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

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.
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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

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.

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.

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

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/

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

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

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

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

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

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.”