses against journalists in both the West Bank and Gaza have been related to tensions between Hamas and Fatah.

Human Rights Watch documents scores of cases in which Palestinian security forces tortured, beat and arbitrarily detained journalists, confiscated their equipment and barred them from leaving the West Bank and Gaza.

Last month, Hamas violently dispersed protests in Gaza calling for an end to the rivalry between Hamas and Fatah. They also targeted the media: the offices of Reuters, Japan TV, CNN and other news agencies were attacked, and individual reporters received death threats, said MADA and Human Rights Watch.

UNESCO: WikiLeaks Newspapers Honoured For Their Contribution To Freedom Of Information‏

2011-04-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

UNESCO: WikiLeaks Newspapers Honoured For Their Contribution To Freedom Of Information‏

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release: 07 April 2011

UNESCO: WikiLeaks Newspapers Honoured For Their Contribution To Freedom Of Information

Malaga, Spain: 07.04.11: The UNESCO Chair of Communication 2011 Press Freedom Award of the University of Malaga, taking place today, recognises the valuable contribution made by five globally influential national newspapers in the dissemination of the WikiLeaks cables. ARTICLE 19 is thus particularly pleased to be associated with this Award, as a jury member at this year’s awards.

“The five newspapers that we are honouring today – El Pais, Le Monde, the Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel - have played a central role in bringing to worldwide attention diplomatic cables released by the website WikeLeaks. By doing so, they have multiplied the effect of these leaks beyond what could have been expected originally,” said jury-panel member, Agnes Callamard, Executive Director ARTICLE 19, whilst presenting one of the awards today.

“In a world dominated by talk of electronic media, the Internet, social media and cyber activism, one may be tempted to forget the fundamental role played by traditional and mainstream print media in strengthening the free flow of information around the world, and as a result in the movements for greater freedom. Their role remains particularly crucial in a world still characterised by uneven and unequal access to the means of electronic communication,” Callamard continued.

Following the release of the cables, the US Government and other countries have sought to prosecute a WikiLeaks representative for violating the Espionage Act or other national Officials Secrets Acts. Governments and elected officials have exerted much political pressure on internet companies, to force them to deny provision of services to WikiLeaks even though there had been no prior authorisation from a court. There have been calls for violence against Wikileaks staff and whistleblowers, including from public officials. There have been demands to maintain or expand secrecy legislation.

ARTICLE 19 believes that documents released by the newspapers have revealed information of great public interest to citizens around the world, including on issues such as corruption in Afghanistan, Kenya, Tunisia, and Nigeria, and censorship in China and Russia. Other issues covered include efforts by the US government to pressure the Spanish government to limit prosecutions of the American military officials who killed a Spanish journalist in Iraq, and pressure on French parliamentarians to adopt a controversial intellectual property law cutting people off of the internet.

The Award highlights the best kind of journalism possible: ethical, professional, investigative, in depth, contextual, analytical and supporting public‘s right to know.

ENDS

NOTES

• For more information or to arrange an interview with Dr Agnes Callamard, please contact Mona Samari on +44 (0) 7515 828 939 or email mona@article19.org.
• To access Dr Agnes Callamard’s speech, please click on the following link: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/conferences/press-freedom-award.pdf

Condemn Abduction and Beating of Journalist Seymur Khaziyev

2011-04-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

29 March 2011

Azerbaijan: International Organisations Condemn Abduction and Beating of Journalist Seymur Khaziyev

London 29.03.11: The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan condemns the 26 March 2011 abduction and beating of journalist Seymur Khaziyev. The group is deeply concerned by the cycle of violence against journalists and impunity for those who commit such attacks in Azerbaijan, and calls on the authorities to immediately and impartially investigate all instances of violence against journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“The latest attack against Khaziyev is another disturbing example of retaliation against journalists who express critical opinions in Azerbaijan. The authorities must take immediate steps to put an end to this alarming trend,” says ARTICLE 19 Executive Director, Agnès Callamard.

On 26 March 2011, Azadliq newspaper correspondent Seymur Khaziyev was abducted by six masked assailants who forced him into a bus, drove him to an unknown location and beat him, warning him to “be clever” and not mention Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in his articles. The abduction and beating of Khaziyev follows many similar attacks against journalists since the March 2005 murder of editor Elmar Huseynov, virtually all of which remain unsolved. The incident also follows a recent wave of arrests of bloggers and youth activists in connection with a series of pro-democracy protests in the country.

"Khaziyev is the latest victim of the poisonous climate that has developed over the past few weeks. Far from fulfilling their obligations to protect media professionals, the Azerbaijani authorities seem so scared by the prospect of a potential popular uprising that they have launched a campaign against oppositionists and free-thinkers, which is starting to produce violent results", said Reporters Without Borders Secretary-General Jean-François Julliard.

Khaziyev was previously beaten in May 2010 by unidentified officials in a police detention facility after he was arrested during an unsanctioned opposition political protest. During the incident, Khaziyev’s attackers questioned him about his criticism of President Aliyev. The officials responsible have not been identified or prosecuted.

The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan condemns the use of violence to restrict freedom of expression and the climate of impunity for those who wish to silence critical voices in Azerbaijan. The group calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and impartially investigate the attack against Khaziyev and all instances of violence against journalists and prosecute those responsible.

ENDS

NOTES :

• For more information on the cycle of violence against journalists and impunity for their attackers in Azerbaijan, see the joint report Free Expression Under Attack: Azerbaijan’s Deteriorating Media Environment available at http://www.article19.org/pdfs/publications/free-expression-under-attack.pdf.
• The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan is a coalition of 20 international NGOs working to promote and protect freedom of expression in Azerbaijan. For more information about the Partnership, please contact Rebecca Vincent at ARTICLE 19 on +44 (0)207 324 2500 or rebecca@article19.org.

Journalists invited to apply for Samir Kassir awards

2011-03-04T19:47:00.001-08:00

2 March 2011

Journalists invited to apply for Samir Kassir awards

The Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press 2011 competition is accepting entries from journalists until 30 March 2011.

Journalists will compete for two prizes of 10,000 Euros each (US$13,500) - for the best opinion piece and the best investigative report related to human rights or the rule of law - to be awarded on 2 June in Beirut.

Print and online journalists who are citizens of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates or Yemen are eligible to apply.

Samir Kassir was a Lebanese journalist who was assassinated on 2 June 2005 for criticising Syria's policy towards Lebanon. The award in his name is given each year by the European Union and the Samir Kassir Foundation.

Visit the Prix Samir Kassir website here.

Cartoonists wanted for World Press Freedom Day exhibition

2011-03-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

2 March 2011

Cartoonists wanted for World Press Freedom Day exhibition

Calling all cartoonists! On World Press Freedom Day (3 May) this year, an international exposition organised by La Maison des journalists in Paris will exhibit the best editorial cartoons on the theme of "exile" by some of the most talented cartoonists in the world. Be one of them.

Posters, postcards and a catalogue gathering all of the artwork will be created and sold to support La Maison des journalistes, a safe house in Paris that helps exiled journalists who were forced to leave their country to escape persecution.

The travelling exhibit will start in the building of La Maison des journalistes and will then move to several cities in France and Europe.

Cartoonists can send their cartoons to Kianoush Ramezani before 31 March 2011 at: expo @ maisondesjournalistes.com

Sing for press freedom

2011-03-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

2 March 2011

Sing for press freedom

Fancy yourself as a bit of a singer but need some inspiration? The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has launched a music contest to draw attention to and fight impunity involving crimes against journalists in the Americas. The "Lend Your Voice to the Voiceless" contest - wrapping up at the end of March - invites the public to participate by posting videos, songs or lyrics about crimes against journalists on their new website, Lend Your Voice, available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Fledgling artists from Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and the U.S. kick off the campaign with some promotional videos available on the site, including the catchy tune by Latin Black "No podemos callar" ("We cannot be silent").
Not sure exactly what to sing about? IAPA makes it easy with an outline of some of the emblematic cases of journalists killed under the section "Find inspiration here".

For the musically challenged, use your voice by voting for your favourite video or signing IAPA's petition to end impunity - both available on the site.

IAPA say it will use Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube to encourage Internet users to join the anti-impunity cause. The winner will have their song professionally recorded.

While crimes against journalists have not decreased in the Americas - with at least 21 murders so far this year alone - in recent years there has been a notable increase in the prosecution and conviction of criminals, says IAPA.

Watch it here:

CPJ accuses UN of failing to protect journalists

2011-02-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

16 February 2011

CPJ accuses UN of failing to protect journalists

While attacks on journalists caught up in the spreading Middle East unrest continue, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says the United Nations and other global and regional organisations responsible for defending press freedoms largely fail to protect them. Nor do they defend other journalists who are killed, threatened and harassed with impunity around the world, says CPJ in its annual report, "Attacks on the Press".

CPJ found that the UN, the Organization of American States and the Arab League are among groups that haven't consistently defended free expression, especially against government repression. "While international law guarantees the right to free expression, journalists cannot count on a robust defence of those rights," said CPJ executive director Joel Simon.

"The failure to take a consistent position suggests a willingness to speak out publicly in support of press freedom that is based more on political considerations than a deep commitment," Simon said at the launch of the report at the UN. "As events in Egypt make clear, the stakes are enormous."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was cited for his failure to congratulate Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo for winning the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.

In another example, CPJ points out that journalism and human rights organisations were forced to launch an international campaign to stop UNESCO from presenting a prize honouring President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, one of Africa's most notorious press freedom abusers.

According to "Attacks on the Press", at least 44 journalists were killed specifically for their work worldwide in 2010. Pakistan accounted for eight of those 44, making it the most dangerous country for the press last year.

CPJ also says the number of jailed journalists is the highest it has been in 14 years, with 145 reporters, editors and photojournalists behind bars in 2010. China and Iran tied for the lead in number of journalists jailed, at 34 each.

"Attacks on the Press" provides more than 50 country and regional analyses on press freedom violations in 2010. This edition also includes a special feature on the invisible nature of online attacks meant to curb journalists, such as online surveillance and malicious software.

Insult laws

2010-12-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

8 December 2010

WPFC's 2009 insult laws survey: steps forward, steps back

Spreading defamatory information through the Internet can land you in jail for up to six years in Indonesia - a greater crime than if you defamed someone through traditional means. It's just one example where new media has fuelled restrictive governments to seek even more special protection for public officials, says the World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) in its just-published annual survey of insult laws.

The comprehensive survey, "Insult Laws: In Contempt of Justice", covers 61 countries where journalists were punished, sometimes with lengthy prison sentences, for allegedly "insulting" the dignity of officials or institutions in 2009. It also provides key portions of insult and criminal defamation laws.

While WPFC says there were notable advances for free expression that year, "steps forward in one country seem to be matched by steps back elsewhere." For instance, while international efforts to make "defamation of religion" a crime were resisted, individual Islamic countries enforced laws against the notion of "hisba" - harming society by failing to uphold religious principles.

Ireland even managed simultaneously to abolish libel as a criminal offence while instituting blasphemy as a new crime, says WPFC.

Meanwhile, in the U.K., a small, "incestuous" class of specialised lawyers have made fortunes exploiting an anomalous legal regime, says Peter Preston, former editor of the "Guardian", in the introduction to the survey. British politicians have in fact responded to public outcries over heavy libel penalties and have lobbied hard to remove them. "The people who are fighting hardest to preserve the status quo - or, at least its money-raising aspects - are lawyers themselves," notes Preston.

WPFC's annual guide to insult laws is researched and written by Austrian lawyer Uta Melzer, and sponsored by a grant from the Swiss-based global printing and publishing company Ringier AG.

Hard copies can be requested in North America from Carolyn Wendell at cwendell (@) gmail.com or from WPFC European representative Ronald Koven at KovenRonald (@) aol.com

The report will soon be available on WPFC's website.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

8 December 2010

U.K. libel reform group puts out libel guide for bloggers

Picture this: someone writes, emails or phones you to say that something you wrote on your blog is libellous and is threatening to sue. Do you take it seriously? Do you take down your material? Do you say you're sorry? Or do you face your nemesis in court? The independent charitable trust Sense About Science has put together a guide entitled "So you've had a threatening letter. What can you do?"

"So you've had a threatening letter" explains exactly what defamation is, and what to do if you are threatened with it. For instance, the guide proffers that how you react in the first few weeks after you receive a threat is crucial in deflecting an unfounded claim or correcting something you got wrong.

"Stay calm, review the material, and be friendly and open in your correspondence. Lawyers say the best way to avoid ending up in court is to write letters that would go down well if read out in court," says the guide.

The guide is specifically designed for bloggers in the U.K. and has been published as part of a campaign to reform English libel laws. In a recent survey, Sense About Science found that service providers and bloggers are increasingly vulnerable because of their unfamiliarity with media law.

Sense About Science cautions that the guide is not a substitute for legal advice, but "it does provide information which other bloggers and writers who have been through the experience say they wished they had known at the outset."

The guide was compiled in association with Index on Censorship, English PEN, the Media Legal Defence Initiative, the Association of British Science Writers and the World Federation of Science Journalists.

Read "So you've had a threatening letter" here.

Sign a petition for English libel law reform here.

Source : IFEX

Get Liu Xiaobo out of prison in time for Nobel prize ceremony

2010-12-08T21:00:00.001-08:00

10 November 2010

Take action!

Get Liu Xiaobo out of prison in time for Nobel prize ceremony

This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo, is serving an 11-year sentence in a jail in the remote province of Liaoning for defending human rights and press freedom. Join Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) in calling for the release of Liu - one of China's most famous dissidents - in time for him to attend the Nobel prize ceremony in Oslo on 10 December. Sign the petition here: http://en.rsf.org/petition-liu-xiaobo,38708.html

"We urge you to intercede quickly to obtain his release, the quashing of his conviction and the withdrawal of all charges pending against members of his family, especially his wife, Liu Xia, who is under house arrest in Beijing," reads the petition.

In the weeks since the award was announced on 8 October, more than 100 Liu supporters, students, lawyers, journalists and bloggers have been placed under house arrest or subjected to increased police surveillance, or have disappeared, reports RSF.

News of the award is practically non-existent in China's media and has been blacked out from international news broadcasts on the BBC and CNN. Instead, Liu is being portrayed as a "traitor" and a "criminal" on China's official news agency, Xinhua.

Meanwhile, at least four RSF members and two other human rights activists were arrested in Paris on 5 November after opening umbrellas bearing the words "Free Liu Xiaobo" as Chinese President Hu Jintao passed by in a motorcade during his three-day state visit.

Liu, whose activism dates back to the days of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, was the lead author of a document called Charter '08, calling for multi-party elections in Communist Party-led China. The petition led to his 11-year jail sentence.

Help get Liu to Oslo by signing the petition here

WikiLeaks - Don't shoot the messenger, say IFEX members

2010-12-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

8 December 2010

WikiLeaks - Don't shoot the messenger, say IFEX members

WikiLeaks

Online retail giant Amazon dropped the site from its servers on 2 December, after political pressure from Joe Lieberman, chair of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee. Amazon denied caving into Lieberman's request, posting on its blog that WikiLeaks was violating its terms of service by publishing "harmful" content.

WikiLeaks moved to French Internet company OVH, sparking French industry minister Eric Besson to write to Internet companies warning them that there will be "consequences" for any companies or organisations helping to keep WikiLeaks online in France. This week a French court refused to order OVH to stop hosting WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks.org was also recently dropped by its registry, EveryDNS. EveryDNS claimed that hacking attacks ("distributed denial of service", or DDOS attacks) against WikiLeaks were disrupting its service provided to thousands of other customers. The site's new Swiss registry rejected international calls to force the site off the net, saying there was "no reason" why it should be forced offline.

The reassurances come just hours after eBay-owned PayPal, the primary donation channel to WikiLeaks, terminated its links with the site, citing "illegal activity". Visa and MasterCard have also followed suit, as has Swiss Postfinance, which shut down a bank account of Julian Assange, WikiLeaks's founder.

Meanwhile, DDOS attacks by unknown hackers still bring the site down.

"This is the first time we have seen an attempt at the international community level to censor a website dedicated to the principle of transparency," said RSF. "It is up to the courts, not politicians, to decide whether or not a website should be closed."

IFEX members say it's not surprising that the usual suspects - China, Tunisia and U.A.E., for instance - have blocked access to WikiLeaks or sites that have been reprinting the cables. What is new is that countries that purport to stand for free expression have also been clamouring to shut down WikiLeaks.

For example, Index on Censorship points out that not even a year ago, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a landmark speech about Internet freedom, which was widely interpreted as a rebuke to China for its alleged cyberattack on Google.

Students at Columbia University in New York have been advised not to download or comment on the cables if they might want a government job. According to WikiLeaks journalist James Ball, writing on Index's website, the 19 million U.S. federal government employees have been told not to read the cables material - or any publication containing them. Agencies have added virtually every mainstream news outlet to web filters and blocks, "a move reminiscent of China's Great Firewall."

Said Index's Jo Glanville, "When one of the world's leading liberal educational institutions advises self-censorship to its students, rather than encouraging them to explore and read one of the most significant publications of our time, it is clear that we are in the grip of such a damaging panic that it is threatening the core principles of freedom of speech."

IFEX members ARTICLE 19, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have also spoken out against the backlash.

Lieberman and other senators are trying to introduce emergency legislation to make it illegal to publish the names of U.S. military and intelligence agency informants - which would ultimately allow the administration to go after WikiLeaks. Whether this tactic gains momentum remains to be seen.

According to "The Washington Post", Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, has been urging WikiLeaks to "redact from the documents the names of any U.S.-supported human rights defenders who might be placed in jeopardy," such as activists who have spoken with U.S. diplomats in countries with repressive governments. At the same time, however, he voiced concern that the U.S. State Department was trying to use the fear of disclosure about human rights defenders "as an excuse to pursue WikiLeaks or restrict access to this kind of information."

"It is perhaps the fallout from Wikileaks's mass publication of diplomatic cables, rather than the content of the cables themselves, that may do the most harm in the end," Glanville lamented.

RSF is also concerned for Assange, who is currently facing sex assault allegations. In a letter to U.K. Secretary of State for Justice Kenneth Clarke, RSF says the proceedings should concern solely the private accusations made against Assange in Sweden, "and must not turn into a proxy trial for the publication of leaked documents by WiliLeaks."

In the meantime, WikiLeaks says it is here to stay. On 7 December, the day Assange was arrested, WikiLeaks tweeted, "Today's actions against our editor-in-chief Julian Assange won't affect our operations: we will release more cables tonight as normal." Copies of WikiLeaks are now loaded on more than 300 different servers worldwide. You can still donate at: http://wikileaks.ch/support.html

SOURCE: IFEX

Artist Alert: October 2010

2010-12-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Artist Alert: October 2010

Art, in any form, constitutes a key medium through which information and ideas are imparted and received. Artist Alert, launched by ARTICLE 19 in 2008, highlights cases of artists around the world whose right to freedom of expression has been curtailed and abused, and seeks to more effectively promote and defend freedom to create.

China: leading artist’s studio to be demolished

One of China’s leading artists, Ai Weiwei, has been informed by the authorities that his new $1.1 million studio in Shanghai must be demolished. The BBC reports that Ai, who was involved in the design of the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, was initially invited to build the studio in an emerging arts district, but the building has now been ruled illegal for not following proper planning procedures. The artist, a vocal critic of human rights abuses in China, was held under house arrest for two days in Beijing, while supporters held a protest party at the studio on 7 November to mark the demolition. The Tate Modern gallery in London is currently displaying Ai’s latest work of art: a giant installation made up of hundreds of thousands of tiny, hand-painted replica sunflower seeds.

Turkey: Ferhat Tunç acquitted - and immediately charged again

The Kurdish singer Ferhat Tunç has been informed by the Turkish authorities that he must answer new charges only a day after being acquitted by a court in Diyabarkir of crimes brought under anti-terrorism legislation. The Freemuse award winner had been accused of “spreading propaganda for the [Kurdistan Workers' Party] organization” by the prosecution, and “committing a crime on behalf of an illegal organization without being a member of the organization.” Judges in Diyabarkir had ruled that there was no evidence of any crime being committed in a case that gained international support for the singer. After his latest run-in with the government Tunç wrote to Freemuse saying: “Such is my life! Tomorrow I will have to present myself once again to the police.”

Singapore: Shadrake found guilty over death penalty book

British author Alan Shadrake has been found guilty of insulting the Singapore judiciary after alleging that judges were insufficiently impartial in their use of the death penalty, and has been sentenced to six weeks imprisonment. As reported in the previous Artist Alert, Shadrake’s book tour to promote Once a Jolly Hangman - Singapore Justice in the Dock was severely curtailed by the authorities. After landing in Singapore on 19 July, Shadrake was taken into police custody and detained for a series of interrogations, and will now be sentenced for contempt. The crime is punishable by imprisonment or a fine or both, with no maximum limit set on either, although the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) has called for a jail term of at least 12 weeks. ARTICLE 19 partnered with 27 other free speech organisations in calling on Prime Minister Lee to intercede with the authorities and withdraw the charges. Shadrake, who is also facing separate charges of defamation, is expected to be sentenced on 16 November.

Denmark: Artists' exhibition cancelled over royal orgy cartoon

A retrospective exhibition of the satirical Danish duo Surrend (a.k.a. Jan Egesborg and Pia Bertelsen) was cancelled when the pair told organisers they would be using a pornographic depiction of the Danish royal family. According to The Art Newspaper, the show had been due to open at the Danish Poster Museum, in Aarhus on 13 October. Thomas Bloch Ravn, the director of Den Gamble By, the open-air village museum where the Danish Poster Museum is located, accused the artists of attention-seeking and said that he will no longer work with Surrend. Ravn denies censorship, saying that the artists are free to publish their works elsewhere. Egesborg, for his part, has accused the people of Denmark of hypocrisy, arguing that while it was happy to allow Kurt Westergaard’s controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to be published, it has different rules regarding the royal family.

Malaysia: Cartoonist Zunar challenges cartoon book ban in court

Political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anawar Ulhaque, better known by the pen name of Zunar, has brought a legal action challenging a government ban on two of his cartoon books, ‘Funny Malaysia’ and ‘Perak Darul Kartun’.. In a separate case, the cartoonist is facing charges of sedition for a collection of satirical works, ‘Cartoon-o-phobia’. Zunar was arrested and bailed in September, and faces a possible three-year jail sentence if found guilty of the charges. Speaking about his work, Zunar said: “I have always liked political books, which is very different from practising politics. I don’t belong to any party. In my view, a political cartoonist must be well informed, he must know about legal matters, human rights and so on. I hope that, through my cartoons, people understand what is going on. I would like to be a pioneer and for other young cartoonists to take this road. I have already worked with several of them.”

Israel: Funding to be cut for artists who boycott settlement performances

An increasingly impassioned debate over whether government-funded artists have the right to choose where they perform has reached new heights in Israel, after Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed to penalise artists who are boycotting a new theatre in the illegal Jewish settlement of Ariel. Three days before the Ariel Cultural Center was set to open in the northern West Bank settlement, artists and academics published an open letter calling on performers to boycott the theatre, arguing that Ariel “is an illegal settlement which violates international law and the Geneva Conditions.” Lieberman has hit back at those who signed the letter, saying that “These artists can practice freedom of speech but not on taxpayer's money. Those who refer to Israel as an apartheid state cannot enjoy its fruits.” According to the Jerusalem Post, Culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat has announced that her ministry will introduce a legal amendment to force theatre companies to provide services regardless of geographic location.

India: Award-winning author besieged by nationalist protesters

The Delhi home of Indian author Arundhati Roy was surrounded by around 150 members of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) women's faction, who demanded Roy leave India after making remarks about the legitimacy of India’s claims to the disputed territory of Kashmir. Roy, whose novel The God of Small Things won the influential Booker Prize in 1997, had told a conference that “Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. It is a historical fact.” According to The Guardian, the BJP protesters gathered outside the author’s home while she was inside, chanting slogans for her to withdraw the statement or leave the country.

Earlier in the month, another leading Indian author, Rohinton Mistry, strongly criticised the decision of Mumbai University to withdraw one of his books from its literature syllabus, following threats from the right wing Hindu political group Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena had publicly burned copies of Mistry’s novel Such a Long Journey, which it claimed contained disparaging comments about the organisation.

Venezuela: ‘Narco-novela’ soap operas banned from television networks

Venezuela's Nacional Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) has banned television stations from airing two ‘telenovela’ (soap operas) whose main protagonists are drug-dealers. Conatel has said that the shows hurt the social and psychological well-being of children and adolescents, and has banned the Colombian-produced shows under the controversial Radio and Television Social Responsibility Law, according to BBC Mundo. ‘El Capo’ tells the story of a drug dealer who becomes president, while ‘Rosario Tijeras’ depicts a young woman drug dealer and killer, and is a spin-off from the successful 2005 movie of the same name. Telenovela writer Leonardo Padrón told El Universal newspaper that the censorship was an act of “absurd puritanism”, adding, “If it's a measure to reduce violence, it should be applied on the streets.” The ban comes weeks after Venezuelan courts prevented the media from publishing “violent, bloody or grotesque images”, and adds to the growing pressure on freedom of expression in the country.

China: Two Tibetan writers released conditionally

Two leading Tibetan writers have been released conditionally by the Chinese authorities. Tagyal, known by the pen name Shogdung, was arrested on 23 April at the Qinghai Nationalities publishing house in Xining, in the province of Qinghai. He spent six months in a detention centre, during which time visits from family members were forbidden, after the Chinese authorities accused him of inciting separatism in his writings. Tagyal was released on bail on 14 October but under a form of parole pending trial that does not protect him from being arrested again. Kalsang Tsultrim, writing under the pseudonym Gyitsang Takmig, was arrested on 27 July in Sichuan province, most probably for expressing his concern about the Tibetan people. He was released on 15 October on condition that he does not participate in political activities.

NOTES

• For more information: please contact Oliver Spencer, oliver@article19.org, +44 20 7324 2500

UN General Assembly: UN Member States Should Vote Against Proposed Resolution on “Vilification of Religions”

2010-12-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

19 November 2010

UN General Assembly: UN Member States Should Vote Against Proposed Resolution on “Vilification of Religions”

London 19.11.10: ARTICLE 19 and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) urge UN Member States to vote against the draft resolution proposed at the current session of the UN General Assembly on “combating religious hatred and vilification of religions”.

“We are extremely concerned about the draft resolution on ‘vilification of religions’ proposed by the Organization of Islamic Conference,” says Dr Agnes Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director. “It fails to address our concerns about earlier resolutions on ‘defamation of religions’ or meet the standards set down in Article 20 of the ICCPR. While we welcome the dropping of the phrase ‘defamation of religions’, the content and implications are even more far reaching than earlier resolutions on combating ‘defamation of religions’, which we have found so problematic from an international human rights perspective”.

In response to the draft resolution, ARTICLE 19 and CIHRS have produced a detailed legal analysis which raises three areas of concern:

In response to the draft resolution, ARTICLE 19 and CIHRS have produced a detailed legal analysis which raises three areas of concern:

• ‘Vilification of religions’ is even broader than ‘defamation of religions’ and will have far reaching negative implications for freedom of expression;
• The draft distorts and undermines states’ international human rights obligations, particular with respect to Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and
• The draft continues to legitimise the fundamentally flawed notion of ‘defamation of religions’ and, if adopted, will provide international support to national laws on blasphemy and defamation of religions which are often used by repressive states to silence religious and political opponents, government critics, dissidents as well as religious minorities and critics of religions.

ARTICLE 19 and the CIHRS urge all Member States to vote against the resolution.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Read the full analysis at: www.article19.org/pdfs/press/un-general-assembly-un-member-states-should-vote-against-proposed-resolution.pdf
• For the draft of the resolution on combating defamation of religions www.article19.org/pdfs/press/draft-resolution-on-combating-religious-hatred-and-vilification-of-religions.pdf
• For more information, please contact Sejal Parmar, Senior Legal Officer +44 20 734 2500 sejal@article19.org, or Jereme Smith, Director-Geneva Office of CIHRS, jsmith@cihrs.org
• CIHRS is an independent regional human rights organization based in Cairo, Egypt with offices in France and at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Hillary Rodham Clinton : Release of Aung San Suu Kyi

2010-11-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

Release of Aung San Suu Kyi

Today I join with billions of people around the world to welcome the long-overdue release of Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

Aung San Suu Kyi has endured enormous personal sacrifice in her peaceful struggle to bring democracy and human rights to Burma, including unjustified detention for most of the past twenty years. The Burmese regime has repeatedly rejected her offers to engage in dialogue and work together, trying instead to silence and isolate her. Through it all, Aung San Suu Kyi’s commitment to the Burmese people has not wavered.

The United States calls on Burma’s leaders to ensure that Aung San Suu Kyi’s release is unconditional so that she may travel, associate with her fellow citizens, express her views, and participate in political activities without restriction. They should also immediately and unconditionally release all of Burma’s 2,100 political prisoners.

We urge Burma’s leaders to break from their repressive policies and begin an inclusive dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratic and ethnic leaders towards national reconciliation and a more peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future.

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

November 13, 2010

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
13 November 2010

Statement by Dr Agnes Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director, on the occasion of Aung San Suu Kyi’s “release”

For some 20 years, Aung San Suu Kyi has been denied her rights, held by force behind the walls of her home, and punished for her faith in democracy, human rights and in the right of the people of Burma to live free from fear.

Today Aung San Suu Kyi has been freed. One week after the people of Burma were once again denied the right to chose freely, without fear, their political representatives.

Today she has been freed. A few days after thousands fled into neighbouring Thailand to escape the violence that accompanied these unfair elections. A few days after reports of widespread election rigging have finally emerged from the few independent journalists working underground inside the country.

Today Aung San Suu Kyi has been freed. This is an enormous step. And today we celebrate alongside her family, her colleagues and friends, her supporters in Burma, around the world, in the refugee camps, and with her fellow Nobel Peace Prize winners who have campaigned for her freedom. We all celebrate today with joy, warmth and tears. We share a common exhilaration.

Today she has been freed. But tomorrow, we must once again confront, demand, remind, and campaign. For let there be no doubt about it, this major step must be a first step only. It has to be followed by many more. Standing with Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters, we will work to ensure that these next steps are taken, so that the Burmese people may also be freed.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

• 65 year old Suu Kyi, who is an ARTICLE 19 Honorary Board Member for her dedication to free speech, is the leader of the National League for Democracy and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Her party secured 80 per cent of parliamentary seats in the 1990 general election, despite her being detained at the time of the vote, but the military never allowed a democratic government to be formed and she has remained in detention most of the time since. Her release comes just days after sham elections organised by the Burmese military government. The national media was not allowed to cover the election freely, foreign journalists were barred from entering, political candidates were highly restricted, and the electorate was never properly informed of the election or the candidates and their opinions. No independent observers were present. The election results are not yet clear, but it appears that the military-aligned USDP has unsurprisingly been declared the winner.
• For more information please contact: Oliver Spencer, oliver@article19.org +44 20 7324 2500

Aung San Suu Kyi : Burma generals sign HER release order

2010-11-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

Burma generals 'sign Aung San Suu Kyi release order'

Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years

Reports from Burma say military authorities have signed an order authorising the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

But hopes she would be freed on Friday were dashed: there has been no official confirmation of a release order.

A leader of her NLD party told 2,000 supporters gathered at its headquarters to go home and return on Saturday.

Ms Suu Kyi has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years, and her house arrest term expires on Saturday.

There has been increased police activity outside her house in Rangoon, Burma's largest city, but no formal statement from military officials.

However, Ms Suu Kyi is not expected to accept a conditional release if it excludes her from political activity.

The 65-year-old was originally due to be released last year, but a case involving an American who swam across Inya Lake to her home, claiming he was on a mission to save her, prompted the latest 18-month detention.

'Significant impact'

The BBC is banned from reporting in Burma but correspondent Alastair Leithead is monitoring developments from the capital of neighbouring Thailand, Bangkok.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the scene
A correspondent BBC News, Rangoon

All day rumours have circulated that Aung Sang Suu Kyi could soon be free, and all day the crowds outside the offices of the NLD have grown.

The building is constantly watched by government intelligence agents, yet still they came, defiantly wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with the face of their icon.

News spread that the papers for Aung Sang Suu Kyi's release had been signed, though no one could actually confirm that, the anticipation grew.

The crowd moved off along the road towards the lakeside house that has been the pro-democracy leader's prison for so long.

Then the word came that the release would not after all be today, but perhaps tomorrow, and still no official statement from the military government.

Aung Sang Suu Kyi and her loyal supporters must, it seems, wait a little longer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``
He says a number of sources inside Burma have told the BBC that documents authorising Ms Suu Kyi's release have been signed.

Officials have reportedly visited her home in University Avenue to deliver them.

About 2,000 of her supporters gathered at NLD headquarters in anticipation of her release. Some wore T-shirts saying: "We stand with you."

"Young and old, NLD members and non-members are gathering here with excitement to welcome her. At one point, we got the news that she was released and we all shouted with joy," Yazar, an NLD youth leader, told the BBC's Burmese service.

But by early evening a party leader told people to go home because it seemed unlikely she would be freed on Friday.

A man waiting outside the gate to Ms Suu Kyi's home said little had changed.

"People are waiting in groups here and there, maybe more than 100 in total - many of them are journalists," he told the BBC. "Security is normal as usual. No increase. The gate is closed as before, that's it."
A vehicle passes a checkpoint near the home of Aung San Suu Kyi (12 November 2010) Witnesses said there had been no increased security outside Ms Suu Kyi's home in Rangoon

Ms Suu Kyi's lawyer said: "There is no law to hold her for another day. Her detention period expires on Saturday and she will be released."

"They should release her for the country," Nyan Win added.

Earlier this week, he told the BBC that she would "not accept a limited release".

"[It] must be unconditional. As we all know, she never accepted limited freedom in the past."

Nyan Win said she would meet with the NLD's central committee, members of the media and the public once she was freed.

The British ambassador to Burma, Andrew Heyn, has told the BBC that the UK and EU are pressing hard for Ms Suu Kyi's unconditional release, and that her freedom would have a "significant impact".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aung San Suu Kyi

* Born 1945, daughter of Burma's independence hero, General Aung San assassinated in 1947
* 1960: Leaves Burma and is later educated at Oxford University
* 1988: Returns to care for sick mother and is caught up in revolt against then-dictator Ne Win
* 1989: Put under house arrest as Burma junta declares martial law
* 1990: NLD wins election; military disregards result
* 1991: Wins Nobel Peace Prize
* 1995: Released from house arrest, but movements restricted
* 2000: Near continuous period of house arrest begins
* Sept 2007: First public appearance since 2003, greeting protesting Buddhist monks
* November 2010: NLD boycotts first election in 20 years and is disbanded
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boycott
The increasing speculation that the ruling generals may sanction Aung San Suu Kyi's release follows the country's first elections in 20 years on Sunday.

On Thursday, state media announced that partial results showed that the biggest military-backed party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), had secured a majority in both houses of parliament.

The USDP had won 190 of the 219 seats so far declared in the 330-seat lower House of Representatives, and 95 of 107 seats in the 168-seat upper House of Nationalities, the reports said.

Those elected included the leader of the USDP, Prime Minister Thein Sein, who retired from the military as a general in April to stand.

The junta has said the election marks the transition from military rule to a civilian democracy, but the opposition, many Western governments and human rights groups have said the election was neither free nor fair.

The NLD - which won the last election in 1990 but was never allowed to take power - was ordered to dissolve after refusing to take part.

A quarter of seats in the two new chambers of parliament will be reserved for the military. Any constitutional change will require a majority of more than 75% - meaning that the military will retain a casting vote.
Source : BBC
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aung San Suu Kyi, soon to be released, faces tough political landscape in Burma

By Tim Johnston
Friday, November 12, 2010; 12:09 PM

BANGKOK - For much of the past 20 years, a crumbling villa on the shores of Rangoon's Lake Inya has been both home and prison to Aung San Suu Kyi, the focal figure in Burma's long struggle for democracy.

Her latest term of house arrest, imposed last year for allowing an exhausted and possibly mentally ill American tourist to stay the night after he swam across the lake, expires Saturday. If she is released, as is expected, it will be into a country suffering its latest bout of dashed hopes for democracy.

Suu Kyi, 65, remains by all accounts unbowed. She has spent the past seven years at the home on Rangoon's University Avenue that she inherited from her father, independence hero Aung San, with only housekeepers for company.

"The energy is still there; the commitment is still there. She has all the things that everyone says - she's poised and elegant and a very impressive figure - but she's also well-informed," said Andrew Heyn, the British ambassador to Burma (also known as Myanmar) and one of few foreigners to have met with Suu Kyi recently. "The message I got when I spoke to her, not only by what she said but by her body language, is that this is a woman who wants to stay involved."

In many ways, Burma's political landscape has changed little since the previous elections in 1990, when Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won a landslide victory, only to have it snatched away by the military.
Her latest term of house arrest, imposed last year for allowing an exhausted and possibly mentally ill American tourist to stay the night after he swam across the lake, expires Saturday. If she is released, as is expected, it will be into a country suffering its latest bout of dashed hopes for democracy.

Suu Kyi, 65, remains by all accounts unbowed. She has spent the past seven years at the home on Rangoon's University Avenue that she inherited from her father, independence hero Aung San, with only housekeepers for company.

"The energy is still there; the commitment is still there. She has all the things that everyone says - she's poised and elegant and a very impressive figure - but she's also well-informed," said Andrew Heyn, the British ambassador to Burma (also known as Myanmar) and one of few foreigners to have met with Suu Kyi recently. "The message I got when I spoke to her, not only by what she said but by her body language, is that this is a woman who wants to stay involved."

In many ways, Burma's political landscape has changed little since the previous elections in 1990, when Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won a landslide victory, only to have it snatched away by the military.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Factbox: Facts about Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi
(Reuters) - Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Myanmar's fight against military dictatorship, is scheduled to be released from house arrest on November 13, six days after a military-backed party won the first election in two decades.

Here are some facts about Suu Kyi, who went from being an housewife in England to a Nobel peace prize laureate incarcerated for 15 of the last 21 years because of her fight for democracy in the former Burma.

-- Born in Rangoon (now Yangon) in June 1945, she is daughter of General Aung San, an independence hero assassinated in 1947. Her mother, Khin Kyi, was also a prominent figure.

-- She studied politics in New Delhi and philosophy, politics and economics at Britain's Oxford University. In 1972, she married British academic Michael Aris.

-- Suu Kyi returned to Yangon in April 1988 to take care of her dying mother at a time of countrywide pro-democracy protests against the army regime. Keen to continue her father's legacy, she entered politics and helped set up the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, becoming its secretary-general and calling for an end to military rule.

-- The junta placed the charismatic and popular Suu Kyi under house arrest in July 1989 for "endangering the state." The next year, even without her, the NLD won 392 of 485 parliamentary seats in Myanmar's first election in almost 30 years. The military refused to relinquish power.

-- Suu Kyi, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has been in prison or under house arrest off and on for 15 years since 1989.

-- Her husband died in Britain in 1999. Suu Kyi declined an offer from the junta to go to Britain for his funeral, fearing she would not be allowed back if she left.

-- She was initially freed in 1995, but was not allowed to travel outside Yangon to meet supporters. A pro-junta gang attacked a convoy carrying Suu Kyi, top party officials and supporters near Depayin town in 2003. The junta said four people were killed. Rights groups said as many as 70 were killed in the ambush. She was detained again soon after.

- She was found guilty on August 11, 2009, of breaking a security law by allowing American intruder John Yettaw to stay at her lakeside home for two nights. Critics said the charges were trumped up to stop her from having any influence over the polls.

-- She has since made several offers to the junta to lobby the international community to lift a wide range of sanctions on the country, most of which have been in place for more than two decades. Junta strongman Than Shwe never responded and the regime described her move as "insincere" and "dishonest."

-- Suu Kyi's said she "would not dream" of taking part in last Sunday's election and her NLD boycotted the vote. As a result, the party was officially dissolved.

- A breakaway NLD faction did contest, but won only a handful of seats.

(Compiled by Bangkok Newsroom; Editing by Robert Birsel and Ron Popeski)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was a fighter. She fought for the people in her

country. She does not live for wealth, prosperity and fame.

She was imprisoned for reasons that are not clear. Denied

her right to form a government. Her country is not

developed and its people are still living below the poverty

level while they are able to live better. She needs the

support of the international community to change the

current situation towards a better life. Let her free, gave

her the opportunity to bring a better life to the people of

her country.

International Human Rights Activist and Democracy Leader

Nobel Peace Prize, Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award,

Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient .

Nobel Peace Prize 1991

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in

1991. The decision of the Nobel Committee mentions:[113]

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the

Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar

(Burma) for her non-violent struggle for democracy and

human rights.

British journalist convicted for condemning death penalty

2010-11-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

British journalist convicted for condemning death penalty

British author Alan Shadrake stands outside Singapore's Supreme Court in this undated picture

Source IFEX and pressgazette

The death penalty is still legitimate in Singapore - but apparently talking about it isn't. British journalist Alan Shadrake, who condemned Singapore's use of capital punishment in his new book, has been convicted for contempt, report Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and news reports. He will be sentenced on 9 November when he is likely to get jail time. Sign a petition calling on the government to drop the charges and allow Shadrake to leave the country.

At his trial which opened on 18 October, Shadrake was accused of making comments "against the independence and integrity of the Singapore judiciary" in his book "Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock".

The book questions Singapore's use of capital punishment and alleges that well-connected defendants, particularly in drugs-related cases, often get off relatively lightly while the poor and less well-connected are sentenced to death. So a wealthy Tunisian drug dealer goes free while young drug mules from various countries face death.

It also examines the independence of the judiciary, and highlights criticisms of Singapore's justice system by Amnesty International and the International Bar Association.

Contempt of court in Singapore is punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both. Shadrake could also now face separate charges of criminal defamation - which could mean a two-year jail sentence.

According to the UK's "Press Gazette", the judge said in his decision that Shadrake had used a "selective background of truths and half-truths, and sometimes outright falsehoods" in the book.

The court had no interest in stifling debate on the death penalty and was constitutionally bound to protect every citizen's right to engage in such debate, the judge said. But the law would step in when "such debate goes beyond the limits of fair criticism," he went on.

Hema Subramanian, a lawyer for the Attorney General, said last week that Shadrake's book contained "baseless, unwarranted attacks... that directly attacked the Singapore judiciary."

Shadrake's counsel, well-known human rights lawyer M Ravi, argued that the book was a "serious-minded and compassionate examination of the death penalty in Singapore."

RSF is urging the Singapore judiciary to accept Shadrake's innocence and allow him to leave the country. "The book contains no defamatory remarks, no personal attacks or verbal assaults aimed at undermining the operation of the justice system.

"Given that it is simply a critical analysis of the institution and its methods as a result of a rigorous and well-documented investigation, this work cannot constitute contempt of court," said RSF.

Singapore did give Shadrake an option: apologise and the charge would be dropped. But Shadrake refuses to be silenced. In an open letter distributed widely online, he wrote, "I am being prosecuted and facing jail for exposing prosecutorial scandals in Singapore - scandals this PAP [leading political party] dictatorship doesn't want decent Singaporean citizens to know about."

In addition to legal concerns, Shadrake, 75, has serious health problems together with the financial strain of his enforced stay in Singapore, says RSF.

RSF has launched an international petition to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, calling for charges against Shadrake to be dropped.

Sign it here

Jailed Iranian journalist receives WAN-IFRA Golden Pen of Freedom

2010-10-13T21:07:00.001-07:00

13 October 2010

Jailed Iranian journalist receives WAN-IFRA Golden Pen of Freedom

Jailed Iranian journalist Ahmad Zeid-Abadi is this year's winner of WAN-IFRA's 2010 Golden Pen of Freedom award

WAN-IFRA

Ahmad Zeid-Abadi, an Iranian journalist who was thrown in jail following Iran's disputed presidential election last year, has been awarded the 2010 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Zeid-Abadi, who is serving a six-year prison sentence for plotting to overthrow the government, was honoured during a ceremony at the World Editors Forum in Hamburg, Germany, last week, for "his courageous actions in the face of persecution and for his outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of press freedom."

Zeid-Abadi was among at least 110 journalists arrested following the disputed re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009. At least 23 remain behind bars, about a fifth of all journalists imprisoned worldwide, says WAN-IFRA.

His award was accepted by Akbar Ganji, the 2006 Golden Pen laureate who had also been imprisoned by the Iranian regime.

"I have no doubt that if Ahmad Zeid-Abadi was here with us, he would have shared the honour of this prestigious prize with other political prisoners. One must interpret these awards as a kind of ethical and moral endorsement of democratic activists who are committed to liberty and human rights," Ganji said when accepting the award.

Zeid-Abadi, an academic and political commentator as well as a journalist, is known for an open letter he wrote from prison in 2000 protesting the judiciary's treatment of imprisoned journalists. The letter was widely distributed despite attempts by the authorities to suppress its publication.

In presenting the award, WAN-IFRA put out a resolution calling for the release of all jailed journalists in Iran.

At the forum, the board also issued resolutions urging: African governments to immediately abolish criminal defamation and insult laws; South African President Jacob Zuma and his party to withdraw a proposal for a government-appointed Media Tribunal, as well as to withdraw the Protection of Information Bill, which would allow officials to classify documents as "confidential" on vaguely defined grounds; the government of Bahrain to put an end to its recent spate of online censorship, arrests and intimidation of journalists; and Argentine President Cristina Kirchner to ensure that the government reverse recent actions that undermine the independent press in Argentina, such as distributing official advertising funds to pro-government media.

WAN-IFRA also used the forum as a launching pad for its annual review of press freedom. In the report, WAN-IFRA says that at least 56 journalists were killed so far this year and at least 120 media employees have been jailed.

Government ramps up Internet control and leans on Hong Kong to erase dissent

2010-07-25T02:48:00.000-07:00

21 July 2010

Government ramps up Internet control and leans on Hong Kong to erase dissent

The Chinese government has targeted micro-blogging services in its latest attack on Internet freedom.

China Rights Forum

In a series of surgical strikes against Internet freedom, Chinese authorities have imposed restrictions on micro-blogging services and shut down an estimated 60 blogs by prominent legal and political commentators, report Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). China's influence is also reducing space for dissent and independent press in Hong Kong, says a new report by the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA).

The People's Republic of China routinely deploys major resources to control political discussions on the Internet. Four of the leading Chinese micro-blogging services, Netease, Sina, Tencent and Sohu, were displaying messages on 15 July saying they were down for maintenance or had inexplicably reverted to an earlier "beta" testing phase, says RSF. "Testing" is often a euphemism for strengthening internal self-censorship systems following government pressure, says Freedom House. China's micro-blogging services are closely examined by censorship filters which analyse both the posts and the shortened URLs that appear in them.

"This latest censorship attempt shows that the Chinese authorities, who are obsessed with maintaining political stability, mistrust micro-blogging and its potential for spreading information and mobilising the public," said RSF.

Human Rights in China (HRIC) recently released a translation and analysis of a report that provides insight into the Chinese authorities' approach to controlling the Internet. It is a comprehensive and detailed report by Wang Chen, the country's top official responsible for managing online information, delivered in a speech in April to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. The report reveals how the Chinese government plans to control the Internet to keep out "harmful information" from abroad and to harness its power for guiding "correct" public opinion, "unifying thinking," and countering "the hegemony of Western media."

China has the most sophisticated, multilayered Internet control apparatus in the world, says Freedom House. Twitter and Facebook have been completely blocked for approximately a year. In addition to censorship within the country, Chinese hackers are attacking organisations and companies outside of its borders.

"Internet freedom and free access to information are not simply luxuries but critical avenues for advancing democratic reforms and enabling the Chinese people to protect themselves and their families from threats such as tainted food or environmental pollution," said Freedom House.

Free expression is also under threat in Hong Kong as the political scene deteriorates, says a new report by the HKJA. "The Vice Tightens: Pressure Grows on Free Expression in Hong Kong" details arrests and prosecutions of protesters, as well as scuffles between police and demonstrators.

"These incidents give a taste of the political atmosphere in Hong Kong - an atmosphere in which… there is growing intolerance of dissent and greater emphasis on social harmony - a catch phrase used in mainland China to denote adherence to the Communist Party line," says the HKJA.

For example, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) will remain government-owned, "despite pleas from the public and non-governmental organisations, including the HKJA, that it should be separated from the administration to become an independent public service broadcaster." In addition, HKJA is challenging the constitutionality of the government's superficial changes to the law about licensing radio broadcasters, saying it needs major restructuring to create media diversity. "Broadcasting legislation should ensure that the airwaves are open to all those who wish to set up broadcasting operations, irrespective of political orientation," says the report.

http://www.ifex.org/china/2010/07/21/internet_control/

Three journalists arrested for leaking report on corruption

2010-07-25T02:45:00.001-07:00

21 July 2010

Three journalists arrested for leaking report on corruption

Three journalists in the Ivory Coast who refused to reveal their sources after publishing details of a government report on corruption in the coffee and cocoa trade were arrested on 13 July, report the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI).

The journalists published a front-page story in the private daily "Le Nouveau Courrier" leaking findings of a government report on 23 industry figures charged with corruption in an ongoing investigation ordered by President Laurent Gbagbo in 2007.

Managing editor Stéphane Guédé, news editor Théophile Kouamouo and editor-in-chief Saint-Claver Oula were arrested the same day the article hit the newsstands and accused of stealing confidential documents. Police raided the newspaper's office in search of the leaked report.

Ivory Coast law does not permit criminal penalties or pre-trial detention for journalists; however, for publishing offences, the theft of secret documents carries a prison sentence, reports IPI. The journalists were formally charged on 16 July with "theft of administrative documents", which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Saint-Claver Oula began a hunger strike and has refused medication despite suffering from a stomach ailment at the time of the arrest, says CPJ.

On 16 July, media groups at a news conference in Abidjan, the capital, threatened to publish the full report on the alleged embezzlement in their respective media outlets if the three journalists were not released.

In court on 20 July, the prosecutor called for a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 15,250 Euros against each journalist, as well as for the daily to be suspended and for the confiscation of the computer used in the story.

"Journalists have the right to refuse to divulge their sources where it is in the public interest to do so," said IPI. "This right is the cornerstone of the profession."

In another case, journalist Guy-André Keiffer was abducted in 2004 while investigating corruption in the cocoa industry. He remains missing.

http://www.ifex.org/cote_divoire/2010/07/21/corruption_arrest/

Political blogger and radio journalist slain

2010-07-25T02:42:00.000-07:00

21 July 2010

Political blogger and radio journalist slain

A Greek radio journalist and blogger who was about to publish results of an investigation into corruption in the country was lured out of his home in Athens and shot dead on 19 July, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). This is the first murder of a journalist in Greece in more than 20 years.

Sokratis Giolias, 37, stepped out of his apartment after three men dressed in security uniforms told him his car was being stolen. He was then riddled with bullets.

Giolias was the director of the private radio station Thema 98.9, and contributor to the popular online news blog Troktiko, which often covers social and political scandals.

"Somebody wanted to silence a very good investigative reporter who had stepped on a lot of toes with his stories," said Panos Sobolos, president of the Athens journalists' union, report IPI and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO).

http://www.ifex.org/greece/2010/07/21/corruption_slain/

British author arrested for book on death penalty; film on political prisoners banned

2010-07-25T02:37:00.000-07:00

British author arrested for book on death penalty; film on political prisoners banned

British journalist Alan Shadrake is facing up to two years in prison for his book on the death penalty in Singapore.

Alan

The Singapore government's pattern of repressing free expression continues with the recent arrest of a British journalist for writing a book critical of the city-state's death penalty, and the ban of a film about ex-political prisoners by a Singaporean filmmaker, report the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Amnesty International.

Alan Shadrake, 75, is the latest in a long list of international journalists and newspapers charged after publishing critical opinion of Singapore's leaders. He was arrested on 18 July while in Singapore to promote his book, "Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock." He is facing charges of defamation and contempt of court. Freed on bail on 19 July, Shadrake is due to appear before the Singapore high court on 30 July. If he is found guilty of criminal defamation, he could face up to two years in prison and a large fine. The case is an abuse of judicial authority, says RSF.

The book contains interviews with a former executioner, human rights activists, lawyers and former police officers on cases involving capital punishment in Singapore. The government doesn't like to release statistics about the death penalty, so the publishers' claim that the book "cuts through the façade of official silence to reveal disturbing truths about Singapore's use of the death penalty," has "clearly ruffled some feathers," writes British journalist Ben Bland for Index on Censorship. Bland was denied a visa and forced to leave Singapore last October after working in the city-state for a year as a freelance journalist.

According to "The Guardian", after being released, Shadrake told reporters: "I'm feeling pretty shaken at the moment... I've been sitting at a desk being interrogated all day long explaining all the chapters of the book: going into the history of the book, my research, why I did the book."

The government's heavy-handed approach sends a clear message that anyone thinking of "research and debate about sensitive issues such as the death penalty risks severe consequences," says Bland.

But the book has not been banned. Although it has been removed from one of Singapore's biggest bookshops, it will apparently be available in Singapore's National Library to reference readers, although it cannot be borrowed.

In another episode of censorship, a film by Singaporean filmmaker Martyn See was banned - effective 14 July - because it was considered "contrary to public interest." The Media Development Authority (MDA), which also made the police complaint that led to Shadrake's arrest, ordered See to remove all digital copies of the film uploaded on YouTube and his own blog. The film, "Ex-political prisoner speaks out in Singapore" or "Dr. Lim Hock Siew", registered 49,903 views as of 12 July.

The Singapore government said See's film "gives a distorted and misleading portrayal of Dr. Lim's arrests and detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1963." This is the second of See's films to be barred from being publicly shown in Singapore.

Amnesty International also reports that Singapore Democratic Party leader Dr. Chee Soon Juan - who has been repeatedly arrested and fined - was convicted of yet another offence. He was charged with illegally "giving a public address" in 2006, and fined S$5,000 or five weeks in prison, because he asked people to buy his party's newspaper when they walked by.

Source : http://www.ifex.org/singapore/2010/07/21/book_film_repression/

Artist Alert June 2010

2010-07-15T12:10:00.001-07:00

Artist Alert
June 2010

Russia: martyred for their art

In May 2008, Yury Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeyev were accused of inciting religious hatred through their Moscow exhibition – Forbidden Art. On Monday, 21 June, Prosecutors demanded a three-year jail term for the two curators, according to the magazine The Economist, for “debasing the religious beliefs of citizens and inciting religious hatred.” The verdict is due on 12 July. An ARTICLE 19 source claims that out of 134 prosecution witnesses, only three had in fact attended the exhibition. Samodurov has faced similar charges in the past, having been fined one hundred thousand roubles for his 2003 show, Caution: Religion! The Forbidden Art exhibition featured many works previously shown in Russia as well as internationally, items of particular controversy included a Jesus figure surmounted with the head of Mickey Mouse and a veiled crucifix covered in sexual slang. The venue for Forbidden Art was the Sakharov Centre and Museum, an institution whose core ideology firmly supports the tradition of human rights. The trial continues.

Pakistan: music market bombed

Pakistan Press Foundation - on 26 June, a Lahore market was blasted by two separate explosives in a planned attack on the Plaza’s music outlets. Two shopkeepers and several customers were injured by shattered shop windows, responsibility for which was claimed by the Nazria Pakistan Group. In the lead up to the attacks store owners had received threats, demanding that they stop selling western video and music products. Police are investigating connections between the market bombings and previous attacks on cultural events in the Punjab capital.

Netherlands: Snoop Dogg ousted

Calvin Broadus, a.k.a Snoop Dogg, was banned by Dutch authorities from performing at a free festival in The Hague on 27 June, reports the BBC. The US Hip-Hop artist’s controversial lyrics and persona were considered at odds with the ‘open and friendly’ character of Parkpop festival. The Mayor, alongside the police and public prosecutors, , requested his removal from the bill.
Indonesia: a new Islamic Iconoclasm

Authorities in Bekasi, Indonesia, have demanded the destruction of a statue in a private residential complex, following pressure from local hard-line groups. The Three Girls sculpture represents a symbol of local West Javan culture, according to the artist Nyoman. Three Sundanese women are depicted in traditional attire, welcoming residents on a three-path intersection of the housing complex in which it stands. The sculpture’s creation involved over fifty people and cost an estimated $260,000, reports The Jakarta Globe. Bekasi’s Islamic Defenders Front protested that the women were depicted in “tight costumes” and that any artist that attempts to “copy real living human beings” is being anti-Islamic. Accusations that the women’s composition reflected the Christian Holy Trinity were also aired. The artist denies any attempt to depict the figures as sexual objects and stated, “people of certain cultures should not force their cultural understanding onto others.”

Jordan: director’s plea denied

On 21 June, a film documenting the plight of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, missing in the aftermath of war and displacement, was dropped from its premier slot at Jordan’s Franco/Arab Film Festival. According to Human Film Inc, Sons of Babylon, by Iraqi director Mohammed Al-Daradji, was pulled out of the festival following the organisers’ decision to prevent the director’s letter being read to an expectant audience. The letter details the film’s importance to Iraq’s Missing Campaign, an initiative striving to help families torn apart by the country’s recent legacy of war and disruption. Festival organisers claimed Al-Daradji’s message was “political...and not related to cinema.”

Japan: dolphin ‘bloodbath’ banned in cinemas

National Geographic photographer, Louie Psihoyos, had his latest Oscar winning documentary stalled from general release in its country of origin, Japan. The Cove, an undercover film infiltrating the coastal town of Taiji, assembled a team of divers, climbers, effects artists and technicians in a bid to document the epicentre of Japan’s annual dolphin slaughter. The Cove has struggled to find theatres willing to screen it in Japan, due to issues raised around the industry and the graphic nature of the film’s finale. The film has faced additional censorship from US sources, including an American Airbase near Tokyo, which prohibited screenings. ABC News quotes Psihoyos, a founding member of the Ocean Preservation Society, insisting his message will still be heard, “This kind of information needs to be freed. We're going to get it out there, one way or another."

Germany: no dancing in the streets

On Thursday, 24 June, in Hannover, Germany, a Jewish folklore group was attacked while trying to perform a traditional dance in the city’s Sahlkamp district, which has a large immigrant community. Before their performance had even begun, the Chaverim dancers were forced to seek shelter in the wake of a stone barrage from the teenage crowd. The attackers were identified as a group of Muslim youths aged from 10 to 20 according to the BBC. Charlotte Knobloch, president of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, commented, "It particularly saddens me that those anti-Semitic views can already be seen with such vehemence among children."

Malaysia: political cartoons censored

The Malaysian Government has banned three separate cartoon publications that allegedly pose a security threat, according to ABC News. The censored works focus on the creations of Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, known as Zunar, and other local cartoonists, questioning current events in Malaysia. Subjects include police shootings and the sodomy trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. The cartoon ban further questions the Government’s attitude toward freedom of expression and prohibiting dissenting voices. Zunar describes drawing cartoons as his social obligation and vows to continue his commentary.

Czech Republic: ID artist arrested

A leading member of the controversial Czech art group, Ztohoven, has been arrested following the opening of the Citizen K exhibition in Central Prague. On 18 June, local police stormed the gallery seizing exhibits alongside the group’s figurehead, Roman Týc. According to Czech News site Actuálně, the show was intended to highlight the ease with which people exploit personal information and contained identity cards alongside other phony official documents. The group has previously courted prosecution through installing ‘drunk’ traffic lights in urban streets and inserting recorded images of nuclear explosions into public weather broadcasts.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• For more information: please contact Oliver Spencer, oliver@article19.org, +44 20 7324 2500

UN Human Rights Council: ARTICLE 19 and CIHRS Support Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression

2010-06-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

9 June 2010

UN Human Rights Council: ARTICLE 19 Highlights Need for Action to Tackle “Culture of Impunity” Surrounding Attacks on Journalists

ARTICLE 19 submitted an oral statement at the Panel Discussion on Journalists in Armed Conflict at the UN Human Rights Council’s 14th session.

In the statement to the Human Rights Council on 4 June, ARTICLE 19 emphasised that journalists around the world have been subject to very serious attacks in situations of armed conflict and other violent circumstances. It is a human rights issue that “deserves more focussed attention and action by the Human Rights Council.”

“Too often, a culture of impunity surrounds attacks on journalists. The denial of journalists’ human rights during conflicts leads to a ‘chilling effect’ on journalists’ freedom of expression, impedes the public’s ‘right to know’ and is a significant restraint upon the media’s role as a watchdog on the state,” said Sejal Parmar, Senior Legal Officer, ARTICLE 19, in her address to the Human Rights Council.

ARTICLE 19 urged states to properly implement their existing obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law to protect journalists in conflict situations.

ENDS

NOTES :

• For more information please contact: Sejal Parmar, Senior Legal Officer, ARTICLE 19, sejal@article19.org +44 20 7324 2500.
• For ARTICLE 19’s oral statement at the Panel on the Protection of Journalists in Armed Conflict see http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/un-protection-of-journalists-in-armed-conflict.pdf
• ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works around the world to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech.
------------------------------o----------------------------------

9 June 2010
Correction to the press release 7 June 2010

UN Human Rights Council: ARTICLE 19 and CIHRS Support Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression

ARTICLE 19 and the Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) submitted a joint oral statement at the UN Human Rights Council’s 14th session welcoming the annual report of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Mr Frank La Rue.

In the statement to the Human Rights Council on 4 June, ARTICLE 19 and CIHRS expressed their strong support for the Special Rapporteur’s opinion that laws on “defamation of religions” are incompatible with international human rights law on freedom of expression.

“We hope that the emerging consensus in support of this position signals a shift in attitude amongst some states that will lead to a more constructive approach towards tackling global challenges of violence, discrimination and hatred on racial and religious grounds. ARTICLE 19 and the Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies support all governments who seek to promote such an approach,” said Sejal Parmar, Senior Legal Officer, ARTICLE 19, in her address to the Human Rights Council on behalf of ARTICLE 19 and CIHRS.

The organisations urged all states to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur by accepting his requests for country visits and to positively support him in carrying out his mandate.

ENDS

NOTES :

• For more information please contact: Sejal Parmar, Senior Legal Officer, ARTICLE 19, sejal@article19.org +44 20 7324 2500 or Jeremie D Smith, Director, Geneva Office, Cairo Institute of Human Rights js.cihrs@gmail.com or jsmith@cihrs.org +41 (0) 22 788 5272.

• The oral statement of ARTICLE 19 and CIHRS in response to the report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right of freedom of opinion and expression is available here http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/united-nations-human-rights-council-14th-session-4-june-2010-joint-oral-stat.pdf
• The report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right of freedom of opinion and expression, Mr Frank la Rue, 20 April 2010, A/HRC/14/23 is available here http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/14session/A.HRC.14.23.pdf
• ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works around the world to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech.
• The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies is an independent regional organisation based in Cairo, Egypt with offices in Geneva and Paris

Authorities crush online dissent; activists detained incommunicado

2010-06-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

2 June 2010

Authorities crush online dissent; activists detained incommunicado

In a two-pronged attack, Vietnamese authorities have detained, interrogated and at times physically abused at least seven independent bloggers in the past two months, simultaneously carrying out a series of insidious cyber attacks on websites critical of the government, reports Human Rights Watch. Meanwhile, rights defenders continue to face sham trials and severe prison sentences for organising for the rights of workers or supporting opposition political groups.

On 8 May, authorities disconnected the telephone and Internet at the home of Ha Si Phu, one of Vietnam's best-known dissident bloggers. His blog and website have been regularly subject to cyber attacks in 2010. On 28 April, Lu Thi Thu Trang, an Internet activist linked to the pro-democracy group Block 8406, was beaten by police officers in front of her 5-year-old son. Another blogger was detained three times in April, interrogated and then released.

The cyber attacks are being inflicted on Vietnamese computer users worldwide, infecting the computers of tens of thousands of users who download Vietnamese keyboard language software, says a member of Google's security team. "These infected machines have been used both to spy on their owners as well as participate in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against blogs containing messages of political dissent. Specifically, these attacks have tried to squelch opposition to bauxite mining efforts in Vietnam, an important and emotionally charged issue in the country."

Since September 2009, dozens of sites have been attacked, including sites operated by Catholics criticising government confiscation of church properties, political discussion forums and opposition parties, and an environmental site against bauxite mining.

The Vietnamese government manages information flow in many ways. In the last six months, Vietnamese BBC service and Facebook have been blocked. In addition, Internet cafe owners are required to obtain photo identification from Internet users, monitor and store information about their online activities, and block access to banned websites.

There is simply no tolerance for anyone who expresses views on human rights or dissent of any kind, says Human Rights Watch. Rights activists Le Cong Dinh, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc and Le Thang Long were convicted in January 2010 on charges of attempting to "overthrow the government," for supporting the formation of an opposition party, and sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 16 years. All opposition political groups are banned in Vietnam.

Three other activists have been held incommunicado since their arrest in February. Doan Huy Chuong, Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung and Do Thi Minh Hanh were working to help impoverished workers and landless farmers to seek redress from the government.

"Vietnamese prison authorities routinely mistreat and torture political detainees during interrogation to pressure them to sign pre-written confessions and to disclose information about other activists," said Human Rights Watch.

Journalists under surveillance by intelligence forces

2010-06-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

2 June 2010

Journalists under surveillance by intelligence forces

A witch-hunt of journalists and activists critical of the government during outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's two terms in power has been detailed in a report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). "Chuzadas: Colombian media targeted by intelligence services" was released three days before presidential elections on 30 May after an RSF delegation visited Colombia from 16 to 20 May. At the same time, a delegation of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters - Latin America and the Caribbean (AMARC-ALC) travelled to Colombia to determine the state of free expression and community radio.

President Uribe prided himself on creating security, while he colluded with paramilitaries to target critics, the RSF report explains. Uribe has been known for publicly vilifying journalists and saw journalists, opposition politicians and activists as a nuisance. Meanwhile, extra-judicial killings of civilians dressed in rebel uniforms were carried out under his watch to bolster the idea of victory over the guerrillas.

Uribe has been blamed for the corruption of his intelligence services - the Administrative Department of Security (DAS) - which has directed wire-tapping, acts of sabotage and intimidation at journalists.

Eighty members of parliament are facing charges with a quarter already in jail. The report says wire-tapping was run by military officials. And now, Uribe's former defence minister, Juan Manuel Santos, is the lead vote-getter in this week's elections.

Among those targeted were 16 journalists subject to phone-tapping, says the report. DAS took a particular interest in journalists Hollman Morris and Claudia Julieta Duque who were investigating the 1999 murder of editorialist and satirist Jaime Garzón. Journalists did not feel safe using any telecommunications and would meet face to face to share information.

Now, journalists continue to be vulnerable. "The results of these revelations were intimidating for the practice of journalism in itself and relations between journalists and their sources, while the press already suffered from marked self-censorship," said Andrés Morales, the director of the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP).

Currently, under the twisted guise of protection, former DAS agents working for security firms act as bodyguards for journalists under threat, and continue to monitor their clients for their former employer. Aware of being under surveillance by a mixed escort of DAS and police, one journalist said, "If you reject the security system it amounts to giving tacit permission for someone to kill you."

During AMARC-ALC's mission, delegates found that communities still suffer from the violent actions of state security forces, paramilitaries and the guerrillas, limiting free expression. None of these armed groups differentiate between military and civilian targets. Journalists are especially under threat as they may be suspected of being guerrilla sympathisers and targeted by paramilitaries or state forces. There is an urgent need to safeguard community-based radio stations, says AMARC-ALC.

Images of Mohammed provoke censorship

2010-05-27T09:47:00.001-07:00

26 May 2010

Images of Mohammed provoke censorship

Caricatures of Prophet Mohammed on Facebook sparked outrage and censorship in Pakistan last week. Authorities embarked on a large-scale crackdown of the Internet, blocking up to 1,000 sites, including Facebook, YouTube and Flickr, report the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

"Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" was an event created by Swedish Facebook users, inviting people to post drawings of Prophet Mohammed on the social networking site. Any depiction of the Prophet is forbidden by Islam.

In response, demonstrations took place throughout Pakistan on 19 May condemning Facebook, and the site itself was blocked by Pakistani officials for being "blasphemous and sacrilegious". Thousands have supported the ban, and some have called for the blocking of all Western websites.

But one local cyber activist disagrees. According to PPF, he told the press, "While we recognise that sites on the Internet are used to spew hatred and incite violence, we steadfastly believe that governments have no right to control access to information."

After the cartoons were made available on YouTube, the Lahore High Court ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to block YouTube, Flickr, Wikipedia, Google, Twitter, some parts of the BBC, and Internet access through BlackBerry mobile service, reports ARTICLE 19.

Participants of a media forum who met in Karachi to discuss the ban were assaulted by protesters who accused the group of blasphemy.

In the past, Pakistan has blocked access to YouTube, Blogspot and Flickr, as well as sites that revealed information about corruption linked to political officials and human rights abuses by the army.

More Info: http://www.dailytech.com/Facebook+Banned+From+Pakistan+for+Mohammed+Images/article18440.htm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100519/ap_on_hi_te/as_pakistan_facebook
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10170899.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/20/pakistan-blocks-youtube-sacrilegious

Pakistanis protest in Karachi yesterday against Facebook. Access to YouTube has now also been blocked. Photograph: Rizwan Tabassum/AFP/Getty Images

Editor sentenced to 166 years in prison

2010-05-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

19 May 2010

Editor sentenced to 166 years in prison

A Turkish newspaper editor accused of being a member of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was sentenced to 166 years and six months in prison on 13 May, and charged with spreading PKK propaganda, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He had been facing an equally absurd 525 years in prison. The disturbing sentence comes on the heels of a new BIANET media monitoring report, which reveals that 216 people, including 69 journalists, were tried in free expression-related cases during the first three months of 2010.

Editor Vedat Kurşun was convicted on 103 counts of "helping and abetting the PKK organisation by spreading propaganda" and "glorifying crimes and criminals" in articles published in 103 issues of Turkey's only Kurdish-language newspaper, "Azadiya Welat". The court's decision is viewed as highly disproportional and politically motivated, says BIANET. RSF called the decision a clear breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, of which Turkey is a signatory.

The numbers in the BIANET report present an increase from the first quarter of 2009, when a total of 110 people were tried in free expression-related cases; 60 of those were journalists.

The report documents the cases of Vedat Kurşun and "Revolutionary Democracy" editor Erdal Güler; both are presently in prison because of their work. At least 32 journalists were in jail during the first three months of 2010 for alleged participation in illegal organisations. While ten journalists were released from prison during this time, 21 are still behind bars.

http://www.ifex.org/turkey/2010/05/19/absurd_sentence/

Bangkok ablaze; two journalists killed and several others wounded

2010-05-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

19 May 2010

Bangkok ablaze; two journalists killed and several others wounded

Protesters torched Bangkok in revenge this week after the Thai army dismantled red shirt demonstrations in the centre of the city.

via AP

Downtown Bangkok has spiralled into a flaming battleground after close to two months of anti-government protests, with at least 39 dead, including two journalists killed in clashes, and hundreds wounded. Thai troops broke through the encampment of red shirts today, cracking down on the movement and triggering more violence, report the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and other IFEX members. The media have taken a heavy toll - several media outlets were targeted or closed down to protect staff, and other journalists have been shot and wounded. The government has imposed a night-time curfew across the country.

Although several red shirt leaders surrendered and called off the protests, protesters reacted by setting fire to the stock exchange, Southeast Asia's second-biggest department store complex, banks, and attacking newspaper offices and a television station. The protests have now spread to northeast Thailand where demonstrators torched more buildings.

Throughout this red shirt fury over social injustice, the media has been under constant attack from all sides. The government has tried to control the flow of information by blocking websites, and shutting down satellite TV channels that it claims were inciting violence and promoting red shirt propaganda. Journalists and media outlets have been attacked by protesters who accused the media of biased coverage.

Italian photojournalist Fabio Polenghi died after being shot in the chest during the recent offensive, and at least three demonstrators were killed. A Dutch reporter Michel Maas and a US documentary filmmaker suffered from gunshot wounds. The army shoots "everything that's moving and don't ask if you are a reporter before shooting," said Maas. Another journalist was wounded in a grenade attack in the capital on 19 May.

Rioters set fire to the Channel 3 building, a government TV station, and set 10 news vehicles ablaze, reports SEAPA. Several media organisations, including the "Bangkok Post" and "The Nation", sent staff home, fearful that mobs would attack the compounds.

"About 100 employees of the Channel 3 TV station were trapped on the roof of their high-rise office, but most were later rescued by helicopter," reports "The Guardian". Meanwhile, radio stations sympathetic to the red shirts have aired "incendiary commentary," says SEAPA.

After government troops cordoned off the protesters' site by cutting off water and electricity and setting up roadblocks to prevent red shirts from joining their comrades last week, three journalists were wounded in skirmishes on 14 May. Canadian journalist Nelson Rand, working for France 24 TV channel, was shot three times. Subin Namchan, a photographer for the Thai-language newspaper, "Matichon", and Supawat Wanchantha, cameraman for Thai Voice TV Channel, were both shot in the legs. The next day, Thai reporter Chaiwat Poompuang, working for "The Nation", was also shot in the leg while covering clashes.

On 13 May, "International Herald Tribune" reporter Thomas Fuller narrowly missed being killed when a sniper fired a bullet into the head of a red shirt rebel commander whom he was interviewing. On 10 April, Reuters journalist Hiro Muramoto was shot and killed while covering fighting between protesters and security forces.

Attacks on the press "will ultimately deprive Thais of the information, news and commentary they need to understand and navigate these perilous days," said SEAPA. The press freedom organisation is also urging journalists to not take sides and to provide reliable information.

http://www.ifex.org/thailand/2010/05/19/army_wounded/

Russia: European Court Must Ensure that Religious “Hate Speech” Laws Conform with International Standards on Freedom of Expression

2010-05-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

For immediate release 18 May 2010

Russia: European Court Must Ensure that Religious “Hate Speech” Laws Conform with International Standards on Freedom of Expression

International human rights standards concerning hate speech indicate that only forms of expression which actually constitute “incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence” should be banned, according to the amicus curiae brief submitted by ARTICLE 19 to the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Yuriy Samodurov and Lyudmila Vasilovskaya v Russia.

The case concerns the criminal prosecution for religious incitement of the organisers of an exhibition titled Caution Religion! which opened at the Andrei Sakharov “Peace, Progress and Human Rights” Museum in Moscow in January 2003. The exhibition featured exhibits by contemporary Russian artists around the theme of the dangers of rising clericalism. Shortly after the opening of the exhibition, an organised group of Orthodox believers broke into the exhibition hall and destroyed a significant number of exhibits. Although there was a criminal investigation into the incident, there was no subsequent criminal prosecution of the alleged perpetrators. The applicants in the case, the director and the curator of the museum, however were charged and successfully prosecuted under Article 282(2) of the Criminal Code for ‘inciting hatred and enmity’ and ‘degrading the dignity of individuals who belonged to the Christian religion in general and Orthodox Christianity and the Russian Orthodox Church in particular.’ The Russian district and appeal courts found that the applicants had committed an offence under this provision and fined them 100,000 roubles (RUR) (approximately €3,000) each.

ARTICLE 19’s brief to the European Court of Human Rights draws on relevant international human rights law, as well as regional human rights law and jurisprudence, non-binding international standards (notably the Camden Principles on Freedom of Expression and Equality) and comparative approaches to laws concerning incitement to religious hatred. In the opinion of ARTICLE 19, these authorities indicate that laws on incitement to religious hatred should be carefully defined and construed to only limit particular forms of expression which have the potential to cause harm to individuals and which are incompatible with the underlying values of human rights, such as respect for pluralism. They should not limit freedom of expression in order to protect or support a particular religious group or point of view as such.

ARTICLE 19 has submitted the brief in the hope that the European Court of Human Rights will hold that there has been a violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights in connection with the applicants in this case.

NOTES

• For the brief of 15 May 2010 see: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/russia-yuriy-samodurov-and-lyudmila-vasilovskaya-v-russia.pdf
• For the admissibility decision of the European Court of Human Rights of 15 December 2009 in the case Yuriy Samodurov and Lyudmila Vasilovskaya Application No 3007/06 see: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/russia-first-decision-yuriy-samodurov.pdf
• For the Camden Principles on Freedom of Expression and Equality see: http://www.article19.org/advocacy/campaigns/camden-principles/index.html
• For more information, please contact Sejal Parmar, Senior Legal Officer, ARTICLE 19, sejal@article19.org

Burma: Final Condemnation for Upcoming Elections as NLD Ceases to Exist as Political Party

2010-05-16T23:03:00.001-07:00

10 May 2010

Burma: Final Condemnation for Upcoming Elections
as NLD Ceases to Exist as Political Party

On 7 May 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, winners of the last elections in 1990, ceased to exist as a legal political party in accordance with the military regime’s implementation of new election laws. Many NLD offices have closed down, signboards have been removed and NLD members face impending arrest and abuse.

The NLD decided not to contest upcoming elections in Burma, due to be held sometime towards the end of 2010, because of the absence of a free and fair environment. NLD leader Tin Oo told Irrawaddy: “We can't accept the 2008 constitution and operate under its unjust provisions. If we do, we will just be an organization that listens to what authorities say and agrees with them. Look at who has registered for the election. Most of them are groups with friendly relationships with the regime.” The military regime placed so many restrictions upon the NLD that it had little option but to refuse to register.

NLD members have cleared out the head office and have outlined their plans to do “social work with a political angle.” Some members have also formed a new party called the ‘National Democratic Force’ and registered with the military in order to maintain an overview of the process from the inside.

Local sources have already reported that NLD members are being arrested and abused in Arakan and Mon states.

Despite there still not being a date for the elections, the military-backed ‘Union Solidarity and Development Party’ has now begun campaigning across the country, including on all state-owned channels.

Political parties are important organs for representing aggregated preferences and opinions, and their unobstructed participation is a fundamental part of free and fair elections. A free media, and respect for freedom of expression and access to information are also vital to free and fair elections. A free and professional media informs the electorate, communicates policies, frames election issues, holds parties accountable, and creates a diverse and pluralistic election where all parties have equal opportunities to express their views.

By in effect denying the NLD the chance to take part in the election, the military regime is violating the people’s right to access a range of viewpoints and express themselves freely through the electoral process. Furthermore, the absence of free and fair elections, including specific protections for a free media, is likely to further increase political and economic instability in Burma.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the international community, particularly China, India, and the ASEAN states, to recognise that the withdrawal of the NLD means that the forthcoming elections are illegitimate. ARTICLE 19 urges governments to use all means at their disposal to ensure that the electoral laws be amended so as to allow for political equality and popular control.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• Read ARTICLE 19’s Joint Statement on the Media and Elections at: www.article19.org/pdfs/press/joint-statement-on-the-media-and-elections.pdf
• For more information please contact: Oliver Spencer, oliver@article19.org

IAPA calls for signatures to petition as another journalist is murdered

2010-05-16T22:29:00.001-07:00

28 April 2010

IAPA calls for signatures to petition as another journalist is murdered

A Honduran journalist was shot in the head by an assailant waiting for him after he finished anchoring a show at a local television station, report the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members. He is the seventh journalist killed this year. IAPA is calling on hundreds of thousands of newspaper readers to sign a letter addressed to the president of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, asking him to set up legal mechanisms to confront violence against journalists and the impunity linked to these crimes.

Jorge Alberto Orellana, 50, was host of the programme "En vivo con Georgino" (Georgino Live) in San Pedro Sula, northern Honduras. His work focused on local news and cultural events. He did not report on organised crime, and local police say personal motives may be behind the killing, but IAPA reports that he had received death threats.

The journalist had previously worked for the country's leading network Televicentro, and had left because of the station's editorial position which favoured the coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

ARTICLE 19 and C-Libre have tabled a submission to the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review of Honduras, to be held in November, describing the deterioration of freedom of expression and press freedom. The submission described the intensely vulnerable condition of the media, including attacks and censorship of journalists and human rights defenders, unjust use of criminal laws to restrict free expression, a failure to promote media pluralism and diversity, a failure to fully protect freedom of information, and inappropriate and highly restrictive regulation of the media.

IAPA is urging the international community to sign the letter to the Honduran President, which will be published in 400 newspapers in the western hemisphere. The letter says: "We take the liberty of calling your attention to these cases, urging you to please instruct your country's relevant authorities not to cease their respective investigations and not to allow these murders to go unpunished."

At a meeting on 27 April in Miami, IAPA presented a letter to the President, urging him to set up legal and judicial reforms to protect freedom of expression and freedom of the press, among numerous recommendations.

To sign IAPA's letter, click here:
Dear Mr. President

Three Nigerian journalists slain

2010-05-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

Three journalists slain

Three Nigerian journalists were killed in separate incidents on 24 April, report the Media Rights Agenda (MRA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other IFEX members. One journalist was shot dead in his home, and two others were hacked to death by rioters while trying to cover local unrest.

In the city of Jos, Muslim rioters - enraged over finding an allegedly Muslim corpse close to a church - attacked and killed editor Nathan S. Dabak and reporter Sunday Gyang Bwede. Both journalists worked for a Christian newspaper, "The Light Bearer". They were on their way to interview a local politician when they were stabbed by rioters.

Jos is located in the central Plateau State. The area has experienced a history of clashes between its Christian and Muslim communities, with journalists suffering deadly consequences.

In a Lagos suburb, two gunmen broke into the home of Edo Sule Ugbagwu, a court reporter for "The Nation" newspaper. The intruders demanded money. When Ugbagwu shouted at them to leave, they shot him in the head and left without taking anything. It is unclear if the murder was connected to his work but the circumstances were suspicious, according to details provided by his family to MRA.

Bangladesh: ARTICLE 19 Fellow Receives Canadian Award for Excellence in Journalism

2010-03-25T23:20:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh: ARTICLE 19 Fellow Receives Canadian Award
for Excellence in Journalism

Bangladeshi journalist and ARTICLE 19 Fellow Rafiqul Islam Montu has received the Canadian Award for Excellence in Journalism for his investigative article on coastal areas affected by climate change. The story was researched and produced as part of ARTICLE 19's Fellowship Programme for Bangladeshi journalists, implemented in partnership with Mass Line Media Centre.

Montu received the award on 23 February from Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni at a ceremony held at the National Press Club. Montu is one of six journalists that received the award in recognition of the high quality of his work, and for its potential to increase public awareness and public discourse on the impact of climate change in Bangladesh. The awardees were selected by an eminent panel of jurors which included climate change campaigners, journalists and environmentalists.

Montu’s research highlighted the impact of climate change at the community level, and included the increase in river erosion, changes in livelihood patterns, decreases in rice production and destruction of flora and fauna. His report was published in May 2009 in the daily Samakal.

Montu conducted his research into climate change in 2008 under an ARTICLE 19 fellowship programme, which was jointly implemented with the Mass Line Media Centre. The programme provides technical and financial support to selected journalists for them to work on issues relating to access to information. He now works as a senior correspondent for the national daily paper Kaler Kantha.

Commenting on the benefits of his fellowship, Montu says: “I was able to survey some of the most vulnerable parts of the country, including the districts of Noakhali, Patuakhali and Laxmipur. The ARTICLE 19 fellowship provided me with the opportunity to raise the voices of vulnerable communities and help face up to real life situations.”

the Rights of Women with the Right to Free Expression

2010-03-25T23:17:00.001-07:00

International Women’s Day: ARTICLE 19 Affirms the Rights of Women with the Right to Free Expression

ARTICLE 19 joins the global community on International Women’s Day to celebrate the leadership and contribution of thousands of women around the world who strive for women’s equality and empowerment through their daily work.

ARTICLE 19 reaffirms the importance of gender equality as a key component of the right to freedom of expression. As ARTICLE 19 Executive Director, Dr Agnes Callamard, states: “Women’s voices are all too often silent in the media and other public spaces. Women must be heard and must be able to receive information on issues that affect them. Women journalists, activists, community leaders and others must be allowed and encouraged to articulate their views and tell their stores. They must be able to engage freely in their work, without fear of censorship, harassment or violence.”

ARTICLE 19 here reflects the experiences of just a few women who have stood up for freedom of expression in some of the countries in which we work.

Africa

Sudan

Lubna Hussein, a former journalist and United Nations employee, became a symbol of resistance to the oppression of women in her home country of Sudan in 2009, when she defied a ban on wearing trousers in public. She was one of several women arrested in a Khartoum restaurant last July and charged with violating “decency laws”. All the women were convicted and they all paid “admission of guilt” fines and received 10 lashes, except for Hussein who risked a worse flogging to challenge the charges.

The Sudanese Penal Code 1991 states that “whoever does in a public place an indecent act or wears an obscene outfit shall be punished with flogging which may not exceed forty lashes or with fine or with both.”

Hussein launched an email campaign inviting people to witness her flogging. The Sudanese Government offered to drop the charges if she would agree to stop wearing trousers. She refused and was imprisoned overnight, while a pro-government press agency paid her fine, possibly in order to avoid further embarrassment for the Government. Since then, Hussein has been writing actively and risked further punishment when she left the country to campaign for Muslim women’s rights in France earlier this year.
ARTICLE 19 has been working in Sudan for several years, lobbying for more effective press laws and for better human rights protection.

Tunisia

While Tunisia has made remarkable strides in its economic development in recent years, this has not been matched by a similar commitment to democracy and the promotion of human rights. The country has been considered a pioneer for having ratified international conventions protecting women’s rights and these were enshrined in the 1959 Constitution. However, these have not been adequately upheld during the government of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who has been in power since 1987.

Sihem Bensadrine is a journalist and human rights activist who has been subjected to regular physical abuse, including beatings and torture, as well as slander by pro-government newspapers and websites which have called her a “prostitute” and “sexual pervert”. Together with Naziha Réjiba, she runs an independent online journal Kalima, which is censored in Tunisia, along with a radio station, Radio Kalima. Both women are under constant surveillance by police and their phones are monitored. This pattern of harassment has become significantly worse since the 2009 election of President Ben Ali for another term. The pro-government media has begun calling opposition journalists “agents of Israel” and calling for them to be lynched.

ARTICLE 19 is a member of the Tunisia Monitoring Group, which monitors human rights abuses and supports independent journalists, writers and activists in their fight against censorship and violations of freedom of expression.

Asia

Nepal

Uma Singh was the first female journalist to be killed in Nepal: she was stabbed by as many as 15 men in her apartment in Janakpur on 11 January 2009. A radio journalist, Singh had broadcast and written material on themes relating to women’s rights, the caste system and the country’s political situation. While a number of individuals have been sporadically detained, her killers have never been identified or brought to justice.

In a 2008 interview with Republica, a Nepalese news and publishing house, Singh said:

“My name is Uma Singh. My home is in . I am currently working at Radio Today as a reporter and news reader. Working in the Tarai is fraught with problems. Organisations and groups constantly apply pressure on us. They say “broadcast this news, don’t broadcast that news.” They threaten us if we do not broadcast what they ask. Women journalists also face additional social pressure. Society’s views of women journalists matters a lot. Society does not accept us as equal to men. They say that journalistic work is not appropriate for women. On top of that, violent political groups are growing and have been a major challenge for us. We have been compelled to dance to their tunes. Yesterday there was a mainstream political event in Janakpur, but violent groups forced us instead to cover what they were doing and saying instead. This makes us helpless. What do we do? If we do not broadcast what they ask, they threaten to kill us and life becomes very very hard for us. We also have to balance our news rather than bow to their orders. We find ourselves in a really difficult situation. Working as a journalist is a really tough job.”

Nepal has seen an increase in violent attacks against media workers since the start of the Constitution-making process in 2006. ARTICLE 19 has participated in several international missions to Nepal in recent years and has been working to promote freedom of expression in the Nepalese Constitution.

Indonesia

Siti Musdah Mulia is a champion of Islamic and women’s rights, as chairperson of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace and professor of Islamic Studies at Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University in Jakarta.

In 2004, Mulia embarked on a project to revise Indonesia’s Islamic Code, which included a ban on polygamy and forced marriages, raising the legal of marriage for girls from 16 to 19 years, and demanding equal rights for husbands and wives. These proposed reforms caused such violent protests from conservative clerics that the Minister for Religious Affairs withdrew them from the parliamentary process.

Mulia has spoken widely on freedom of expression, especially with regard to the rights of women to access information and voice opinions. She is currently challenging the 1965 defamation of religion law, which is under review at the Constitutional Court. ARTICLE 19 is providing an amicus curiae in this case.

Indonesia has enjoyed positive development in democracy and civil liberties following the fall of President Suharto in 1998. However, in recent years, religious conservatism and national security concerns have threatened media pluralism, freedom of expression and human rights. The Indonesia Journalists Association (AJI) has identified press freedom as one of their three main concerns. Despite a relatively free press compared to other countries in the region, journalists, especially those covering environmental issues, still risk being stopped or even arrested. Journalists also face threats of protests and attacks by mobs and hard-line Islamic groups.
New legislation such as the controversial Anti-Pornography Bill and Electronic Information and Transaction Law (with up to six years’imprisonment for defamation on the internet), the enforcement of the 1965 Defamation of Religion Act, and the planned introduction of an internet censorship law, are all worrying signs that freedom of expression is under threat in Indonesia.

Europe

Chechnya

Natalia Estemirova, an award-winning human rights campaigner, was murdered by unknown assassins in July 2009. Estemirova worked for the Russian human rights group Memorial in Grozny, Chechnya, where she documented dozens of human rights violations.

Trained as a history teacher, Estemirova had begun reporting on human rights abuses and casualties during the Chechen War in 1999. She was also instrumental in helping foreign journalists access information and interviews in the region, and was a key figure in helping tell the story of the Chechen conflict around the world.

She was abducted in the morning of 15 July last year and taken away in a car. Her body was found later the same day, with bullet wounds, in neighbouring Ingushetia. Her killers have not been identified and nobody has been charged with her murder, despite an expression of outrage from Russian President Dmitri Medvedev at the time.

In 2005, Estemirova was awarded the Robert Schuman medal by Members of the European Parliament, who voted her an “emblematic moral figure”. In 2007, she travelled to London to receive the inaugural Anna Politkovskaya award from the Reach all Women in War campaign. During an interview with the BBC at this time, she was asked whether she felt her life was in danger. She responded: "Sometimes I just can't even come to feeling that because I have such strong other feelings. I try to be very exact about how I go about things and of course I do have worries about my family and people close to me but I still have to do my work. Of course there are moments when I feel scared."

ARTICLE 19 works in the North Caucasus to promote freedom of expression and supports journalists and human rights defenders in their work reporting abuses.

Latin America

Brazil

Thais Corral is an expert in social communications, recognised for her leadership on sustainability, environment and gender issues. She is the chairperson of ABDL (Brazilian Association for the Development of Leadership) and co-founder of CEMINA (Communication, Education and Information on Gender).

Throughout her professional life, Corral has been involved starting up organisations, which include WEDO (Women, Environment and Development Organisation), founded with American Member of Congress, Bella Abzug, and Nobel Laureate, Wangari Mathaai. WEDO plays a major role in the United Nations global system and lobbies for economic and social justice. Corral is also a founder member of REDEH (Rede de Desenvolvimento Humano), an organisation that works for the development of public policies on health, sexual and reproductive rights, education and environment. Amongst her accomplishments are the design and implementation of a project to empower women in water management carried out in Northeastern Brazil, selected in 2003 by the World Water Forum as a world best practice.

More recently, Corral conceived and implemented a women’s radio network which links 400 women’s radio programmes and their communities throughout Brazil. The network aims to encourage the use of community radio by women, as a means of airing their views especially in relation to women’s rights. The network empowers women community leaders to develop their own radio programmes.

This network subsequently gave birth to the Cyberelas project, which is a model for capacity-building that links radio and internet communications, facilitating access to communications tools and information exchange through telecentres located in under-resourced and poor areas. These train women in the use of technologies, software and radio, in order to advance awareness of sexual and reproductive rights. When the centres are not being used for radio production, they are open to local communities for free internet use.

Mexico

Maria Esther Aguilar Casimbe, a crime reporter in Zamora for the local daily Cambio, in the central Mexican state of Michoacán, went missing on November 2009. She was last seen when she left home after receiving a phone call. She had been covering stories relating to local corruption and had recently exposed abuses by local authorities.

Michoacán is considered one of the most dangerous states for journalists in Mexico, owing to its high levels of violence, relating to drug trafficking and organised crime. Aguilar is the third journalist to have disappeared in this province and the first woman out of nine other journalists across the country who have disappeared without trace since 2000.

ARTICLE 19 runs a multi-faceted programme to address issues of safety for journalists in Mexico. This includes lobbying the Government to provide better protections for journalists and media workers, and to ensure that perpetrators of crimes against journalists are brought to justice. ARTICLE 19 also monitors and tracks attacks against journalists, and provides safety training for people working in this field.

Middle East

Iran

Shiva Nazar Ahari is an Iranian blogger, journalist, human rights defender and activist who has been in solitary confinement in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. Over the past six years, she has been arrested on several occasions under a variety of charges related to her intrepid interviews with international media and her critical blogging. She is a founding member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.

In June 2009, the security forces searched her house and confiscated personal possessions. The next day she was arrested and kept in solitary confinement for 33 days. During this period, she was allowed only one phone call to her family. On 1 September, her family was informed that bail for her release had been set at USD 500,000, which was reduced to USD 200,000 on 16 September. Her family raised the money and Ahari was released on 23 September.

On 20 December 2009, Ahari was again arrested, along with a colleague, while on a bus from Tehran to Qom to attend the funeral of Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, an influential cleric who had been critical of the Government. A prosecutor later informed her family that the Committee of Human Rights Reporters was affiliated with an armed opposition group, although she has not been charged or given access to a lawyer since her arrest. On 11 February, Ahari told her family by phone that she had been transferred to a cage-like solitary confinement cell where she cannot move her arms or legs. She added that she remains under pressure to accept accusations made against her, although the nature of these accusations is not clear.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the most repressive countries in the world, with tight restrictions on all forms of mass communication, including the print and broadcast media, the publishing sector, the internet, and mobile and fixed line telephone networks. This stifling trend has worsened since the mass citizen protests that escalated following presidential elections in June 2009. Although the Government downplays the means it employs to curtail dissent, with official figures of 2,500 people arrested and up to 30 killed during this period, independent organisations believe the numbers are far greater. Journalists, activists and bloggers face unfair trials, torture and lengthy prison sentences for criminal offences such as mutiny and disruption of public order.

Russia: Journalist dies after being savagely assaulted by police

2010-03-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

Journalist dies after being savagely assaulted by police

A Russian journalist was recently beaten to death in police custody, reports the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Journalist Konstantin Popov was arrested on 4 January, in Tomsk, Siberia, and brutally assaulted. He was in a coma for two weeks and died in hospital on 20 January. He worked for the weekly newspaper "Tomskaya Nedelya".

"We call for an urgent investigation into this savage attack and for those responsible to face the full force of the law," said IFJ. "There have been failed prosecutions of journalists' murders in Russia because of ineffective investigations."

Russia was among the top five countries with the highest numbers of targeted killings of journalists in 2009, with six murders, reports IFJ.

China: Authorities ruthlessly censor independent reporting

2010-03-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

Authorities ruthlessly censor independent reporting

Chinese security forces at a protest: just one of several incidents Chinese journalists are regularly banned from reporting.

via Reuters

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has released a new report that highlights the arbitrary manner in which Chinese authorities forbid reporting on numerous issues, manipulating the flow of information. The Chinese media are routinely pummelled with restrictions, leaving very little room for independent news gathering.

The report, "China Clings to Control: Press Freedom in 2009," provides a detailed account of media bans issued by central and provincial authorities, revealing how widespread and thorough censorship is in China. Several official bodies supervise the media, including the powerful Central Propaganda Department.

Reporting on corruption, political reform in Hong Kong and the details of the Xinjiang riots in which almost 200 were killed has been banned. In addition, authorities did not permit reporting on stories like the closure of a research centre run by human rights lawyers who provided assistance to minority groups. For coverage of the one-year anniversary of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, journalists were told they could only use state information and were not permitted to talk to survivors of the tragedy.

A local journalist told IFJ: "It has been a really difficult year for press freedom in China. Propaganda departments have issued bans on the media, one after another. Cases of journalists being beaten have been reported again and again. The environment for journalism is awful - this is particularly evident when looking at what information is published on the Internet."

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities closely watched massive demonstrations brought to life by social networking in Iran after the disputed June 2009 elections, says the report. Chinese journalists were told to cover the Iran protests "in a low-key way without commentary," and to limit the number of articles on the issue. In the face of the growing power of the Internet as a tool for mobilising dissent, the Chinese government introduced tighter controls for online content and greater surveillance of journalists. Websites and social networks have been shut down, and journalists and bloggers arrested. The state almost completely controls online news.

Foreign journalists faced many challenges as well, including destruction of work equipment and being barred from public spaces. The report outlines cases of foreign journalists being detained and Chinese assistants being punished for working with foreign media crews."Sources, potential interview subjects and Chinese assistants and drivers were especially targeted in actions to obstruct foreign media reporting on events in China," says the report. Hong Kong journalists reporting in Mainland China were also targeted for assault and arrest.

But the report also says that journalists do persevere in their reporting and ignore orders to not talk to a particular group of people or to not visit a specific village. And resilient netizens are finding ways to circumvent fire walls.

IFJ makes several recommendations, including: a call for the immediate release of imprisoned journalists, an end to the arbitrary detention, harassment and intimidation of local journalists and their assistants and sources, as well as freedom of movement for journalists to report in all areas of China.

China Clings to Control: Press Freedom in 2009

Vedanta Mining Violates Rights of Indigenous People in Orissa,

2010-03-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

SVAW - UN Agency (en)

Vedanta Mining Violates Rights of Indigenous People in Orissa, India.

Plans by Vedanta Resources to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills of Orissa threaten the very existence of the Donghria Kondh – an indigenous community that has lived on and around the hills for centuries.

The proposed mine could have grave repercussions for their human rights to water, food, health, work and other rights as an indigenous community in respect of their traditional lands.

Vedanta’s Record

At the foot of the Niyamgiri Hills, in Lanjigarh, Vedanta Resources has already started running an alumina refinery leading to significant air and water pollution. This pollution is threatening the health and well-being of the indigenous community. Although the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has reported serious concerns about toxic air and water contamination, this information has never been shared with local people. Despite the existing problems and widespread community concerns, there is now an attempt to expand the refinery’s capacity six-fold.

Take Action to Protect Indigenous People in Orissa, India.

Vedanta Resources and its subsidiaries – responsible for the refinery and the proposed mine – have failed to abide by internationally accepted standards in relation to the impact of business on human rights. The Governments of Orissa and India have also failed to protect the human rights of this community.

You can do something to protect this indigenous community by signing the petition to the Government of India.

If you are in India please pick up your mobile phone and SMS ‘AMNESTY STOPVEDANTA’ to 56677. Your petition will be sent to the Indian government.

Thanks for your continued support and commitment to human rights.

Alaphia, Buddha, Jeremy and Jennifer
Online Communities Team

Amnesty International

International Secretariat 1 Easton Street
London, xLON WC1X 0DW
United Kingdom

वेदान्ता खनन उड़ीसा के लोगो के अधिकारों का हनन कर रहा है

नमस्कार,

वेदान्ता रिसोरसिस के नियमगिरि हिल्स उड़ीसा में बॉक्साइट खान बनाने की योजना एक समुदाय- ड़ोंघ्रिया कोंध, जो की वहाँ सदियों से रह रही है, के अस्तित्व के लिए बहुत बड़ा खतरा है।

प्रस्तावित खान इन के पानी, खान पान, स्वास्थ्य,रोज़गार से जुड़े मानवाधिकारों के अलावा एक समुदाय होने के नाते इनके पारम्परिक भूमि से सम्बंधित अधिकारों पर भी गंभीर असर डाल सकती हैं।

वेदान्ता का अभिलेख

लंजिगढ़ में नियमगिरि पहाड़ो के चरण पर वेदान्ता ने पहले से अल्युमिना रिफाइनरी शुरू कर दी है जिसके फलस्वरूप व्यापक वायु और जल प्रदूषण हो रहा है।यह प्रदूषण इस समुदाय के स्वास्थ्य और भलाई के लिए बहुत बड़ा खतरा बन रहा है।हालाँकि उड़ीसा राज्य प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड ने विषाक्त जल और वायु के बारे में गंभीर चिंता व्यक्त की है पर इस जानकारी को स्थानीय लोगो के साथ बाँटा नहीं गय ा है।मौजूदा समस्याओं और व्यापक समुदाय चिंता के बावजूद अब रिफाइनरी की क्षमता को छह गुना बढाने का प्रयास किया जा रहा है।

लोगो को बचाने के लिए कार्यवाही कीजिये

रिफाइनरी और प्रस्तावित खान के लिए ज़िम्मेदार वेदान्ता रिसोर्सिस और उसके सहायक, अंतर्राष्ट्रीय स्वीकृत मानको, जो की व्यापार का मानवाधिकारों पर प्रभाव से जुड़े हुए है, का पालन करने में विफल रहे है।उड़ीसा और भारत सरकार भी इस समुदाय के मानवाधिकारों को बचाने में नाकामयाब रहे है।

आप भारत सरकार को संबोधित अर्जी (पेटीशन) को साईंन करके इस समुदाय के अधिकारों को बचाने के लिए कुछ कर सकते है।

अगर आप भारत में है तो अपना मोबाईल फोन उठाइए और ' ‘56677’ पर SMS कीजिये 'AMNESTY STOPVEDANTA'.

आपके अविच्छिन्नित समर्थन और मानवाधिकारों के प्रति वचनबद्धता के लिए धन्यवाद।

अलाफिया, बुद्धा, जेनिफर
जेनिफर बिलेक सुलिवन

International: Special Rapporteurs Define Ten Key Challenges to Freedom of Expression in the Next Decade

2010-03-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

Special Rapporteurs Define Ten Key Challenges to Freedom of Expression in the Next Decade

Ugandan journalists were recently hit with criminal libel charges as a result of an opinion piece critical of President Museveni: one of several major press violation trends journalists face worldwide, say free expression rapporteurs.

via CPJ

To mark their tenth year of collaboration, the four rapporteurs on free expression issued a joint declaration last week outlining the ten main challenges to free expression in the next decade. The initiative was organised by ARTICLE 19 and the Centre for Law and Democracy.

The statement emphasises the critical role of freedom of expression, including diversity and pluralism, as an "essential tool" to defend other rights and "as a core element of democracy." It also acknowledges the tremendous power of the Internet as a mechanism for "realising the right to freedom of expression and information."

One key point made by the rapporteurs is that women, minorities, refugees, indigenous peoples and sexual minorities continue to struggle to have their voices heard and to access information that would empower them. The underrepresentation of disadvantaged groups within the media environment and insufficient coverage by the media of issues relevant to minority groups are obstacles to freedom of expression.

Another far-reaching issue is state interference in the media. This influence includes political manipulation of public media so that it becomes a state mouthpiece, registration requirements for print media or Internet access, and government control over licensing or regulation of broadcasters.

Criminal defamation continues to be a major impediment to free speech, say the rapporteurs. Most countries have laws that make it a crime to defame, insult, slander or libel someone or something, and only about 10 countries have fully decriminalised defamation. The rapporteurs are concerned by the "failure of many laws to require the plaintiff to prove key elements of the offence, such as falsity and malice" and laws that penalise true statements, accurate reporting or statements of opinion. Journalists face severe prison sentences, loss of civil rights and excessive fines as a result of repressive laws.

The rapporteurs bring attention to the commercial pressures that shape the media's ability to disseminate information. Increasing concentration of media ownership can have a great effect on content diversity. Also, the "fracturing of the advertising market" can lead to "cost-cutting measures such as less local content" and "a decrease in investigative journalism."

Violence against journalists is an ongoing threat, with "more politically motivated killings of journalists in 2009 than in any other year in the past decade." Other issues covered by the rapporteurs include: limits on the right to information, public funding support for public broadcasters, the idea of national security distorted and used to impose restrictions on free expression, blocking of websites and web domains. The rapporteurs also point to the fact that the majority of the world's population does not have access to the Internet, with the poor and those in remote, rural communities unable to access information relevant to their lives.

The four special mandates on freedom of expression are Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression; Miklos Haraszti, the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe; Catalina Botero, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression for the Organisation of American States; and Pansy Tlakula, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information for the African Commission on Human and People's Rights.

JOIN AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

2010-03-25T22:17:00.001-07:00


	Amnesty International's publication for human rights information and action, packed with features, actions, campaigning tools and much more - is now available Here

International Womens’ Day

More than two thirds of people who live in poverty are women. Read how women are trying to break the cycle of discrimination, violence and poverty that traps so many of them, and find out what you can do by clicking here.

For action postcards and Worldwide Appeals click here

LIVEWIRE

Visit the new Livewire blogspace and add your comments

JOIN AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Are you outraged by human rights abuses around the world but hopeful for a more just future? Then join Amnesty International and help make a difference across the globe.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

International Secretariat
1 Easton Street
London, xLON WC1X 0DW
United Kingdom

Pakistan: Reporter killed

2010-03-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

A Pakistani journalist who reported on feuds between local groups was gunned down in Sindh province on 17 February, report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Ashiq Ali Mangi, a reporter for the privately owned television channel Mehran TV, was shot dead on his motorcycle on his way to the Khairpur Press Club, in Gambat, north of Karachi.

The next day, local journalists walked out of the National Assembly and Senate proceedings in the capital, Islamabad, to protest the murder. According to the IFJ, immediately after, the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting acknowledged the government's failure to arrest the suspected killers of two other journalists killed in 2009. And he guaranteed that Sindh authorities would carry out a complete investigation of Mangi's murder.

Sources told RSF that Mangi's murder could have been ordered by a former police officer whose alleged connections with criminal groups had been revealed by the journalist.

"Police in Sindh must act quickly to investigate this killing and ascertain whether Ashiq Ali Mangi was killed for his work," said CPJ. "Pakistan badly needs to reassure its journalists that it will address the climate of impunity for those who kill their colleagues."

In another part of the country, authorities in the Swat region ordered a curfew early on 18 February to prevent media personnel from meeting at the Swat Press Club in order to mark the one-year anniversary of murdered journalist Musa Khan Khel. IFJ reports that Khel was abducted and his bullet-riddled body was eventually found. The curfew was lifted in the afternoon.

Nepal: Media publisher slain; editors threatened

2010-03-25T22:11:00.001-07:00

Media publisher slain; editors threatened

Nepali journalists are regularly threatened and intimidated.

via CPJ

A Nepali publisher and chairman of a media organisation was shot and killed on 1 March, report the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Journalists and editors continue to face intimidation and threats despite the state's commitments to press freedom and journalist's safety, says the International Press Institute (IPI).

Arun Singhaniya, publisher of "Janakpur Today" and chairman of the Today Group, was murdered by a man riding on the back of a motorcycle, in Shiva Chowk Janakpur, Dhanusha District.

Singhaniya's murder, which comes less than a month after media entrepreneur Jamim Shah was killed in Kathmandu, points to the government's failure to provide security for journalists and media workers. FNJ organised a protest rally on 3 March.

Last month, the chairman and editors of two Nepali newspapers received threats because of their coverage of the murder of media owner Jamin Shah on 7 February, according to IPI.

On 12 February, the chairman and managing director of Kantipur Publications, Kailash Sirohiya, received an email message telling him to stop reporting on Shah's murder or face reprisals. On 11 and 12 February, "Kathmandu Post" editor Akhilesh Upadhyay and "Kantipur" editor Sudheer Sharma received threats over the telephone. Upadhyay's caller said: "Shut up or we will make you shut up."

Angola: War on separatists used as cover to imprison rights defenders and harass journalists

2010-03-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

War on separatists used as cover to imprison rights defenders and harass journalists

Angolan human rights defenders are being imprisoned and journalists harassed under the guise of national security.

via CPJ

The Angolan government is targeting human rights defenders with intimidation, harassment and detention, says Human Rights Watch. The lethal attack on Togolese football players by Angolan separatist rebels in January was also used as an excuse to round up critics of the government. At least eight activists have been arrested since the attack and journalists have been threatened.

Gunmen opened fire on Togo's national football team, which came to the country to compete in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, in Angola's oil-rich enclave of Cabinda on 8 January. Two people were killed, including a Togolese journalist, and nine others were injured. Angolan authorities are now citing "state security crimes" as the reason for the arrests of human rights defenders.

Police arrested the first rights activist early morning on 8 January, before the Togolese footballers were attacked later in the day. Three individuals arrested in mid-January, Belchior Lanso Tati, Francisco Luemba and Raul Tati, are all prominent Cabindan intellectuals and human rights defenders who are outspoken critics of the government.

The three rights defenders were once part of a civic association that issued several human rights reports on Cabinda and facilitated peace negotiations between the separatist guerrillas and the government.

Meanwhile, a journalist received a warning from Angolan security officials on 20 January, saying his life was at risk because the authorities saw him as a "dangerous person" who has "damaged Angola's image" by reporting on politically sensitive issues. And another journalist, former Voice of America correspondent in Cabinda, Fernando Lelo, said individuals purporting to be Angolan intelligence officials warned him he may soon be charged for alleged arms sales to rebels. Lelo had already spent almost two years in prison for "security crimes," and was originally sentenced to 12 years before his conviction was quashed in 2009 by a military court.

In December 2009, Angolan authorities began to arbitrarily arrest and intimidate independent journalists in the lead up to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. Journalists who work for state-run media frequently practise self-censorship.

International: Olympic Games should not override right to free expression

2010-03-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

Olympic Games should not override right to free expression

Repression of free speech is a backdrop to every Olympic Games.

via CPJ

Violations of free expression were recorded surrounding the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada, report Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). So as the world looks to the next Winter Olympics in 2014, in Sochi, Russia, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are examining the local media's lack of financial independence and powerlessness in the face of the Kremlin.

Canadian authorities interrogated and denied entry to two U.S. journalists. John Weston Osburn, a Salt Lake City freelance journalist associated with the news organisation IndyMedia was interrogated by Canadian border authorities near Vancouver on 10 February and turned away because of a past conviction for a misdemeanour. After being refused entry a second time, Osburn was detained and questioned by U.S. authorities.

On 6 February, journalist Martin Macias Jr., a contributor to Vocalo, an online news outlet and affiliate of Chicago Public Radio, was detained, interrogated and then put on a plane to Seattle by Canadian authorities. Macias intended to attend a press conference by the Olympic Resistance Network, a group critical of the games. "They wanted to know what I was going to do in Vancouver, who I was meeting with, who organised the conference, and what they looked like. They took all my contact information and business cards of journalists," said Macias. According to CJFE, Macias was told to leave Canada voluntarily or face detention until trial a week later.

"The Olympics should be a showcase for our belief in free speech, not an example of its repression," said CJFE Board member and journalist Kelly Toughill. CJFE launched an "Olympic Watch" in January in response to several incidents where free expression came under threat in relation to the Olympics.

Four years from now, Russia will be hosting the Winter Games in Sochi on the Black Sea. Political influence on the media is intense in the Krasnodar region, where the town of Sochi is located. Local media were already pressured during the bid for the Games to ignore environmental concerns and protests by residents facing eviction, reports RSF. And during previous elections, most media outlets ignored the opposition. Dissident journalists are often hit with libel fines for reporting on controversial stories.

Last summer, RSF carried out a detailed field investigation into the media environment in seven Russian regions, including Krasnodar. The province's media are controlled by its pro-Kremlin governor with a system set up to "regulate and subordinate" journalists and editors. In order to have advertising revenue and tax concessions, privately owned newspapers must publish content provided by authorities and permit editorial interference. The local edition of the independent "Novaya Gazeta" ("Kubani") fights a daily financial battle to survive.

Human Rights Watch is also concerned about possible rights violations at the Sochi Winter Games, with so many human rights defenders and journalists killed in 2009 in Russia. "These targeted attacks on outspoken critics of the Russian government all point to a disturbing climate of violence and impunity in the Caucasus region, where the Sochi Games will take place.... It is hard to imagine the Sochi 2014 Olympics taking place as a festive sporting event in a climate of the most brutal violence and fear for civil society actors, and journalists."

UK: Supreme Court Reaffirms Open Justice Principle and Orders Identification of Terror Suspects

2010-02-21T16:44:00.001-08:00

UK: Supreme Court Reaffirms Open Justice Principle and Orders Identification of Terror Suspects

ARTICLE 19 welcomes today’s unanimous decision of the Supreme Court ordering the identification of five persons who had their assets frozen by the Treasury for suspicion of supporting terrorist activities. The judgment emphasises the principles of open justice and the public interest, and provides important guidance for the courts when attempting to balance the right to privacy with the right to freedom of expression.

All the individual appellants had been designated under the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 or the Al-Qaida and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order 2006, or both. Under these orders, which give effect to UN resolutions, the Treasury may freeze the funds and assets of individuals who are suspected of facilitating terrorism.

The appellants had argued that the anonymity orders were necessary because identifying them as claimants in the substantive proceedings would infringe their right to respect for their private and family life, as protected by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). ARTICLE 19 had joined the Guardian News and Media Limited and other groups in arguing that the names should be made public as a matter of public interest.

Lord Rodger delivered the judgment on behalf of the seven-judge Court, rather than the usual five. The Court said that the competing claims of privacy and freedom of the press needed to be balanced; and that the decision on which interest should prevail depended on the facts of each particular case, and “whether there is a sufficient general, public interest in publishing a report of the proceedings…to justify any resulting curtailing of… right to respect for their private and family life”.

The Court reviewed the history of the anonymity of individuals in court proceedings in the UK and European courts, noting that the lower courts seemed “to grant the anonymity orders without any prolonged consideration and without explaining their thinking”.

The individual appellants argued that their anonymity was necessary because they faced social and physical harm if they were indentified publically, especially since the Treasury orders could not be effectively challenged in court.

However, the Court found that the right of free expression was more compelling. It emphasised the importance of editorial independence and the need to inform the public, noting that without names stories are likely to be “devoid of…human interest” and less likely to be read and stimulate discussion.

The Court pointed to the negative consequences of the anonymity orders upon communities: “Concealing identities simply casts a shadow over entire communities” and even helps “to foster an impression that the mere making of the orders justifies sinister conclusions about these individuals”. Finally, the Court held that the “public has a legitimate interest in not being kept in the dark about who is challenging” the orders, noting that the limits would also affect press coverage that may be supportive of the individuals.

In conclusion, the Court held that there was a “powerful general, public interest in identifying” the individuals which justified overriding their privacy rights.

Although the Supreme Court reserved its judgment on the matter of anonymity orders in control order cases, its concluding assertion raised questions about their validity, stating that, “many of the same issues would obviously arise if an application were made to recall anonymity orders made in any outstanding control order proceedings”.

“ARTICLE 19 believes that the Court’s judgement sets an importance precedent for open justice and reaffirms the public’s right to know in matters of grave public importance,” says Sejal Parmar, Senior Legal Officer for ARTICLE 19.

NOTES :

• The judgment in HM Treasury (Respondent) v Mohammed Jabbar Ahmed and others (FC) (Appellants) and others, HM Treasury (Respondent) v Mohammed Jabbar Ahmed and others and another (FC) (Appellant) and R (on the application of Hani El Sayed Sabaei Youssef) (Respondent) v HM Treasury (Appellant) is available here: http://www.supremecourt.gov.uk/docs/uksc_2009_0015_judgmentV2.pdf
• For more information please contact: Sejal Parmar, Senior Legal Officer sejal@article19.org +44 20 7324 2500

Mexico: Three Journalists Murdered in First Weeks of 2010

2010-02-21T16:33:00.001-08:00

Mexico: Three Journalists Murdered in First Weeks of 2010

ARTICLE 19 calls on the Mexican authorities to fully and immediately investigate the killings of another three journalists in recent weeks. A total of 904 killings took place across the country in January 2010, making this the bloodiest month in a decade.

Just last weekend, several incidents involving gunfights took place. A shooting that killed 16 people, most of them teenagers with no apparent ties to drug gangs, in the northern city of Ciudad Juárez, proves a context of widespread violence amid President Felipe Calderon’s “war against organised crime”.

In these circumstances, journalists face ever increasing risks to their safety when exercising their profession. On the evening of 29 January, in the southeastern state of Guerrero, the journalist Jorge Ochoa Martinez was killed by an unidentified person when leaving a restaurant.

Ochoa Martinez was murdered at the seat of the municipal government of Ayutla de los Libres, 100 kms away from Acapulco. The journalist was director and editor of the local daily El Sol de la Costa and the weekly El Oportuno newspapers. It has not been established yet whether the killing was connected to his work as a journalist.

Valentín Valdés Espinosa, a reporter for the local newspaper Zócalo de Satillo, was found dead on 8 January in the city of Saltillo, Coahuila State. The body of radio journalist José Luis Romero, who worked for Línea Directa, was found on 20 January, although he may have been killed soon after his abduction in December 2009. Both men had been tortured before being executed.

ARTICLE 19 actively documents and analyses cases of aggressions against media workers in Mexico and there is clear evidence that these attacks cannot be viewed in isolation from the ongoing violence against civilians in this country. It is also clear that the Mexican Government is failing to properly investigate attacks and that a state of impunity for crimes of assault, kidnapping and murder prevails. ARTICLE 19 is extremely concerned that the criminal justice system is failing – a concern that is echoed by the National Human Rights Commission, along with Cencos, a national partner organisation of ARTICLE 19.

“Despite the large number of attacks against the journalists and editors in Guerrero, and countrywide, there is a massive degree of impunity,” states ARTICLE 19 Mexico Director, Dario Ramirez. “The Mexican authorities must take the necessary steps to adequately investigate these cases and bring to justice the perpetrators of such terrible crimes.”

ARTICLE 19 also expresses our condolences to the families of these three journalists, who have died so needlessly, and offers our solidarity to the whole journalistic community,” continues Ramirez.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the Mexican Government to guarantee the right to freedom of expression and to ensure all the necessary security measures media workers trying to exercise this right, in accordance with its international human rights obligations.

NOTES :

• For more information, please contact Ricardo González, ARTICLE 19 Programme Officer: Freedom of Expression, ricardo@article19.org, +52 55 10 54 6500 ext. 103.

Artist Alert January 2010

2010-02-21T16:32:00.001-08:00

Artist Alert
January 2010

Uzbekistan: Photographer Charged with Defamation

Uzbek photographer Umida Ahmedova was charged with defamation in Uzbekistan on 16 December 2009, related to the 2007 publication of a book of photographs and a documentary film commissioned by the Swiss Embassy in Tashkent. The book, Customs of Men and Women, contains more than 100 images of local people and customs. The Tashkent Prosecutor’s Office has charged Ahmedova on the basis that this work constitutes “an insult and slander of the Uzbek people” and portrays local people as backward.

The Uzbek Government stipulates that any publications or media materials produced by NGOs or international organisations must be approved by state officials, including the Cabinet of Ministers. Specific topics such as poverty, gender equality, feminism, domestic violence and human rights may now be construed as “hostile” to national culture and tradition.

Criminal defamation in Uzbekistan carries a sentence of six months in prison or three years of hard labour, and Ahmedova is unable to leave the country before her trial.

Burma: Documentary Videographers Jailed

Another two videographers working for Democratic Voice of Burma, a Norway-based television channel, have been sentenced to long prison terms in Burma. The videographers became famous internationally for the film Burma VJ which documented the 2007 Saffron Revolution when Buddhist monks led widespread protests against the military regime. The film has been shortlisted for the 2010 Academy Awards and has already won an award at the Sundance Film Festival.

According to the Burma Media Association, videographer Ngwe Soe Lin was handed a 13-year prison sentence by a secret court held inside Rangoon’s Insein prison on 27 January 2010. He was convicted under the Burmese Electronics Act and the Immigration Emergency Provisions Act.

On 30 December 2009, the Democratic Voice of Burma reported that another videographer, Hla Hla Win, had been sentenced to 27 years in prison. She was also convicted under the Electronics Act. The channel estimates that 14 of its reporters and videographers are now in prison.

Denmark: Controversial Cartoonist Attacked at Home

Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist whose images of the prophet Muhammed with a bomb in his turban created an international outcry in 2006, was attacked in his Aarhus home on 1 January 2010. According to Danish newspaper Aften Posten, a 28-year-old Somali man, who was already under surveillance by security services, smashed his way into the 75-year-old cartoonist’s house, brandishing an axe and a knife. Westergaard, who was with his five-year-old granddaughter, locked himself inhis specially fortified bathroom and called the police.

The attacker left the house after failing to smash down the door and was arrested at the scene. He appeared in court on 2 January 2010, charged with the attempted murders of Westergaard and a policeman.

Westergaard lives under close police protection and only emerged from hiding last year, after his cartoons sparked protests at Danish embassies worldwide and threats against his life.

Westergaard’s cartoons have also been rejected from an auction being held to raise relief funds for Haiti. According to the Copenhagen Post, television programme Go’morgen Danmark organised the auction and asked celebrities to donate personal items. However, following the attack on Westergaard, the auctioneers Lauritz.com refused to accept his work, stating reasons of security.

Tibet: Filmmaker Imprisoned for Praise of Dalai Lama

A Tibetan filmmaker, Dhondup Wangchen, has reportedly been sentenced at the end of 2009 to six years’ imprisonment in China for his film Leaving Fear Behind. The film was shot in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and showed interviews with over 100 Tibetans discussing the upcoming games and their views of the Chinese government. The film also contained footage of Tibetans praising the Dalai Lama.

Wangchen was arrested in March 2008, shortly after they finished shooting and had smuggled the footage out of the country. He was reportedly tortured in prison and is now suffering from hepatitis B.

According to the film’s website, Wangchen had no legal representation during his trial held in Xining, and his family were only informed of his sentence after he had already begun serving it. There is also no clarity about what charges were used to convict Wangchen.

Ukraine: Public Morality Commission Censors Artists

A group of artists, writers and human rights activists joined together in Ukraine on 15 January to protest the continued censorship of art by the National Expert Commission for the Protection of Public Morality. According to the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, the artists and writers are planning to launch new projects that aim to tackle the Commission’s stranglehold over what can be classed as art. The artist Oleksandr Roitburd states: “I lived for 30 years in a country called the Soviet Union, and now I feel that this commission is bringing it with them. I really would like to laugh at them, but in fact it’s not funny. It’s foul and frightening.”

Sri Lanka: Cartoonist Abducted in Election Run-Up

A cartoonist and journalist, Prageeth Eknaligoda, was reportedly kidnapped days before the Sri Lankan presidential elections on 26 January 2010 and has not been seen since. This disappearance was just one of several incidents targeting independent or critical media workers in the run-up to the elections. According to the Cartoonists Rights Network, Eknaligoda had created work that was sympathetic to the opposition candidate’s position.

Reporters Without Borders states that Eknaligoda had noticed he was being followed for the three days preceding his disappearance. He had previously been kidnapped in August 2009.

Egypt: Graphic Artist Fined for Violating Public Morality

The author and publisher of the first graphic novel in Arabic for adults were fined 5,000 Egyptian pounds each on 21 November 2009, after a court ruled that the book violated public morality.

Metro, by Magdy el-Shafee, features a protagonist who works as a computer engineer and robs a bank in Cairo, and also touches on social and political themes. Censors found it to contain insults, violence and modest sexual imagery.

In April last year, police raided the premises of publishing house Dar-el Malamaeh, and confiscated copies of the book. Booksellers were prevented from stocking the book too. The charges against el-Shafee and publisher Mohammed Al-Sharqawi were brought by well-known Egyptian lawyer Derbashy al-Saleh, who is allegedly renowned for bringing cases against journalists and writers.

Indonesia: Historical Books and Films Banned

The Malaysian Insider has reported that the government of Indonesia is continuing to ban works portraying Indonesia’s recent history. In December 2009, Attorney-General Hendarman Supandji announced that an Australian film about the 1975 invasion of East Timor would be banned. He also banned a book on the aborted 1965 communist coup. In January, a book on the current presidential incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was also banned. Supandji stated that the books would: “erode public confidence in the government, cause moral decadence or disturb the national ideology, economy, culture and security”. Book stores are also refusing to sell sociologist George Junus’ Membongkar Gurita Cikeas: Di Balik Skandal Bank Century, which makes allegations about the country’s President, for fear of getting into trouble.

Austria: Artworks Removed, Folded and Posted Back

The Mayor of an Austrian town, Bruck an der Leitha, caused controversy in January 2010 by unilaterally ordering the removal of works by local artist Kurt Schloegl. According to the newspaper NÖN, Schloegl had been commissioned by the arts council to produce a series of public artworks, some of which were critical of supposed political interference in art.

Mayor Richard Hemmer subsequently cancelled one of Schloegl’s projects, entitled “Witches, Whores and Queens”, declaring it morally unsuitable in a Catholic country. Schloegl lodged a complaint with the police, only to be told that the Mayor had ordered the local fire chief to remove the artworks. The artist has now also alleged that the Mayor vandalised his work after a painting was torn up, folded into an envelope and posted to him.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• For more information: please contact Oliver Spencer, oliver@article19.org, +44 20 7324 2500

Brazil: Arson Attack Destroys Radio's Broadcasting Studio‏

2010-02-21T16:14:00.001-08:00

Brazil: Arson Attack Destroys Radio’s Broadcasting Studio

The studio of radio broadcaster Nova Coari, based in Coari, Amazonas state, was completely destroyed by an arson attack on 8 February 2010. The broadcaster had been a vocal critic of the city mayor, and the local press and blogosphere has suggested that the crime might have been politically motivated. The attack is an example of the very difficult situation faced by journalists working for small media outlets in the northern areas of Brazil, highlighted in ARTICLE 19’s 2007 Brazil Mission Statement on the State of Freedom of Expression.

On the morning of 8 February, two gunmen subdued Nova Coari’s employees and then set the station’s only studio on fire. According to press reports, the station had been already the target of two attempted arson attacks. Antônio Maduro, the civil police commissioner in Coari, said he is investigating the attack, but that no suspects have so far been apprehended.

ARTICLE 19 condemns this attack, which unfortunately reaffirms the claim in its 2007 Statement that threats and attacks against the press and broadcasters are more common in northern and remote regions of Brazil. ARTICLE 19 calls on the authorities to undertake a proper investigation of this crime, in order to bring those responsible to justice.

In its 2007 statement, ARTICLE 19 affirmed that “interviews with media workers pointed out that violence against journalists is still very present in Brazil, but its exact extent and characterization may be under-explored (...) ifferent methodologies used to monitor cases of violations to freedom of press by different local actors make it difficult to fully assess the extent of the acts of violence, their number and type. People and associations seeking to monitor the situation pointed out that the small number of professionals involved, and the fact that many cases of violence occur in very distant regions, may result in under-estimating the full extent of the problem and abuses”.

ARTICLE 19 once more encourages civil society organisations, journalists’ unions, industry associations and others to review their respective coverage and approach on cases of violations to freedom of press in Brazil, in order to address possible gaps in their reporting activities.

NOTES :

• For more information please contact: Paula Martins, Brazil Coordinator, paula@article19.org, +55 11 3057 0042.
• The 2007 Brazil Mission Statement on the state of freedom of expression is available at: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/publications/brazil-mission-statement.pdf

Iran: UN Human Rights Council Reviews Situation for Free Expression

2010-02-21T16:10:00.001-08:00

Iran: UN Human Rights Council Reviews Situation for Free Expression

As the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) meets today in Geneva to engage in its Universal Periodic Review of Iran, ARTICLE 19 again raises serious concerns about the failure of the Islamic Republic to respect and promote freedom of expression.

ARTICLE 19 made a formal submission to the HRC in September 2009, ahead of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

The Iranian Constitution contains a number of restrictions on freedom of expression, as well as harsh interpretations of what might be considered “detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam or the rights of public”. ARTICLE 19 is also expressly concerned about the punitive Press Law which restricts content and uses bureaucratic obligatory licensing procedures to control publishing, media and individual writers. Media legislation is used to silence opposition voices from political dissidents and human rights defenders. There are also particularly harsh penalties for transgressions of these laws, which include imprisonment, flogging and banning.

ARTICLE 19 monitors the arbitrary arrests and harassment of journalists, writers and bloggers, along with travel restrictions placed on those attempting to travel within and outside the country. We note that these practices go against international standards for freedom of expression contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran has ratified.

ARTICLE 19 criticises the state monopoly on television and radio broadcasting, and the prohibition of private or independent broadcasters as being inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression. In addition, ARTICLE 19 notes that the prohibition on satellite channels restricts incoming foreign news and that there is widespread internet censorship.

ARTICLE 19 condemns these severe violations of freedom of expression in Iran and urges the HRC to call on the Islamic Republic to account for its actions. Dr Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director recommends that the HRC advise the Iranian government to: “repeal Iranian legislation that acts to unfairly restrict freedom of expression; abolish criminal punishment under media legislation and replace these with civil punishment; reform the licensing system for print and broadcast media; stop the arbitrary arrests and harassment of journalists and bloggers; and refrain from internet censorship.”

ARTICLE 19 urges the Iranian Government to take immediate action to ensure that the right to freedom of expression and freedom of information is protected, and that writers, journalists, editors, bloggers and activists enjoy the full freedom to express their views and share information.

NOTES :

• To read a Farsi version of this press release, please visit: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/iran-farsi-un-human-rights-council-reviews-situation-for-free-expression.pdf
• For the full text of the submission, see http://www.article19.org/pdfs/submissions/iran-article-19-submission-to-the-un-universal-periodic-review.pdf
• For more information please contact: Amir Bayani, Iran Programme Officer, amir@article19.org, +44 20 7324 2500

Mexico: New Special Prosecutor Must Focus Political Will in One of World's Deadliest Places for Journalists‏

2010-02-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

Mexico: New Special Prosecutor Must Focus Political Will in One of World's Deadliest Places for Journalists

ARTICLE 19 calls on Gustavo Salas Chávez, newly appointed Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against the Media, to promote and guarantee effective investigation of aggression against journalists and combat Mexico’s prevailing culture of impunity.

Chávez replaces Octavio Orellana, who was widely regarded as ineffective at stemming the number of attacks and murders of media workers in Mexico. Orellana claimed that the frequent murders of journalists, eleven in 2009, were not related to their work.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against the Media (FEADP) was established in 2006 but has lacked the political will to investigate crimes and bring their perpetrators to justice. Organisations such as the National Human Rights Commission have complained that FEADP is ineffective. The limited and ambiguous mandate of FEADP together with a lack of political will has resulted in a large number of cases being declared “on reserve” whereby all investigations are suspended until new evidence arises. Only a few cases are being formally investigated and just four cases in four years have seen charges brought.

According to international standards, Special Prosecutor Chávez must:
• Be independent
• Be impartial
• Have the necessary capacities and knowledge to develop his post
• Base FEADP investigations on a human rights perspective, protect the rights of victims, and avoid re-victimisation
• Train FEADP personnel on the right to freedom of expression.

ARTICLE 19 calls on Chávez to reform FEADP’s legal framework in line with international standards, and implement prosecution and protection mechanisms based on the right to freedom of expression. ARTICLE 19 also calls on FEADP to meet its obligations in the area of transparency and accountability.

ARTICLE 19 reiterates its call to the Mexican Congress to approve such necessary reforms in order to empower the federal authorities to investigate crimes against those practicing journalism.

NOTES :

• For more information please contact Cynthia Cárdenas, Legal Adviser, cynthiac@article19.org, +52 55 10546500 ext. 107

Imprisonment of Bloggers

2009-11-13T17:50:00.001-08:00

12 November 2009

Azerbaijan: Imprisonment of Bloggers Politically Motivated

ARTICLE 19 condemns the prison sentences handed down to two internet journalists and youth activists, Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade, on 11 November 2009 on politically motivated “hooliganism” charges.

On 8 July 2009, Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade were physically attacked, apparently unprovoked, in a Baku restaurant. Witnesses reported that the two had been discussing their youth movement activities when two strangers approached them, demanded that they stop discussing such matters, and attacked them. Following the attack, Milli and Hajizade filed reports as victims of an assault with the police and requested medical assistance. The police did not provide them with medical assistance; rather, they proceeded to interrogate the youths for five hours without their attorneys being present.

The criminal investigation and trial proceedings have been widely criticised by international and national observers as flawed and pre-determined. An ARTICLE 19 observer, present at one of the court hearings on 6 November, witnessed one of the alleged victims testified that he did not remember writing a statement accusing Milli and Hajizade, a statement which had also reportedly stated he was attacked by three men.

Notwithstanding the evidence, the Sabail District Court in Baku sentenced Emin Milli to two and a half years’ imprisonment, while Adnan Hajizade received a sentence of two years.

ARTICLE 19 believes that Milli and Hajizade have been the targets of political persecution because they used blogging as a tool to further civic participation. This is a particularly troubling development in light of deteriorating media freedoms in Azerbaijan ahead of planned parliamentary elections planned for November 2010.

“The imprisonment of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade sends a clear signal to anyone critical of the current government,” comments Dr Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director. “Don't try to organise, don't encourage public debate and don't try new media.”

ARTICLE 19 is concerned that the imprisonment of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade is another measure by the Azerbaijani authorities to silence independent and critical voices. The authorities should immediately release Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade, expunge the charges against them and thoroughly investigate and prosecute those originally responsible for assaulting them.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• For more information please contact: Nathalie Losekoot, Senior Programme Officer: Europe at Nathalie@article19.org or +44 20 7324 2500.

Opposition to UN Resolutions Banning Defamation of Religion

2009-11-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

Legal Project Part of Chorus of Opposition to UN Resolutions Banning Defamation of Religion

November 12, 2009

http://www.meforum.org/2498/opposition-un-resolutions-banning-defamation-of-

PHILADELPHIA – The Legal Project has joined the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom and over 100 other non-governmental organizations from around the world, in a joint statement decrying the danger to free speech rights posed by a series of pending UN resolutions prohibiting defamation of religions.

On October 29, 2009, Syria, along with Venezuela and Belarus, proposed a resolution entitled "Combating defamation of religions" to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. Among other things, the resolution condemns any organization "perpetuating stereotypes about certain religions." In particular, it avers that "Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with … terrorism" and proceeds to "reaffirm the obligation of all States to enact the necessary legislation to prohibit the advocacy of … incitement to discrimination" which would include, for example, suggesting the "profiling of Muslim minorities in the aftermath of the tragic events of 11 September 2001." While non-binding, the resolution is just the latest in an ongoing effort by the Organization of the Islamic Conference to criminalize criticism of Islam globally and, if adopted, would lay the groundwork for a binding version proposed by Pakistan as a treaty amendment earlier this year.

As the joint statement notes, "[u]nlike traditional defamation laws, which punish false statements of fact that harm individual persons, measures prohibiting the 'defamation of religions' punish the peaceful criticism of ideas."

Legal Project Director Daniel Huff called the resolution a "brazen attempt to curb criticism of radical Islam, cynically disguised as a pious affirmation of fundamental freedoms. In tenor and purpose it runs contrary to the bedrock principle of American First Amendment jurisprudence that 'debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open.'"

The Legal Project of the Middle East Forum is dedicated to protecting authors and researchers from predatory lawsuits designed to stifle dissemination of information related to terrorism and its sources of funding. It assists targets of such suits with litigation costs, arranges for pro bono counsel, works with policy makers to publicize and address this growing threat.

Immediate release

For further information contact: Daniel Huff at huff@meforum.org

Artist Alert October 2009

2009-11-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Artist Alert
October 2009

Burma: police warn that artists face execution as more are disappeared

ARTICLE 19 regards the censorship of artists in Burma to be amongst the most common and violent in the world. Since its inception the Artist Alert has regularly featured stories of Burmese artists being handed lengthy prison sentences for their courageous work.

The October edition of the Burmese police’s Crime News Journal has sunk to new levels with the announcement that artists who spread “public hatred against the government” possible execution. The warning appears to signify a change in law regarding artistic critiques of the government, which was previously limited to long imprisonment and fines under Article 124(A) of the Penal code.

Arrests of artists in Burma are widespread. According to the Burmese organisation Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, in October alone the Special Branch arrested the poet and designer Khant Min Htet, singer Nyi Paing, and songwriter Min Satta. Min Satta was arrested on 16 October whilst staying at Nyi Paing’s house who was arrested two days later. Khant Min Htet was arrested on 22 October. All have since been disappeared and the authorities have refused to speak to their families.

In addition to imprisonment and harassment there are consistent reports of artists being tortured by government security agencies. In October the singer Htoo Htoo Chay was released from prison where he had allegedly been tortured following his arrest in September. (Source: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, amongst others.)

China: artists censored and academics stifled as government celebrates 60 years

As China celebrates 60 years since the communist party gained power, reports of censorship and stifling remain constant.

In September the highly regarded artist Ai Wiewie was beaten by police and blocked from testifying in court. His colleague Tan Zuoren was charged with “inciting subversion of state power” by protesting over the collapse of school buildings following the massive 2008 earthquake. Ai lives in an artists’ colony in Beijing and writes a well known political blog which is regularly censored by government authorities.

In southeast China professor Feng Chongyi is suing the Tianhe Terminal Customs Office for confiscating seven books which he had bought in Hong Kong. The books, which were all written by authors from mainland China, were confiscated without by the authorities without giving a reason. Feng has stated that the books do not violate Chinese law and is seeking for the government to publish its secret list of banned books. (Source: AFP, amongst others.)

USA: ALA releases top 10 books that are removed from public institutions

The American Library Association released its annual list of the 10 most ‘challenged’ books in the US during its ‘Banned Book Week’. The organisation collates written complaints that are filed in libraries, schools and other public institutions that ask for books to be removed due to ‘inappropriate content’.

According to the organisation there were 513 requests for removal in 2008. The list of the 10 most popular books includes best sellers and award winners such as His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The report identifies homosexuality as the most common theme in the contested books, followed by books that mention religion, drugs or sex. Most contestations took place in schools and public libraries at 68 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. Fifty-six per cent of the requests for removal came from parents and 13 per cent from visitors to libraries.

The top 10 books were: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell; His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman; TTYL, TTFN, L8R, G8R, by Lauren Myracle; Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz; Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya; The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar; Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; and Flashcards of My Life by Charise Mericle Harper. (Source: American Library Association, amongst others.)

Iran: Media chief’s daughter claims asylum for film

Filmmaker Narges Kalhor has claimed asylum in Germany stating that she has fears for her safety in Iran after making a film about totalitarian regimes. Kalhor claimed asylum whilst her film “Darkshish” or “The Rake” was being shown at the Nuremburg film festival in September. The film is based on Kafka’s short story about torture in prison, “In The Penal Colony”.

What has made this case distinct is that Kalhor’s father, Mehdi Kalhor, is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s chief advisor on media and the arts. Her father, an ex-filmmaker, is well known in Iran for his anti-media outbursts and criticised the Oscar-winning film Persepolis as “Islamaphobic”. According to the Iranian media he said that: ”her decision showed we have freedom in Iran”. (Source: Telegraph, amongst others.)

Morocco: newspapers confiscated for solidarity with cartoonist under trial

Customs officials in Morocco confiscated two editions of Le Monde for reprinting the cartoons of Moroccan cartoonist Khalid Gueddar. Gueddar is currently on trial for his cartoons that lampoon the Moroccan royal family and their political influence.

Le Monde reprinted Gueddar’s controversial cartoon on 23 October in solidarity with fellow journalists, and was subsequently confiscated on arrival in Morocco. A week later, copies of Spanish daily newspaper El Pais were also blocked at the border after they followed Le Monde in printing Gueddar’s cartoons. (Source: Pravda, Expatica, amongst others.)

Nigeria: South African film banned for ‘xenophobia’

The South African film District 9 by Neill Blomkamp and Peter Jackson has been banned in Nigeria. Information Minister Dora Akunyili asked Nigerian theatres to pull all screenings of the film saying that: “we are not happy about [District 9] because it portrays Nigeria in bad light .”

The main Nigerian gangster in the film, which is about aliens, is named Obesandjo, which Akunyili identified as similar to the name of Nigeria’s former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Akunyili has reportedly requested the distributor Sony to apologise and delete all references to Nigeria or Nigerians from the film. (Source: The Guardian.)

Saudi Arabia: television programme staff sentenced to lashings

Five people have been sentenced to lashings and imprisonment in Saudi Arabia for taking part in the production of a television programme in early 2009 that discussed sexual relationships.

A Saudi court sentenced two female production staff to 60 lashings, a cameraman to two months in prison, and four participants to a total of eleven years in prison with 1,900 lashes. The Saudi king later waived the lashings of the female staff members Rozana al-Yami and Iman Rajab.

The television show titled ‘Bold Red Line’ was broadcast on the Saudi-owned Lebanese network LBC. The show featured salesperson Mazen Abdul Jawad discussing his sexual relationships. Jawad’s lawyer has complained that neither the producers of the show nor the owners of the Saudi network have been sentenced. (Source: AFP, amongst others.)

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• For more information: please contact Oliver Spencer, oliver@article19.org, +44 20 7324 2500

United Kingdom: Defamation Decriminalised

2009-11-13T17:44:00.001-08:00

13 November 2009

United Kingdom: Defamation Decriminalised

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the United Kingdom’s decriminalisation of defamation and calls on the government to maintain its leadership by reforming the UK’s infamous civil defamation legislation.

The Coroners and Justice Bill was given Royal Assent and became an Act of Parliament (law) at 16h47 on 12 November 2009.

The Coroners and Justice Act (2009) decriminalises defamation, including repeal of the criminal offences of sedition and seditious libel, defamatory libel, and obscene libel in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

ARTICLE 19 and our partners have been campaigning for the decriminalisation of defamation in the UK for several years. Criminal defamation has not been used in the UK since the 1970s, but its “chilling effect” remains. Moreover, states around the world justify their persistent use of criminal defamation according to the example set by the UK.

In many countries, criminal defamation laws are abused by the powerful to limit criticism and to stifle public debate. The threat of harsh criminal sanctions, especially imprisonment, exerts a profound chilling effect on freedom of expression.

Now that defamation has been decriminalised, ARTICLE 19 calls on the government to reform the UK’s over-broad civil defamation laws. In particular, the laws should require that plaintiffs should prove the falsity of statements, block foreign plaintiffs from using UK courts to silence non-UK speakers, require courts to consider the public interest in publication, limit excessive lawyers’ fees, which can currently run into millions of pounds in a single case, and update the laws to better protect Internet publications.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• To see which countries still have and use criminal defamation, please visit our global defamation maps at: http://www.article19.org/advocacy/defamationmap/map/
• For more information please contact: Oliver Spencer, oliver@article19.org +44 20 7324 2500.

BELARUS: GREATER REFORM NEEDED SAYS MISSION

2009-10-26T01:50:00.001-07:00

BELARUS: GREATER REFORM NEEDED SAYS MISSION

A delegation of press freedom organisations, including seven IFEX members, met with media groups and authorities in Minsk, on 20 to 24 September 2009, to determine the current environment of press freedom, freedom of expression and access to information, reports the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). A mission report, "For Free and Fair Media in Belarus," urges the EU and the Belarusian government to keep freedom of expression and press freedom at the heart of its discussions. The EU will soon determine if it will end sanctions which were put in place based on Belarus's poor human rights record. Hosted by the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), the mainobjective of the mission was to insist that the Belarusian governmentundertake a rigorous reform of media regulations, so journalists can work without fear of political interference. Currently, "the Belarusiangovernment casts journalists as enemies of the state, a physical threat, or a danger to the country," says the report. In the last decade, many attacks on journalists have taken place, including one journalist who was stabbed to death in her apartment while another was disappeared. There are many obstacles for independent media. Economic conditions arelimited for non-state newspapers in Belarus, which prevents an independent and pluralistic media culture from developing. Subscription and distribution systems are monopolised by the state. Broadcast licenses are issued arbitrarily and without transparency, further limiting independent voices. Meanwhile, laws in place restrict a journalist's right to information, and legislation on defamation and extremism has created self-censorship among journalists. The mission made numerous recommendations, including: journalists should not be prevented from reporting on public events and demonstrations; and defamation laws should be reformed. The recommendations also state:"The authorities must allow journalist organisations to operate freely, without monitoring their activities and communications, and without restrictions on their visiting trainers." BAJ is closely monitored, adds the report. IFJ European Co-Director Marc Gruber, who led the fact-finding mission,commented, "A thin veneer of limited and symbolic reforms in recent months cannot conceal the fact that Belarus continues to operate a highly repressive media environment."

More on the web:- International mission to the Republic of Belarus (IFJ):http://www.ifj.org/en/articles/statement-by-international-mission-to-the-republic-of-belarus- International report demands radical reform of Belarus media (IFJ):http://europe.ifj.org/en/articles/international-report-demands-radical-reform-of-belarus-media

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR HELLMAN/HAMMETT GRANTS

2009-10-26T01:46:00.000-07:00

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR HELLMAN/HAMMETT GRANTS

Human Rights Watch administers the Hellman/Hammett grant program forwriters of fiction, non-fiction and poetry who have been victims ofpolitical persecution and need financial support. Grants ranging from $500 to $10,000 are available to recognise their commitment to freedom of expression. The grant is intended for writers who make a living primarily from writing. It also considers activists who write to improve human rights issues. This year the Hellman/Hammett award was given to 37 writers from 19countries. These writers have been harassed, assaulted, indicted, jailed on trumped-up charges or tortured, simply for challenging the government. Six of this year's awardees are from China, Iran, and Vietnam. Eighteen of the 37 asked to remain anonymous because of possible continuing danger to them and their families. Among them are writers from Burma, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tunisia, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. Deadline for nominations: 17 December 2009. Nominations arising from crisis situations are accepted at any time.Writers who are in great danger and must flee their country or who needimmediate medical treatment after being assaulted, imprisoned or tortured may be considered for an emergency grant.

For more information please contact Marcia Allina at tel +1 212-216-1246 or allinam@hrw.org. Click here to download an application form.www.ifex.org/awards/2009/10/21/hellman-hammett_application_2010.doc More on the web:- Banned, Censored, Harassed and Jailed (Human Rights Watch):http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/11/banned-censored-harassed-and-jailed

IRAN: JOURNALIST FREED ON BAIL; REPRESSION CONTINUES

2009-10-26T01:44:00.000-07:00

IRAN: JOURNALIST FREED ON BAIL; REPRESSION CONTINUES Journalist Maziar Bahari was freed on bail on 17 October after spending 120 days in Tehran's Evin prison, report Reporters Without Borders RSF) and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). A journalist with dual Canadian and Iranian citizenship, Bahari is a "Newsweek" correspondent who was detained in the clampdown on protestsafter the disputed presidential elections in June. At a show trial on 1August, an indictment was read out by the prosecutor citing confessionsforced out of Bahari, reports RSF. Immediately after his release he rejoined his family in Tehran and wasawaiting trail, reports RSF. According to news reports, Iranian officialsallowed Bahari to return to the U.K. this week and he is now with his wifewho is about to give birth to their first child. CJFE welcomed the news of Bahari's release but also emphasised thejournalists and bloggers who remain in prison just because they exercisedtheir right to free expression. Another journalist with dual Canadian and Iranian citizenship, bloggerHossein Derakhshan is still being held by Revolutionary guards since hisarrest on 1 November 2008, report CJFE and RSF. "Bahari's release should not divert attention from the fact that 31 other journalists and bloggers, including Derakhshan, are still detained in Iran," RSF said. "Canada and the entire international community must redouble efforts to get the Iranian authorities to free all the imprisoned journalists. Ban Ki-Moon's recent report confirms that the human rights situation has deteriorated considerably." Related stories on IFEX.org:- Journalist Maziar Bahari released on bail:http://ifex.org/iran/2009/10/19/bahari_released_on_bail/ More on the web:- Canada urged to keep up pressure on Tehran after Newsweek correspondent's release (RSF): http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=34748

INVESTIGATOR IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER CASE KILLED

2009-09-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

MEXICO: SECOND INVESTIGATOR IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER CASE KILLED

Last November in Ciudad Juárez, Mexican crime journalist Armando Rodríguez was killed in front of his daughter on the way to school. In July, the federal investigator who was leading the Rodríguez case was gunned down, and less than a month later, his replacement suffered the same fate, say Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ).

Perhaps the murders are coincidental - police have yet to determine if they are linked, but they are emblematic of the problems journalists face in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, where organised crime groups routinely threaten reporters who write stories that might expose their operations, say CPJ, RSF and IFEX's members in

Mexico

.

The bullet-riddled body of Pablo Pasillas Fong was found on 26 August in Ciudad Juárez, where he had been heading the investigation into the murder of Rodríguez.

Pasillas had replaced investigator Jose Ibarra Limón, who was killed near his home on 27 July. According to CPJ, for his own safety, Ibarra worked in a compound surrounded by thick walls approximately 10 feet high and was guarded by men armed with assault rifles. Ibarra was responsible for several sensitive cases involving organised crime in addition to the
Rodríguez case.

Not surprisingly, on 28 August, the head of the office in charge of investigating Rodríguez's murder resigned his position and left the city "for security reasons," according to CPJ sources.

Following Rodríguez's murder, most journalists in the city say they write mostly superficial stories about organised crime, says CPJ.

"We have learned the lesson: to survive, we publish the minimum," said Alfredo Quijano, editor of the major newspaper "Norte de Ciudad Juárez". It is well known that cartel money flows into local political campaigns, police are bought or scared off from investigation, and cartels are
expanding their activities into kidnapping and extortion.

"We don't investigate. Even at that, most of what we know stays in the reporter's notebook," Quijano added. And those that dare to publish "have to leave the country quickly."

According to RSF, the war between rival cartels that plagues the border city has been deadly for the media. Of the 50 journalists who have been killed in Mexico since the start of 2000, six were working in Ciudad Juárez. With 30 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2008, Ciudad Juárez is
considered to be the world's most dangerous city. And eight journalists have gone missing since 2000 in Mexico, giving it the unfortunate distinction of being the country with the most disappearances of journalists worldwide, says RSF.

Adding to the violence is the near-total impunity in murder cases. According to CPJ sources, only a small percentage of cases are solved, even when the victim is a police officer.

In the face of a wave of attacks against free expression in Mexico, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) recently declared every attack on journalists to be a direct attack on the rule of law. It pointed fingers directly at the authorities: their inaction results in impunity and encourages those who use violence to protect their own interests, CNDH said. CNDH submitted their comments to the governors of all the Mexican states and the federal attorney general.

While a group of free expression organisations, including four IFEX members, welcomed the CNDH recommendation, it called for a "clear mechanism" to carry out this work, such as the establishment of a federal Committee for the Protection of Journalists. The group also reiterated its call for crimes against free expression to be federalised, and for the judiciary to conduct investigations and ensure transparency in the cases that are already under consideration.

Related stories on IFEX.org:
- Officer investigating journalist's murder shot dead in Ciudad Juárez:
http://www.ifex.org/mexico/2009/08/28/pasillas_killed/
- JOINT ACTION: Four IFEX members express their position regarding the
National Human Rights Commission's recommendation on crimes against
journalists: http://www.ifex.org/mexico/2009/08/21/rec_17_ja/

More on the web:
- Second investigator on murder case killed in Mexico (CPJ):
http://cpj.org/blog/2009/08/second-investigator-of-journalists-death-murdered.php
- Special Report: Reporting, and Surviving, in Ciudad Juárez (CPJ):
http://cpj.org/reports/2009/06/mexico-special-report-reporting-in-juarez.php
- The enemies of press freedom to blame for journalists who disappear
(RSF): http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=34333

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=27798&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Azerbaijan: ARTICLE 19 Condemns Conviction of Journalists for Defamation

2009-07-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

Azerbaijan: ARTICLE 19 Condemns Conviction of Journalists for Defamation

Two senior journalists were found guilty and sentenced to prison on defamation charges in a Baku district court on 22 July 2009. ARTICLE 19 condemns the conviction of Faramaz Novruzoglu and Sardar Alibeyli, editor-in-chief and deputy editor of Nota newspaper, and calls upon the Government of Azerbaijan to repeal all provisions relating to defamation from the Criminal Code.

Novruzoglu (also known as Faramaz Allahverdiyev) and Alibeyli were convicted under Articles 148 and 147.2 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code and each was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. Another Nota journalist, Ramiz Tagiyev, was also sentenced to six months’ conditional imprisonment.

Novruzoglu and Alibeyli have both faced previous convictions for defamation. Just two days before, on 20 July, Alibeyli received another seven-month conditional sentence on defamation charges. In January 2007, both journalists were convicted on defamation charges as the result of a lawsuit filed by the Minister of Internal Affairs. Alibeyli received a sentence of 18 months of “reformatory works” and Novruzoglu was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment; he was released almost a year later after a presidential pardon.

“It is deeply ironic that these latest convictions occurred on 22 July – Azerbaijan’s National Press Day,” comments ARTICLE 19 Executive Director, Dr Agnès Callamard. The events also take place amidst an international outcry about the continued detention of two Azerbaijani bloggers on spurious charges, and just one day after the UN Human Rights Committee examined Azerbaijan’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including those related to the country’s freedom of expression commitments.

ARTICLE 19 believes that the current provisions on defamation and insult in the Criminal Code, along with the Government’s unremitting implementation of these provisions, represent a serious impediment to freedom of expression in Azerbaijan.

ARTICLE 19, together with other international organisations such as the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, have repeatedly urged the Government to abolish criminal defamation. Just this week, on 21 July, UN Human Rights Committee experts stated that libel and slander should be civil, rather than criminal, offenses. These latest convictions highlight once more the need for defamation to be decriminalised in Azerbaijan

“Such enforcement of criminal defamation provisions has a chilling effect on the work of journalists and other media workers, who may engage in self-censorship out of fear of prosecution”, says Callamard. “These sorts of criminal defamation provisions send the wrong message about the country’s commitment to human rights and freedom of expression, and we call on the Government of Azerbaijan to eliminate them from the law”.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• For more information please contact: Nathalie Losekoot, Senior Programme Officer, Europe, at: +44 796 985 6069 or nathalie@article19.org; or Barbora Bukovska, Senior Director for Law, at: +44 207 324 2500 or barbora@article19.org;
• For a full analysis of Azerbaijan’s defamation laws, please see ARTICLE 19’s Memorandum on Laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan Relating to the Protection of Reputation, available at http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/azerbaijan-defamation-2004.pdf.
• For more detailed information about the UN Human Rights Committee’s review of Azerbaijan’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, go to http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/E5775263F214EA6EC12575FA0037210B?OpenDocument

Amnesty International is awarding Aung San Suu Kyi

2009-07-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

Prosecutors for Burma's military government have made their final arguments in a case that could send pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to prison for five years.

Defense lawyer Nyan Win told that despite nearly four hours of closing arguments Monday, the prosecution's case seemed "legally weak."

Prosecutors accuse Aung San Suu Kyi of violating the terms of her house arrest in May by allowing an American man to rest at her home after he swam there uninvited.

The court also heard from the American's lawyers, and received closing statements from two female companions living with Aung San Suu Kyi. All of them could face jail time.

Lawyer Nyan Win said the court trial has adjourned until Tuesday, when Aung San Suu Kyi's legal team will respond to the prosecution's arguments.

Nyan Win said the team is seeking to question a witness from the Foreign Ministry, who reports say told a human rights group that Aung San Suu Kyi was detained for her own "security" and not on criminal charges.

A verdict in the case is not expected for a couple of weeks.

A researcher for the human rights group Amnesty International says the trial has not been free or fair. Benjamin Zawacki says Aung San Suu Kyi should not have been detained in the first place.

The 64-year-old peace and democracy activist has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest.

Amnesty International is awarding its highest honor to Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday.

The Ambassador of Conscience Award is to be formally announced at a concert in Dublin by Bono, the lead singer of the Irish band U2 and an award winner himself.

Source : Burma

Wraps Up Case Against Aung Sang Suu Kyi By VOA News, Washington DC
27-July-2009

Sri Lanka: Deteriorating Press Freedom Continues Post-Conflict

2009-07-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka: Deteriorating Press Freedom Continues Post-Conflict

Today the International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka, of which ARTICLE 19 is a member, issued an open letter to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa expressing extreme concern over the deterioration of press freedom despite the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka has outlined an 11-point plan to the government of Sri Lanka to redress the perilous condition of press freedom.

In particular, the Mission has asked the government to:
1. Combat impunity through the creation of a Special Prosecutor's Office for the investigation of crimes against the media;
2. Put in place effective measures to ensure that all journalists can work safely.
3. Release imprisoned journalist J.S. Tissainayagam and his colleagues B. Jasiharan and V. Vallarmathy;
4. Release the first results of the investigation into the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge;
5. Provide full and unconditional access to the IDP camps for all media;
6. Repeal the Press Council Act No. 5 of 1973;
7. Introduce training for the police, army and the intelligence agencies on freedom of expression;
8. Award financial compensation to journalists who have been arbitrarily detained, beaten or otherwise harassed by security forces;
9. Invite the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom and Expression to visit Sri Lanka;
10. Work with the state-owned media to ensure the immediate end to direct verbal attacks and threats against independent journalists and press freedom activists; and
11. Introduce structural legal reforms to create an enabling environment for a free and independent media.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

o For more information please contact Toby Mendel, a19law@hfx.eastlink.ca , tel +1 902 431-3688.
o The full text of the letter can be found at: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/letters/open-letter-to-his-excellency-president-mahinda-rajapaksa.pdf

Poland: ARTICLE 19 calls on Polish President to Veto Media Law

2009-07-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

Poland: ARTICLE 19 calls on Polish President to Veto Media Law
Today ARTICLE 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression issued an open letter to Polish President Lech Kaczynski urging him not to promulgate the country's new Law on Public Activity within the Sphere of Media Services.
ARTICLE 19 believes that the recently adopted Media Law ("Ustawa o zadaniach publicznych w dziedzinach mediów") fails to meet international standards on public service broadcasting and should not enter into force unless significantly improved.

In particular, ARTICLE 19 is concerned with that the new legislation does not secure financial, editorial and regulatory independence of the country's public service broadcaster and leaves it vulnerable to potential political and financial pressures. Noting the importance of public service media for Polish society, and stressing the obligation of Poland to abide by international standards, ARTICLE 19 has called on President Kaczynski to veto the law and to send it back to parliament for further revision.
NOTES TO EDITORS:

o For more information please contact Anoush Begoyan, Programme Officer for Europe at anoushb@article19.org or tel +44 20 7324 2500.
o The full text of the letter can be found at: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/letters/poland-law-on-public-activity.pdf

Azerbaijan: ARTICLE 19 Deplores Harassment of Internet Journalists

2009-07-18T05:43:00.000-07:00

Azerbaijan: ARTICLE 19 Deplores Harassment of Internet Journalists

ARTICLE 19 calls on the Government of Azerbaijan to immediately drop the politically-motivated charges of hooliganism against two journalists, Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade, who are currently being held in pre-trial detention.

Milli, who works for ANTV Online, and Hajizade, a video blogger, were detained on 8 July 2009, after they reported being assaulted in a Baku restaurant to police. They were allegedly attacked in a restaurant by two individuals who demanded that they stop discussing politics; Milli and Hajizade had been sitting with a group of young people, discussing the activities of their youth organisations. When Milli and Hajizade appealed to police at the Sabail District Police Department and requested medical assistance, they were instead detained under charges of "hooliganism" (under Article 221.2.1 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code). On 10 July, the Sabail District Court ordered Milli and Hajizade to be detained for two months in pre-trial detention.

ARTICLE 19 is concerned that these events are another measure by the Azerbaijani authorities to silence independent and opposition journalists.

This is not the first time the Azerbaijani authorities have used criminal charges, such as "hooliganism" to intimidate journalists in cases considered to be politically motivated. In November 2007, the editor-in-chief of opposition newspaper Azadliq, Ganimat Zahid, was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison in March 2008. A similar charge was used in the case of Yeni Musavat columnist Mahal Ismayiloglu, who was convicted on 1 July 2009 and received a two-year suspended sentence.

"It is unacceptable that these two men, who were subjected to an unprovoked attack, should now face criminal charges," comments Dr Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director. "The authorities are persecuting the victims, rather than the perpetrators, in a manner which looks entirely politically motivated."

Milli and Hajizade's detention happens against a backdrop of other disturbing actions by the Azerbaijani authorities, which have had a negative impact on freedom of expression in the country. For example, on 10 May 2009, police used physical force against four journalists who were covering events related to the annual Flower Holiday, as well as beating members of the public and detaining approximately 50 demonstrators. In addition, the Azerbaijani authorities have yet to disclose the findings of their investigation into the killing of 13 people at the State Oil Academy in Baku on 30 April 2009. Journalists attempting to investigate these killings were prevented by authorities from accessing information.

The Government of Azerbaijan has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and ARTICLE 19 calls on the authorities to respect its commitments under international law. We also request the authorities to immediately release Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade without charge, and to thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for assaulting them.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

o For more information, please contact Nathalie Losekoot, Senior Programme Officer, Europe, nathalie@article19.org ; tel +44 20 7324 2509.
o The "Flower Holiday" is an annual celebration of the birthday of former President Geydar Aliyev on 10 May. This year students called for it to be cancelled, to commemorate 13 people killed at the State Oil Academy in Baku on 30 April 2009.

United Kingdom to Decriminalise Defamation

2009-07-18T05:39:00.000-07:00

13 July 2009

United Kingdom: United Kingdom to Decriminalise Defamation

On Friday, 10 July 2009, the government of the United Kingdom formally committed to decriminalising defamation by doing away with the common law offences of sedition, seditious libel and defamatory libel.

The proposed amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill was originally put forward in the House of Commons by Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, Dr Evan Harris, after discussions with ARTICLE 19 (of which he is a board member). Lord Lester of Herne Hill also tabled a debate in the House of Lords last Thursday.

ARTICLE 19 has been campaigning for the decriminalisation of defamation, both in the UK and globally, for many years. Of the 168 countries surveyed by ARTICLE 19, 158 have criminal defamation laws and 113 countries have laws offering special protection to the most powerful and privileged figures in public life. These laws shield public figures from criticism, public scrutiny and investigation by virtue of the power they hold, thereby eating at the very heart of global efforts to promote good governance and combat corruption.

ARTICLE 19 warmly welcomes this initiative to abolish criminal defamation in the UK, which will make Britain the first Western European country to take this step. Even where criminal defamation laws have fallen into disuse, as was largely the case in the UK, the existence of these laws on the statute books provides more repressive governments around the world with the excuse they need not only to refuse to repeal of defamation laws but also to make active use of such laws to imprison journalists, writers and others.

The UK will now join other countries which have done away with criminal defamation, including Bosnia & Herzegovina, Estonia, Georgia and Ukraine in Europe, and Ghana, Sri Lanka, the United States, New Zealand and Mexico globally.

“This measure will send a very strong and clear signal globally that democracies do not have criminal defamation laws,” says Dr Agnès Callamard, Executive Director, ARTICLE 19. “No longer will repressive countries be able to justify their criminal defamation laws on the basis that such laws exist in established democracies such as the UK.

“Defamation, both civil and criminal, is one of the greatest threats to freedom of expression in the world today. It is a global problem that requires global action,” continues Callamard.

Dr Harris comments, “The acceptance by the Government that our retention of these repressive laws causes much more harm than good is welcome. The UK must set an example to the world in getting rid of anti-free speech offenses.”

ARTICLE 19 urges other countries to follow suit and do away with criminal defamation.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• For more information please contact: Toby Mendel, Senior Legal Counsel, a19law@hfx.eastlink.ca, +1 902 431-3688.
• ARTICLE 19 has conducted extensive research into criminal and civil defamation worldwide and has published our findings in a series of online maps, which are located at: http://www.article19.org/advocacy/defamationmap/map/.
www.article19.org/advocacy/defamationmap/map/

41 Journalists Jailed in Iran

2009-07-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

Watchdog Report: 41 Journalists Jailed in

Iran

By VOA News
12-July-2009

The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders says it is concerned by what it calls the growing repression of journalists and cyber-dissidents in Iran.

In a report issued Sunday, the RSF (known by the French acronym for Reporters Sans Frontieres) announced the detention of five more journalists. RSF says 41 journalists are currently imprisoned in Iran a month after the country's contested election.

RSF says Iran is currently the world's biggest prison for journalists, and is becoming the world's most dangerous place for them to operate.

RSF says the recently-detained journalists include photographers Majid Saidi and Tohid Bighi, blogger Henghameh Shahidi, and journalists Somaieh Nosrati and Said Matinpour.

According to RSF, four of the five are being held in secret locations with no information about their condition being released to their families or legal representatives.

EIGHTY ARRESTED IN STANDOFF OVER CONTROL OF PERAK STATE: MALAYSIA

2009-05-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

MALAYSIA: EIGHTY ARRESTED IN STANDOFF OVER CONTROL OF PERAK STATE

Last week the Malaysian government under new Prime Minister Najib Abdul
Razak arrested nearly 80 writers, opposition members and activists who were
protesting the takeover of the northern state of Perak by the ruling
federal government coalition Barisan Nasional, reports IFEX interim member
the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) in Malaysia.

The slew of arrests started on 5 May when police first targeted academic
and writer Wong Chin Huat. As spokesperson for the Coalition for Free and
Fair Elections (BERSIH), Wong helped initiate the "1BlackMalaysia"
campaign, calling Malaysians to wear black on the day the Perak State
Legislative Assembly was to reconvene on 7 May.

Wong was arrested at his home and effectively put out of commission when
police obtained a remand order against him until 8 May. Wong also chairs
the Writers' Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI) and has written
extensively against the undemocratic means the ruling coalition has used to
gain power.

CIJ said Wong's case was "an act of intimidation by the police against
activists critical of the government. Citizens and interest groups have the
right to express their political views and opinions without fear of
persecution."

Sixty others were arrested on 6 May at a protest rally in Ipoh, capital of
Perak, including eight parliamentarians from the opposition pact Pakatan.
Another 14 people were detained for attending a candlelight vigil for Wong
in front of a Kuala Lumpur police station.

The arrests come during an ongoing power struggle for the Perak state
government. In a controversial move in February, the Sultan of Perak
accepted the defection of three state assembly members from the opposition,
which allowed the Barisan Nasional coalition to regain control - despite
having lost the state in the 2008 general election. Barisan Nasional has
also been accused of trying to shut down debate about the role of the
monarchy.

CIJ says that without any law reforms, supposedly independent institutions
such as the police force, the mainstream media and the judiciary remain
shackled and are becoming "instruments to maintain the power of the ruling
government."

Najib's actions "raise worry that the clampdown will be the first of more
to come," warned CIJ.

Visit these links:
- CIJ: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/102929/
- CIJ on Wong's arrest: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/102924/
- IFEX Malaysia page: http://tinyurl.com/3o3ywy

Bangladesh : Fellowships to Women Journalists

2009-02-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

Bangladesh: ARTICLE 19 Awards Fellowships to Women Journalists
ARTICLE 19 in Bangladesh is pleased to announce that twelve women journalists working at the grassroots level have been awarded fellowships to enable them to investigate issues relevant to their local communities.
Working in partnership with Massline Media Centre (MMC), ARTICLE 19 announced the fellowship recipients’ names at an orientation workshop on 17 February. A competitive selection process resulted in a high number of applications from female print journalists working at the district and upazila (sub-district) levels of the country. The fellows will be provided with a stipend for three months, to support them to produce and publish investigative reports on access to information, development and human rights issues. They will also benefit from mentoring by a senior journalist and advice from ARTICLE 19 and MMC.Kamrun Nahar, a fellowship recipient, said that “an ARTICLE 19 fellowship on journalism is a huge recognition of my work and the struggles that we endure, as we continue to bring grassroots issues to the mainstream. I am delighted to be awarded along with other peers in the profession.”Female journalists working at the grassroots face many challenges, including low pay, loose contractual arrangements, and a lack of protection from threats, harassment and litigation. With very limited institutional support and opportunities for professional development, they must often rely on their own individual tenacity and commitment. “This programme will build the capacity and confidence of junior and mid-level female journalists and will enhance their profile as advocates for freedom of expression,” commented Tahmina Rahman, Director of ARTICLE 19 Bangladesh. “They have a critical role in ensuring freedom of expression and access to information by bringing diverse perspectives from different corners of the country.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• For more information please contact Tahmina Rahman, Director ARTICLE 19 Bangladesh at tahmina@article19.org or +0171-303-9669.

Artist Alert :Around the World

2009-02-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

Artist Alert

January 2009

Art, in any form, constitutes a key medium through which information and ideas are imparted and received. Artist Alert, launched by ARTICLE 19 in 2008, highlights cases of artists around the world whose right to freedom of expression has been curtailed and abused, and seeks to more effectively promote and defend freedom to create.

Thailand: beware imprisonment for authors mentioning head of state

Australian author and university lecturer Harry Nicolaides has now been sentenced to three years imprisonment for defaming the King of Thailand in his 2005 book.Nicolaides was arrested at Bangkok airport in 2008 under Article 112 of the Criminal Code and has pleaded guilty on charges of slandering the King. According to Nicolaides the book named Verisimilitude is a contextual political examination of Thailand.ARTICLE 19 reported on the case in Artist Alert: September 2008 and highlighted how the Thai authorities use lese majeste or “insulting the King” legislation to limit free speech in a country where the King is also the head of state.Nicolaides is not the first foreigner to be sentenced in Thailand under lese majeste. In 2007 a Swiss national was also given 10 years imprisonment for a similar reason.The Thai government decided in January to create an extraordinary Senate committee to continue to administer the restrictions on free speech, and block 10,000 websites deemed offensive under lese majeste legislation. The Foreign Ministry consequently agreed to build a public relations campaign through its embassies to educate foreigners about the restrictions.

Turkey: famous poet welcomed back after 45 years of exile
After receiving a petition with over 500,000 names Turkey has reinstated the citizenship of deceased poet Nazim Hikmet. Hikmet’s poems, plays and novels were banned and he was imprisoned for a decade before being exiled to the Soviet Union for alleged communist views in 1951. The Turkish government has acknowledged that the charges can no longer be considered a crime, and are in fact an illegitimate restriction of free expression.

China: artists detained for the Olympics are still imprisoned
Seven months after the end of the Beijing Olympics Chinese painter Wang Mingyue and photographer Jin Xiaohui are still imprisoned in Tuanhe forced labour camp under the pretext of “safeguarding the Olympic Games”. Wang and Jin, both alleged members of the banned organisation Falun Gong, were arrested in July 2008 in the run up to games along with many other activists and minority groups. Wang in particular is an internationally acclaimed painter and was asked to paint the portrait of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath.

Lebanon: Golden Globe winning film banned
Israeli film Waltz with Bashir has been banned in Lebanon despite documenting an important period of modern Lebanese history and winning a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. The film observes the 1982 killings of Palestinians in refugee camps that took place by Lebanese militias following the assassination of Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel. The film’s director Ari Folman also briefly examines the role of the Israeli government in the killings, as Lebanon was under Israeli occupation at the time. The ban is part of a larger prohibition of any goods that originate from Israel.

Mexico: publication reveals many fines for perverting traditional songs
The publication of the extent of fines imposed on broadcasters for playing Narcocorrido music in Mexico has revealed far higher levels of curbing than was previously assumed. Narco-corrido is a modern adaptation of a very popular oral tradition from northern Mexico that explores stories about the poor and destitute as well as criminal leaders, similar to some urban rap and hip-hop music. The music is banned in Mexico under the pretext that it glamorises criminals and aids in the recruitment of new gang members.

India: police guard Slumdog Millionaire from slums
Following the ransacking of a theatre in Bihar Indian police are guarding cinemas across eastern India. The protesters argue that the title of newly released film Slumdog Millionaire is derogatory toward the millions of people in India that reside in slums. Civil society activists have also filed public interest litigation against the film.

Yemen: singer faces trial again despite Presidential pardon
Yemeni comedian and singer Fahd al Qarni is yet again facing a court case for insulting President Ali Abdullah Saleh, despite a presidential pardon when the case was brought to court in 2008. Al Qarni’s music is a combination of traditional folk music laced with humour and political criticism of government policies. As the music was not authorised by Yemen’s Ministry of Culture, both vendors and al Qarni have been investigated and charged, and al Qarni was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and a fine in 2008 before being pardoned.

China: international authors call for release of Chinese dissident
International authors including Margaret Atwood, Wole Soyinka, Salman Rushdie and Ian McEwan have called for the release of well-known Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo. Liu is a former president of Chinese PEN and was arrested in December 2008 for his part in the production of a publication calling for reforms in China titled Charter 08. Liu, who originally spent years in prison for taking part in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing, is the only author of Charter 08 to have been arrested.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
• ARTICLE 19 considers that freedom to create is an essential attribute of freedom of expression, a fundamental human right. It is guaranteed under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) as follows: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.”

ARTICLE 19 considers that, in the absence of a specific intention to promote hatred or to commit a recognised criminal offence, censorship or criminal measures against artistic expression are illegitimate. We recognise that art may at times be offensive to some or even to many, but mere offence is not an appropriate threshold for curtailing freedom of expression.

• For more information: please contact Oliver Spencer, oliver@article19.org, +44 20 7278 9292

Rapid Response Assessment Mission to Nepal for the press freedom situation

2009-02-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

JOINT STATEMENT

International Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression Mission: Rapid Response Assessment Mission to Nepal

The International Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression Mission (also known as the International Media Mission) visited Nepal from 5 to 8 February to undertake a rapid response assessment of the press freedom situation in the country. The International Mission was represented by ARTICLE 19, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Media Support (IMS), International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), UNESCO and World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC).
Press freedoms in Nepal continue to face serious threat despite the hope that restoration of democratic rule would improve the situation. The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) recorded a staggering 342 press freedom violations in 2008 alone, including a significant escalation in the number of physical attacks on journalists and media houses. Four journalists - Uma Singh, J.P. Joshi, Birendra Sah and Pushkar Bahadur Shrestha - have been killed since 2006. The International Mission calls on the authorities to undertake prompt, independent and impartial investigation of these and all other cases of murder and disappearances of journalists.Another journalist, Prakash Singh Thakuri, has been missing since July 2007. Late last year the Government withdrew charges against the accused, who was earlier released on bail. Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, assured the International Mission that the case would be reopened. The International Mission also calls for an investigation into killing of Dekendra Thapa, after his remains were found last year.The International Mission is deeply worried over the attacks on media houses, including Kantipur, Himal Media, Ankush Daily, Ramaroshan FM and APCA Group. Such attacks on media workers, publications and property are unacceptable. Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions. Any substantive grievances over work conditions must be addressed through dialogue and negotiation. The International Mission is concerned that due process is not being observed in the cases against Rishi Dhamala, Ram Subhak Mahato, Birendra K.M., Manoj Mahato. The reported kidnapping of Pankaj Das in Birgunj whilst the International Mission was in the country must be swiftly followed-up by the authorities. The ongoing attacks, threats and harassment of media personnel and organisations are having a chilling effect on press freedom. Free and open debate is being undermined with journalists and media being forced into self-censorship, seriously jeopardising the peace and democratisation process currently underway in the country. A pattern in the attacks and harassment is discernible. Critical reporting is being met with violence and perpetrators go unpunished. The authorities are failing in their duty to prevent, punish and redress the harm caused by such attacks. The violations of journalists’ rights is a direct infringement of the public right to information. Furthermore, the links between political parties and some the perpetrators of these violent acts are a matter of serious concern and would indicate the acceptance, and possible complicity, of those political parties in the violence. The Nepali constitution and international covenants that Nepal is signatory to place a positive obligation on the State to prevent these abuses. Conditions for women journalists, already seriously underrepresented in the profession, are of particular concern as they are more vulnerable to attack and harassment, and are being forced to leave their work and sometimes to move away from home due to such pressures.The International Mission notes that as of now, not one person has been convicted for a criminal act against journalists and media houses, and calls on the Prime Minister and Government to follow-up their commitment to end impunity. Moreover, the International Mission demands that all acts of violence against journalists and the media end immediately. The International Mission urges the Government and political parties to implement the recommendations for freedom of expression and press freedom outlined in the Agenda for Change document as swiftly and fully as possible. Specifically, the International Mission draws attention to the following six points, which should be addressed in accordance with international standards and best practice:
· Guarantees of freedom of expression for all and press freedom must be enshrined in the new constitution;
· The Right to Information (RTI) Act should be properly enforced so as to give practical effect to the presumption in favour of disclosure;
· The Government should end control of media and introduce Public Service Broadcasting;
· An independent regulator for broadcasting should be created in place of direct government control;
· Criminal defamation should be abolished and defamation should be addressed only through civil law;
· The Working Journalists’ Act should be implemented and accompanied by regular dialogue between media workers and owners.
Furthermore, the International Mission urges the Constituent Assembly to form a committee to deal with the reforms outlines in the Agenda for Change, as well as to follow and respond to the press freedom situation in the country.The International Mission is convinced that all media stakeholders must rally around the common goal of safeguarding freedom of expression. The International Mission urges the international community to support the national media community in its efforts to defend press freedom. The International Mission remains committed to supporting and defending freedom of expression and press freedom in Nepal together with its national partners.

FURTHER INFORMATION:
• The International Mission travelled to Nepal in February 2009 with only two weeks notice on the request of the Federation of Nepali Journalists and other members of the Nepali media community. The International Mission met with the Prime Minister, Ministers, Constituent Assembly, leaders of Government and opposition political parties, heads of security agencies, media, and civil society organisations. Mission members also visited Janakpur in Dhanusha District, where the journalist Uma Singh was murdered on 11 January 2009. The International Mission incorporates fifteen international organisations, including UN agencies, global media associations, freedom of expression advocates and media development organisations. This is the sixth visit of the International Mission to Nepal, the previous trips being in July 2005, March 2006, September 2006, January 2008 and April 2008.The International Mission thanks the Federation of Nepali Journalists and other national media organisations involved in preparing and hosting the visit, acknowledging the importance of close cooperation with national stakeholders and ensuring a nationally-driven process for ensuring press freedom in Nepal• For more information please contact Sejal Parmar, ARTICLE 19: +44 20 7278 9292, sejal@article19.org, or Sukumar Muralidhara, International Federation of Journalists: +91 98105 18009, Sukumar.md@gmail.com, or Thomas Hughes, International Media Support: +45 2645 6563, th@i-m-s.dk

Mexico:review for the first time by the United Nations Human Rights Council

2009-02-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

9 February 2009
ARTICLE 19 Submits Report on Freedom of Expression in Mexico to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review

On the occasion of the fourth session of the Universal Periodic Review, which will examine Mexico for the first time, ARTICLE 19 submitted a report to the human rights council on the situation of freedom of expression, and the issue of impunity in the country.

Mexico will be reviewed for the first time by the United Nations Human Rights Council in the fourth session of the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva on Tuesday February 10th. The Review has been created as a mechanism to assess the situation of human rights in all member states. In the context of the mounting threats to freedom of expression in Mexico, ARTICLE 19 has submitted a report on the situation of the exercise of the right to Freedom of Expression. Mexico is currently considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world to practice journalism. In recent years the country has experienced an ever increasing number of cases of threats and violence against journalists. Of these crimes almost none have been brought to justice. ARTICLE19 considers the impunity that is allowed to prevail in the state as one of the most serious threats, not only to the right to freedom of expression but to all human rights. In the report published by ARTICLE19 the following conclusions are drawn on the major threats to freedom of expression in Mexico.
· The failure to address the impunity that currently prevails in the state is born out of lack of political will.
· In the past eight years at least twenty four journalists and media workers have been killed, eight are missing, and many more have been threatened and physically attacked in the practice of their profession
· The Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against journalists is in urgent need of reform, to strengthen and clarify its faculties.
· In spite of the fact that a number of new groups of perpetrators of crimes against journalists have emerged in the past few years, the authorities remain the principal aggressors of crimes against journalists and freedom of expression in Mexico.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• To see full text please visit: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/publications/report-on-the-situation-of-the-exercise-of-the-right-to-freedom-of-expressio.pdf • For more information, please contact Ricardo Gonzalez, ARTICLE 19 Mexico, at ricardo@article19.org, +55 11 30 57 00 42

Bahrain : Reform of Laws Aimed at Silencing Dissenting Voices

2009-02-11T09:19:00.000-08:00

9 February 2009
Bahrain: ARTICLE 19 Condemns the Targeting of Human Rights Activists and Calls for the Reform of Laws Aimed at Silencing Dissenting Voices

On 26 January 2009, three prominent Bahraini human rights activists Mr Hasan Mushaima, Secretary General of the Movement of Civil Liberties and Democracy (HAQ); Mr Mohamed Habib Al-Muqdad, a scholar and social activist; and Dr Abdul-Jalil Alsingace, Head of Human Rights Unit at HAQ, were arrested. Following almost nine hours of interrogation, Mr Mushaima and Mr Al-Muqdad were held in custody for further interrogation, while Dr Alsingace was released on bail and officially banned from travel out of Bahrain. The Public Prosecutor declared that he would take the necessary measures to pursue cases against them in the courts and prosecute them on charges related to the national security of Bahrain.All three activists are heavily involved in promoting human rights in Bahrain and in documenting cases of abuse. During the interrogation they were questioned about their human rights activism including publishing electronic articles and conducting speeches, seminars and presentations about human right abuses in Bahrain. They were also questioned about their involvement in HAQ, an unregistered grassroots organisation that campaigns for genuine democratic reforms, human rights and civil liberties. The activists were charged of “forming an organisation, outside the provisions of the law, which disrupts the Constitution or prevents any of the State enterprises or public authorities from exercising their duty”, “provoking hatred of the regime” and “inciting violence and the overthrow of the political system”.The first charge is referenced in Article 6 of Bahrain’s anti-terrorism law (Protecting Society from Terror Acts no. 58 of 2006) which states that those who establish an illegal organisation likely to disrupt the Constitution and laws, or prevent any State apparatus from performing its duties, are punishable by life imprisonment. The other two charges are based on the Bahrain Penal Code; promoting the overthrow of the regime by force punishable by five years imprisonment (Article 160) as well as instigating hatred against the regime, punishable by imprisonment of up to three years as per Article 165. The three activists deny all these allegations and consider their arrest and the charges to be politically motivated. In addition to recent interrogation, Dr Abdul-Jalil Alsingace, a prominent Bahrani blogger and critic of the Bahraini regime, has also been subject to a defamation media campaign, lead by state guided media and aimed at human rights defenders. This was following his participation in a debate on religious freedom in Bahrain in the US Congress in October, 2008. “The apparent arrest of three human rights activists for legitimate and peaceful human rights activities is highly deplorable. It is an attempt to silence opposition voices and signals further deterioration for freedom of Expression in Bahrain. ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned about articles in the Bahraini Penal Code and anti terrorism legislation that are used to deprive Bahrainis of the right to freedom of expression and calls for urgent legal reform” said Dr. Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19.ARTICLE 19 urges the Bahraini authorities to reverse this alarming trend of harassment against human rights activists. We call upon the Bahraini authorities to immediately release Mr. Hassan Mushaima and Mr. Mohammed Habib Almuqdad, withdraw all the charges related to their legitimate and peaceful activities and lift the travel ban against Dr. Abdul-Jalil Alsingace.ARTICLE 19 reminds the authorities that Bahrain acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2006 and calls upon the government of Bahrain to reform those provisions in the Penal Code and anti-terrorism legislation that flagrantly violate Bahrain’s international human rights commitments on freedom of expression.

FURTHER INFORMATION:
• For more information: please contact Hoda Rouhana, Programme Officer for Middle East and North Africa, hoda@article19.org,+44 20 7278 9292 PRESS RELEASE

Brazil: Newspaper building attacked in Campinas

2009-01-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

Brazil: Newspaper building attacked in Campinas

On 22 January 2009,

A grenade was thrown at a window of one of the buildings of Rede Anhanguera de Comunicação (RAC) in Campinas. The news group owns a number of newspapers in the State of Sao Paulo, including Correio Popular in Campinas.
Three men approached an RAC building located in Vila Industrial at around 9pm on 22 January. One of them broke a window and threw in a grenade, but the window was protected by bars so that the grenade did not enter the building but instead fell outside, close to the sidewalk. A couple of hours after the attack, RAC’s telephone operator received a call from an unidentified woman saying, “this is only the beginning”. In the end, the grenade failed to explode and no one was hurt in the incident. There were, however, around 100 people in the building at the time of the attack and some 230 employees are there during regular working hours. A police file has been opened on the attack.
The motive for the attach is unclear, although some media reports have noted that it happened on the evening of the day Correio Popular published an article about a prisoner in the regional penitentiary with alleged links to the criminal organisation Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). The prisoner is a suspect in the case of the 2001 murder of the mayor of Campinas.

ARTICLE 19 believes that attacks against journalists and media are far more common in Brazil than is commonly thought and many cases, particularly those from smaller towns and cities, are not widely reported. ARTICLE 19 condemns this attack as an attack not only on RAC, but on the right of all Brazilians to seek and receive information freely. We urge the authorities to investigate the attack fully and to do all within their power to bring those responsible to justice. We also call on the authorities to take measures to ensure the security of RAC’s facilities in Campinas and other cities, particularly in light of the threats against it.

NOTES TO EDITORS For more information, please contact Paula Martins, § paula@article19.org, +55 11 3057 0071.