PRESS FREEDOM DETERIORATING IN NEPAL

PRESS FREEDOM DETERIORATING IN NEPAL'S NEW DEMOCRACY, SAYS INTERNATIONAL MISSION

Last month, Uma Singh, a Nepali reporter, was stabbed repeatedly by a gang of around 15 unidentified men in her home in Janakpur, southern Nepal. To this day, no motive has been identified, although IFEX members fear she may have been targeted for her work. Some of her articles made waves in the region, particularly those in which she criticised the caste and dowry system or the ongoing violence in the Terai region, where armed groups have been fighting for the establishment of an autonomous Madhesi state.
Singh's death sparked an emergency international media mission to Nepal on 5-8 February, which found that press freedom in Nepal continues to be threatened - despite the hope that democratic rule introduced last year would improve the situation.
The International Media Mission, hosted by the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and other Nepali media organisations, called on the authorities to undertake prompt, independent and impartial investigations into Singh's case, and all cases of attacks on journalists.
According to FNJ, a staggering 342 press freedom violations were recorded in 2008, including a significant escalation in the number of physical attacks on journalists and media houses whose perpetrators go unpunished. This does not so much represent a rise in attacks on the media but a change in the nature of the attacks, more of which are being committed by non-state actors, says ARTICLE 19.
"The authorities are failing in their duty to prevent, punish and redress the harm caused by such attacks," said the mission. "The links between political parties and some of 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."
Take the case of journalist, Prakash Singh Thakuri, who has been missing since July 2007. Late last year the government withdrew charges against his accused kidnapper, who was released on bail.
Likewise, the mission raised its concerns over the detention of Reporters' Club President Rishi Dhamala, saying that the administration failed to adhere to proper legal procedures while detaining Dhamala and three other journalists.
The mission also reports that not a single person has been convicted for a criminal act against journalists and media houses.
The mission says the ongoing attacks are having a chilling effect on press freedom, with journalists and media being forced into self-censorship, "seriously jeopardising the peace and democratisation process currently underway in the country."
Conditions for women journalists like Singh, already seriously underrepresented in the profession, are of particular concern, says the mission, as they are more vulnerable to attack. They are being forced to leave their work and sometimes to move away from home due to such pressures.
In a meeting with the mission delegates, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal assured them that Thakuri's case would be reopened. He said the recent attacks on journalists and the culture of impunity are the legacy of the 10-year-old conflict to overthrow the institution of monarchy, and maintained that his government is committed to a free press, which will be reflected in the new constitution.
But former Prime Minister and main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) President Giirja Prasad said otherwise. In a separate meeting with the mission, he accused the current Maoist-led government of remaining "a mute-spectator to continuing attacks on the press" and said the country was no different now than under the totalitarian rule of former monarch Gyanendra Shah.
The mission is urging the government and political parties to implement its recommendations as outlined in "An Agenda for Change", a comprehensive programme for media reform in Nepal prepared by an expert panel of media professionals, legal practitioners, civil society leaders and lawmakers - a joint initiative of FNJ, ARTICLE 19 and Freedom Forum.
Some of the 60 recommendations include the guarantee of free expression and press freedom in the new constitution and in line with international human rights standards, government action to protect journalists, proper enforcement of the Right to Information Act, the abolishment of criminal defamation, and the creation of a committee to deal with reforms outlined in the document.
The International Mission is made up of 15 international organisations. On the latest visit, the mission was represented by ARTICLE 19, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC), International Media Support (IMS) and UNESCO.

Visit these links:- Mission statement: http://tinyurl.com/dllaor- "An Agenda for Change": http://tinyurl.com/c9uwmb- IFEX Nepal page: http://tinyurl.com/3ykcoq- ekantipur.com, "PM Dahal asks not to doubt gov't commitment on free press": http://www.ekantipur.com/kolnews.php?&nid=179034- sindhtoday.net, "International Media Mission visits Nepal": http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/60328.htm
(Photo of Uma Singh, courtesy of IPI)
(11 February 2009)

CPJ letter to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal

Nepal : 18 February 2009

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Person(s

CPJ letter to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal:
February 17, 2009
Rt. Honorable Prime Minister of Nepal,

Pushpa Kamal Dahal

Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

Singh Durbar Kathmandu Nepal

Dear Prime Minister Dahal:
On December 29, your government signed an agreement with local press freedom group the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), ending a week of protest by journalists against a series of attacks on media outlets which peaked in late December. That agreement promised that those attacks would be addressed.
Yet nearly two months on, conditions for journalists continue to deteriorate. Your government must urgently address the climate of impunity for violence against journalists that threatens Nepal's media.
Involvement by cadres of your Maoists' Unified Communist Party of Nepal or their supporters is suspected in the 2008 murder of Janadisha editor and Maoist activist J.P. Joshi, who reported on local party disputes, and the 2007 killing of Birendra Shah in Bara district, central Nepal. Local journalists and civil society groups investigating January's brutal killing of radio and print journalist Uma Singh, in Janakpur in the Terai plains region, now suspect local Maoists had a hand in her death, too. Among other suggested motives, including a family dispute over land, Nepal's National Human Rights Commission suspects she was silenced by Maoist workers, who allegedly abducted and murdered her father and brother in 2006, according to the My Republica news Web site.
Nepal places eighth on CPJ's Impunity Index, which tallies countries that consistently fail to prosecute journalist murders. As the leader of the coalition government, and as head of your party, you have a unique responsibility for reversing this trend. We urge you to obtain justice in older murder cases, such as that of Dailekh district's state Radio Nepal correspondent Dekendra Raj Thapa, who many local journalists believe was murdered by Maoists in August 2004. Although Thapa's body was discovered and exhumed last year, his killers have not yet been brought to justice.
Non-fatal but nonetheless gravely serious attacks on the press are reported with alarming frequency by media outlets and local press freedom groups throughout Nepal. Often targeting Nepali-language media and taking place outside the capital, Kathmandu, these incidents do not always draw the attention of the international community. Fear of repetition or escalation of these attacks breeds self-censorship among journalists, who sometimes avoid publicizing violent acts beyond their local communities.
Kathmandu-based newspapers are emphasizing the climate of fear building in the media community nationwide as reports of these attacks accumulate. "Things were never this bad for the Nepali media: not in the conflict years, not even during the royal emergency," according to Kailali district FNJ leader Dirgharaj Upadhyay in a recent Nepali Times editorial. "It was much easier to fight the ham-handed autocrat king," veteran journalist Kanak Mani Dixit wrote on My Republica, highlighting "an infrastructure of impunity and absence of accountability that is more entrenched than ever before."
When your government acknowledges these incidents, it denies involvement. Yet unpunished violence by Maoist sympathizers contributes to an environment in which acts of aggression against journalists - whether overtly politicized or otherwise - appear to be sanctioned by your leadership. Both the frequency and the methods used in attacks carried out by your supporters provide a model for those undertaken by other political and criminal groups. This seriously undermines the rule of law, and negates your public efforts to negotiate peace with militant groups in the Terai region. They, in turn, embrace the same tactics.
In public comments you all but dismissed December's attack on the offices of the prominent publisher Himalmedia in Lalitpur, near Kathmandu, carried out by a group described in local news reports as Maoist trade unionists. Two days after that attack, members of a youth group belonging to the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist - a member of your coalition government - set fire to thousands of copies of Ankush daily in Parsa district, according to local news reports. The group stormed the paper's offices after it published an article about the party's local government representative. "You can't publish whatever you like," they told the staff, according to a report on the Kantipur Online Web site.
This week, a group of students followed that approach. "We could do anything against those writing and airing news against us," the students, who were not given a political affiliation in published reports, told staff at Tinau FM radio in Rupandehi district when they seized control of station offices for an hour on February 10, according to Kantipur Online. They had taken issue with a news item about a student charged with vandalism, according to Kantipur and the local branch of the Federation of Nepali Journalists. The same day, students also broke into the offices of Mechikali newspaper, where they burned 1,000 copies of the newspaper for carrying the same story, according to the reports.
"Five journalists around the country presently face credible death threats," Dixit wrote on February 2 for My Republica. His brother, Kunda Dixit, was among those targeted in the Himalmedia attack. On February 3, journalists in Saptari district in the Terai plains staged a protest against the local administration for failing to arrest an activist belonging to a local Terai armed group. Jitendra Khadka, a local correspondent for Kantipur Publications, said a person identifying himself as the activist had threatened to kill him over a report he had written about a clash between the group's supporters and local businessmen, but police did not follow up. Saptari journalists have since censored stories about armed groups, according to a My Republica report. "There [has] never been such widespread self-censorship here," according to the Republica report, published February 10 from Janakpur in the wake of Uma Singh's murder. "Panic-stricken women journalists in the region are starting to quit their profession," according to a Kantipur Online report on February 11.
Until your government takes the lead to instigate thorough investigations and prosecutions of attacks on journalists, anyone with a grievance against the media will be emboldened to terrorize news outlets and their staff. If the media succumbs to this intimidation, the country's attempts to establish democracy will have proven a failure. Justices at the Patan Appellate Court awarded 15,000 rupees (US$200) in compensation to journalist Mina Tiwari Sharma on February 10 after determining she was wrongfully held in 2002 during the state of emergency declared by the former king of Nepal, according to local news reports. The editor of Eikyavaddatha newspaper was held along with several journalists accused of links with Maoist groups. During Nepal's decade-long civil war, many news outlets strove for objectivity, incorporating the then-rebel Maoist viewpoint, to the point where it endangered their security.
Bringing justice to individual journalists who were imprisoned in the past is an appropriate way for your government to redress these wrongs. The same applies to present-day crimes against the press. Prosecute those who attack journalists, across the political and social spectrum, so that journalists who express the same objectivity today are not persecuted. We look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Joel Simon

Executive Director
CC:Minister for Information and Communication,

Krishna Bahadur

RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Similar appeals can be sent to:
Rt. Honorable Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal

Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

Singh DurbarKathmandu, Nepal
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
For further information on the agreement signed between FNJ and the government in December 2008, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/99571/

Yemen: Fahd al Qarni faces charges of “insulting Yemeni President

Yemen: ARTICLE 19 and Hood Condemn Renewed Prosecution of Singer-Comedian on Charges of “Insulting the President”

Yemeni comedian and singer Fahd al Qarni is due before court tomorrow to face yet more charges of “insulting Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh”. These repeated charges come following a Presidential pardon that al Qarni received in September 2008 for the exact same “crime”. The pardon quashed the previous sentence of 18 months imprisonment and a fine of YR500,000 (approximately US$2,500) pronounced on 9 July 2008.
“The targeting of Fahd al Qarni under the exact same charges again is a clear example of the censoring of artists who use their medium, in this case through songs and comedy, as a tool to criticise politics. This is a clear violation of the right of an artist to freely express him/herself through his/her art without fear of prosecution” said Agnes Callamard, Executive Director ARTICLE 19. The new charges date back to September 2006 and concern cassette tapes produced by al Qarni that contain traditional folk compositions combining comedy and criticism of government policies. These compositions were not authorised by the Ministry of Culture and in July 2006, members of the Criminal Investigations Bureau arrested six vendors of al Qarni’s cassette in an effort to curtail its circulation. ARTICLE 19 and Hood strongly condemn the Yemeni authorities targeting of Fahd Al Qarni which is perceived to be a politically motivated response to his vocal stance against corruption in Yemen. ARTICLE 19 and Hood call for the repeated charges to be dropped against al Qarni in light of his presidential pardon. The presidential pardon should apply to both cases as the charges are the same. ARTICLE 19 and Hood urge the Yemeni government to reaffirm its commitment to the protection of human rights though its actions. This commitment was set out clearly in the National Reform Agenda, adopted by the government in 2006. Yemen has also ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and is therefore obliged as a matter of international law to respect the right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the ICCPR. Yemen has also acceded to the Arab Charter on Human Rights which, under Article 32, guarantees the right to information and free expression.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
• For more information: please contact Hoda Rouhana, Programme Officer for MiddleEast and North Africa, hoda@article19.org, +44 20 7278 9292• For more information: please contact Ahmed Amran, The secretary of the executive director, Hood, arman@hoodonline.org, +967 1 212518• Hood is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization. It was established in 1998 by lawyers, people working in the media, and MPs, all of whom are activists in human rights issues and the law. Hood is considered one of the first frontline organizations working to defend human rights in Yemen

Mexico:Special Prosecutor of Crimes Against Journalists

Mexico: ARTICLE 19 Reports on the Ineffectiveness of the Office of the Special Prosecutor of Crimes Against Journalists
Mexico City:

ARTICLE 19 launched on 13 February 2009 an in-depth analysis of the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Journalists (FEADP).

Entitled Empty Words: the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Journalists, the report is the product of a year of research and analysis of the workings and deficiencies of the institution. The report is a follow up to ARTICLE 19’s submission to the Human Rights Council‘s Universal Periodic Review of Mexico last week in Geneva.During the first review of Mexico by the Human Rights Council, a number of delegations raised concerns about the FEDAP – the body currently dealing with the increasingly violent situation of freedom of expression in the State. Various delegations highlighted the need to strengthen the FEADP so that it can effectively investigate the aggressions and assassinations of journalists and media workers. Since 2000, 29 journalists have been killed in Mexico and a further eight remain missing. Many more have been subjected to threats and physical aggressions. Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries to practice journalism in Latin America.The FEADP was established in 2006 to address these killings and aggressions. To date, the institution has achieved little, and none of the crimes against journalists have been solved. This can largely be attributed to a lack of political will, and the poor capacities of the FEADP to investigate. “Under the FEADP’s mandate, the scope of prosecution and protection are limited and ambiguous. Failure to address these issues is not only allowing impunity to prevail, but in fact promoting it.” said Darío Ramirez, Director of ARTICLE 19 in Mexico and Central America. The impunity for such crimes in Mexico is the greatest threat, not only to freedom of expression, but to human rights as a whole. ARTICLE 19’s report points the need for comprehensive reform and makes the following recommendations for the strengthening of the FEADP and clarification of its capacities, all of which require political resolve to be implemented:


To change the remit of FEADP so that it is not limited to protect freedom of the press but that it also recognises and protects the right to freedom of expression as a whole

To ensure the federal government is legally competent to investigate and sanction crimes against freedom of expression

To incorporate FEADP into the formal legal structure of the General Attorney’s Office, thereby making it directly accountable to them

To work to ensure that FEADP is meeting its obligations in the area of transparency and accountability. It must also ensure that public interest information related to the institution is proactively disclosed

To undertake to train employees of FEADP to better care for victims and cater to their needs

To explore the possibilities of taking advantage of the recent reform of the justice system to better protect the right to freedom of expression
The Mexican Government admitted in Geneva earlier this week that freedom of expression is one of the major human rights issues currently on the agenda in Mexico. In accordance with concerns expressed by the international community, ARTICLE19 calls on the Mexican State to take on board these recommendations in order to strengthen freedom of expression in the country and fight the culture of impunity that has been allowed to develop.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• For more information: please contact Ricardo Gonzalez, ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America, at ricardo@article19.org, + 55 11 30 57 00 42

Concerned About the ICTY Attempts to Silence its Staff

10 February 2009
ARTICLE 19 Concerned About the ICTY Attempts to Silence its Staff

ARTICLE 19 urges the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia to take international standards on freedom of expression into account and to balance concerns for confidentiality and the importance of transparency in the case against Florence Hartmann. In particular, we call on the Court not to convict her if an overriding risk of harm to the administration of justice is not established.
In February 2009, the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) will hear the case against Florence Hartmann, who worked from 2000-2006 as spokesperson for then ICTY chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte. Hartmann is charged with “knowingly and wilfully disclosing information in knowing violation of a Court order”. In her book, Peace and Punishment, published in September 2007, Hartmann allegedly disclosed information relating to the case of Slobodan Milošević before the ICTY. The ICTY had agreed to maintain confidentiality regarding the archives of Serbia’s Supreme Defence Council related to Srebrenica massacre. Access to the archives was sought in a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). That case involved allegations by Bosnia and Herzegovina that the then Federation of Serbia and Montenegro were responsible for direct involvement in the Srebrenica massacre, which both the ICTY and the ICJ had found to constitute genocide.ARTICLE 19 recognizes that there can be tensions between the principles of freedom expression and openness, and the need for some degree of confidentiality to protect the administration of justice. A careful balance needs to be struck in these cases and any restrictions must be justified as necessary in a democratic society. The freedom of expression aspect of this case means that it cannot be based simply on whether or not Hartmann committed a formal breach of the rules. ARTICLE 19 believes that this case raises critical issues in relation to preserving this balance. The information disclosed by Hartmann relates to the role and responsibility of international bodies in bringing justice to victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is a topic of very significant public importance, which therefore warrants strong protection as an exercise of freedom of expression. At the same time, the ICTY’s interest in maintaining confidentiality in order to secure the co-operation of States is clearly a legitimate aim. In assessing the appropriate balance to be struck in this case, the ICTY should carefully assess the extent of the risk of harm involved. In particular, it should look at whether a failure to convict Hartmann really does pose a risk that other States will refuse to cooperate with it by providing sensitive information. If there is little or no solid evidence that such harm will result, the criminal measures against Hartmann cannot be justified. This case also raises an issue of conflict of interest. The ICTY is effectively standing in judgement in a case which involves its own interests and in which it is the institution aggrieved by the alleged violation. Conflict of interest issues in analogous contexts, for example in contempt of court cases, have been recognised by some national courts. At a minimum, the ICTY should recognise this implicit conflict of interest and take such measures as may be possible taken to minimise it.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• For more information: please contact Barbora Bukovska, Senior Legal Director, at barbora@article19.org, +44 20 7278 9292

Read more : http://greatersurbiton.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/florence-hartmann-indicted-hague-tribunal-tries-to-silence-a-whistleblower/

Brazil: Lula to Decriminalise Unlicensed Community Radios

10 February 2009
Brazil: Lula to Decriminalise Unlicensed Community Radios

In January 2009, Brazilian President Lula sent a bill to Congress which would decriminalise the operation of a community radio without a license. This is a long-standing demand by community radio associations and freedom of expression organisations in Brazil.
ARTICLE 19 has in its work repeatedly highlighted the obligation on States to promote pluralism and diversity in the media, as an aspect of the right to freedom of expression. International law recognises the important contribution that community broadcasting, along with commercial and public service broadcasters, can make to realising media pluralism. We therefore welcome this initiative. At the same time, we note that far more needs to be done to create a proper enabling environment for public interest broadcasting in Brazil. Current Brazilian regulatory policies and practices are not conducive to the development of community broadcasting. Thousands of community radios around the country are waiting to receive a license, in part due to the lengthy and inefficient licensing process, which is not adapted to their needs or situation, and in part due to the fact that an inadequate number of licences have been allocated for community radio use. Community radios still face potential civil or administrative measures for operating without a licence, which can also have a harsh impact on them. Data provided by the Federal Police in 2007 indicate that by August 2007, 1,800 community radios had been closed down and had their equipment confiscated, and many individuals have been criminally charged for operating ‘illegal’ radios. There are many accounts of intimidation and violence by police officers and other authorities relating to these closures.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the Brazilian government to undertake a comprehensive reform of the regulatory regime for broadcasting, including creating an enabling environment for community broadcasters. Urgent measures should also be taken to speed up the processing of existing licence applications.
NOTES TO EDITORS: • For more information: please contact Paula Martins at paula@article19.org, +55 11 3057 0042.

HRC recommendations on freedom of expression : Mexico

11 February 2009 -

ARTICLE 19 Welcomes the Human Rights Council’s Criticisms of Mexico’s Handling of the Aggressions and Assassinations of Journalists
On the occasion of the Human Rights Council’s examination of Mexico as part of the Universal Periodic Review, ARTICLE19 welcomes the international condemnation of the dangers facing journalists in the country.

The Mexican government, through the Minister of the Interior Fernando Gómez Mont, listed the following achievements of the Federal Government in their efforts to address issues preventing the exercise of freedom of expression, including freedom of the press, in the country.

1) Decriminalisation of defamation at federal level.
2) General Attorneys Office’s Initiative to “federalize” responses to crimes against journalists
3) Security measures against organized criminal gangs, who according to the government are the principal perpetrators of crimes against journalists.

Delegations present at the HRC’s session pointed out repeatedly that the Mexican government needed to take more concrete measures to eliminate impunity in cases of aggressions against journalists and in particular that it should strengthen the body responsible for prosecuting such crimes, namely the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes against Journalists (FEADP). The delegations also recommended that Mexico thoroughly investigates the aggressions and assassinations that are currently taking place, creates programmes to effectively prevent such crimes, and works towards ensuring a federal level response (as opposed to state level) to crimes against freedom of expression as a whole.ARTICLE19 urges the Mexican Government to accept and comply with the HRC recommendations on freedom of expression and other vital human rights issues. In particular, ARTICLE 19 calls on the Mexican government to:

1) Harmonize local legislation with the federal reform on the decriminalisation of defamation. At the moment, defamation remains a criminal offence in 22 states. The gap between the federal reform and state-level law and legal practices must be addressed immediately and effectively;
2) Immediately create a programme of protection and prevention of aggressions against journalists.
Finally, ARTICLE 19 urges the Congress of the Union to federalize the crimes against freedom of expression as a whole and without delay, in order to effectively combat corruption and impunity.

NOTES TO EDITORS
• Under the Universal Periodic Review process, governments may submit a report on the fulfillment of their human rights obligations to be reviewed by the Human Rights Council. Government then participates in a dialogue with other states to present their report and answer questions from other states. Civil society organizations such as ARTICLE 19 may submit their own contributions to the UPR process to inform the review.

• For more information, please contact Ricardo Gonzalez, ARTICLE 19 Mexico, at ricardo@article19.org, + 55 11 30 57 00 42

Stop the Harassment of Ghada Jamsheer

Bahrain: ARTICLE 19 Calls for the End of the Harassment of Ghada Jamsheer

ARTICLE 19 has written to Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King of Bahrain, asking him to ensure that women’s rights activist, Ghada Jamsheer, is protected from harassment and guaranteed her right to free expression.
Jamsheer is leader of the Women’s Petition Committee which works to protect women and advocate for improved women’s rights in the country’s sharia courts. She has been repeatedly harassed in the course of her work and has been effectively banned from the country’s media since 2007. In November 2008, while attending the AWID (Association for Women’s Rights in Development) Conference in South Africa, Jamsheer’s home was reportedly entered by a state security agent and detailed photographs were taken of her residence. Her house phone, mobile phone and email account were also reportedly put under surveillance.After reporting this incident to the police, Ms Jamsheer’s 74-year-old mother and sister were then accused by the police of attacking the state security agent. They are now facing court proceedings. Rather than the legitimate process of justice, this appears to be another attempt to intimidate Ms Jamsheer.Ghada Jamsheer and her family have also received threatening text messages and have allegedly been followed by a car.

Jamsheer is unable to publish any articles or obtain any media coverage under a reported media ban issued by His Excellency Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, Minister of the Royal Court.

“The harassment campaign and the media ban against Ghada Jamsheer are directly related to her legitimate work in the defence of women’s rights in Bahrain and is a clear violation of her right to freedom of expression and of the freedom of the press in Bahrain,” comments Dr Agnès Callamard, Executive Director, ARTICLE 19. “It undermines much needed debate in Bahrain and, in particular, silences women’s voices and discourages their participation in civil society.”
In the letter to the Bahraini monarch, ARTICLE 19 expressed its concerns about the physical and psychological welfare of Ghada Jamsheer and her family, and urged the authorities to restore freedom of expression, including freedom of the press, by lifting the ban and putting a stop to all intimidation of human rights defenders in Bahrain.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• For more information, please contact Hoda Rouhana, MENA Programme Officer at hoda@article19.org or +44 20 7278 9292.

JOURNALIST MURDERED; ANOTHER SURVIVES SHOOTING

VENEZUELA: JOURNALIST MURDERED; ANOTHER SURVIVES SHOOTING

A journalist who recently covered drug trafficking in Venezuela was assassinated last week, report the Institute for Press and Society (IPYS),the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Reporters Without Borders(RSF) and other IFEX members. He was slain just three days after the attempted murder of another journalist in southwestern Venezuela. Two men on a motorbike shot to death Orel Sambrano, the editor of the political weekly "ABC" in Valencia, Carabobo on 16 January as he was getting out of his car. Sambrano was also vice-president of the privately-owned Radio América radio station, a columnist for the regional daily "Notitarde", and a lawyer. Sambrano had recently covered several drug trafficking stories, including a case involving the Makleds, an influential family in the region and the subject of an investigation by the national prosecutor's office after 400kilograms of cocaine was found in their home last year. According to IPYS, Carabobo's National Journalists' Association decreed a state of emergency following Sambrano's murder due to the risks faced by journalists in the region. The murder of Sambrano came just three days after the attempted murder of Rafael Finol of the privately-owned daily "El Regional". Finol was grazed by a bullet on 13 January in Acarigua, southwestern Venezuela as he was leaving the office with colleagues, say IFEX members.
According to RSF, Finol said he was attacked for political reasons. "I knew this would happen after the recent interview I had with President Chávez,"he said. "It was the work of the extreme right, who want to kill me." Finolis an avowed supporter of the President. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling for a swift and thorough investigation, especially in the current political climate. Lastweek, the National Assembly approved a constitutional amendment that would allow Chávez to run for indefinite re-election. The reform will be voted onin a popular referendum as early as 15 February. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) says the attacks are part of a pattern of serious violations of press freedom in Venezuela this month. According to IFJ, a young graphic reporter, Jacinto López, was killed on 1January and his partner and fellow graphic journalist Ricardo Marapacuto injured in Barquisimeto, Lara, in an attack that was blamed on general crime. IFJ blames the attitude of law enforcement authorities for their failure to act against the behaviour of violent groups, allegedly associated with government sectors that publicly declare journalists and communication professionals as military targets.

Visit these links:- IAPA: http://tinyurl.com/8uxa7y- CPJ: http://tinyurl.com/938rjm- IFJ:
http://tinyurl.com/7qcquj- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=30020- International PEN Writers in Prison Committee: http://tinyurl.com/a24kd7- IPYS on Sambrano: http://tinyurl.com/ad3ztf

http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/August/200608301633031xeneerg0.4484369.html

U.S.: IFEX MEMBERS IN U.S. URGE OBAMA

U.S.: IFEX MEMBERS IN U.S. URGE OBAMA TO REAFFIRM LEADERSHIP IN HUMANRIGHTS
New U.S. President Barack Obama must retake leadership of the global agenda that has been hijacked by "spoiler" states like China, Egypt and Russia, and put human rights at the heart of it, said Human Rights Watch in issuing its annual world report. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) voiced a similar sentiment in a letter to Obama. "The Obama administration must undo the enormous damage caused by the Bush administration and begin to restore the U.S. government's reputation and effectiveness as a human rights defender," said the report. Human Rights Watch said the change must begin in Washington, with steps such as closing the Guantanamo Bay military detention centre, ending coercive interrogation of terrorism suspects and detention without trial,and seeking membership of the UN Human Rights Council. "Changing U.S. policy on how to fight terrorism is an essential place to start," said the report. "It's not only wrong but ineffectual to commit abuses in the name of fighting terrorism or to excuse abuses by repressive governments simply because they're thought to be allies in countering terror." Human Rights Watch said the "spoilers", governments opposing basic rights, such as Algeria, China, Egypt, Pakistan and Russia, had rushed to fill a vacuum left by controversial U.S. policies. These governments often "set the human rights agenda in international forums" and deflected international scrutiny away from their own or their allies' violations. Democracies are also singled out, such as South Africa for failing to address the crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe, and India for not addressing repression in Burma out of political solidarity or economic interests. The best way to successfully defend human rights is to lead by example, say Human Rights Watch and CPJ. "Journalists in many countries who risk their lives and liberty upholding the values of free expression look to the United States for support," CPJ wrote to Obama in a letter dated 12 January. "To assert moral authority we must first put our own house in order." CPJ focuses on how Obama can lead specifically in press freedom. CPJ urges Obama to end the U.S. military's practice of open-ended detention of journalists, and to investigate fully the deaths of journalists from U.S.forces' fire. According to CPJ, the detention without trial of journalists has reduced the U.S.'s standing in the world and "may have contributed to the over all global increase in jailed journalists by emboldening the many tyrants who look for pretext or justification to throw critical journalists in jail. " U.S. allies and close friends such as Azerbaijan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco and Pakistan are among the 10 countries where press freedom has most deteriorated, says CPJ. Fourteen journalists have been held for prolonged periods of time without due process in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo. Ibrahim Jassam, a freelance photographer working for Reuters who was detained on 2 September by U.S. forces in Baghdad, is still behind bars. The practice violates the U.S. military's own commitment to review journalist cases within 36 hours of detention, says CPJ. CPJ is also hoping that the Obama administration will commit the military to fully investigate the killing of journalists at the hands of U.S.forces. According to CPJ, at least 16 journalists have died and others havebeen seriously wounded by U.S. forces' fire in Iraq since 2003. The handfulof investigations that were carried out by the U.S. military authorities exonerated the soldiers involved in each case, says CPJ. Read the letter here: http://tinyurl.com/9cqnyy
Human Rights Watch's "World Report 2009" documents ongoing human rightsabuses by states and non-state armed groups in 90 countries, including attacks on civilians in conflicts, political repression, and violations by governments trying to curb terrorism, among others.
Read the 564-page report here: http://tinyurl.com/7z7x53 Individual country reports will be uploaded to the IFEX website.

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA: SMEAR CAMPAIGN

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA: GOVERNMENTS RESORT TO NEW TYPE OF SMEAR CAMPAIGN
Governments in the Middle East have taken their smear campaigns to a new level, planting news, adverts and paid-for editorials discrediting journalists and free expression advocates in foreign papers as well as the local press, report the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG) and IFEX members. According to Rohan Jayasekera of Index on Censorship, who is also TMG's chair, the most brazen practitioner of this kind of propaganda is Tunisia, which has unleashed a storm of such material apparently in reaction to the way Tunisia's appalling human rights record has been exposed internationally.

In the most recent case, former Tunisian diplomat Khaled Ben Said was jailed on torture charges for eight years in France in December. At the same time, one of the leading witnesses for the prosecution, journalist and free expression campaigner Sihem Bensedrine, was herself the target of a propaganda attack, says TMG. The government claimed impropriety in her funding relationships with international donors - even though her donors and partners are on public record confirming Bensedrine's due diligence. The claims appeared in state-owned and state-sponsored news organisations. But more surprisingly, international news agency United Press International (UPI) reprinted the accusations and the story was widely circulated in Arabic and French. Jayasekera says the purpose was to discredit Bensedrine, a staunch human rights defender whose magazine "Kalima" is banned in Tunisia and who has been both jailed and beaten by security forces because of her criticism of the authorities.

TMG members urged UPI "to protect its reputation by making appropriate amends, and for the agency to take steps to ensure it is not embroiled in this kind of state disinformation again.
" In Egypt the pro-government daily "Rosa al-Yousef" published a quarter-page advertisement filled with allegations defaming Bensedrine and topped by a photo of Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, reported the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI).

The head of ANHRI, Gamal Eid, has been defamed in the same paper. "We are used to these campaigns and attacks being waged against us," said ANHRI and 18 other Egyptian human rights groups in a joint statement."However, what angers us is how they tarnish the name of a once great media institution that… helped to create freedom of the press in Egypt." The pro-government Egyptian press has long used this tactic at home. Human rights and democracy advocates Hisham Kassem, Ayman Nour and Saad Edine Ibrahim have all been slandered after they raised Egypt's human rights record on the international stage, says Jayasekera.

A study by the rights organisation Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence in Egypt revealed increasing human rights abuses by journalists against their own kind. The study, covering the period from February 2007 to January 2008, confirmed that "Rosa al-Yousef" was ranked first in Egypt at printing articles that intimidate and insult other newspapers and journalists. The critical paper "Al Masry El Youm" and its editor, Magdi al-Gallad, and the famous opposition weekly "Al Dustour" and its editor, Ibrahim Issa,were among the favourite targets of "Rosa al-Yousef" and other Egyptian papers known for turning their backs on journalism ethics.

See results of the study here: http://tinyurl.com/9orul9 English version: http://tinyurl.com/89lnn4

Meanwhile, in Bahrain, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) has reported a slandering media campaign against seven human rights defenders, including former president of BCHR Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. A group of 14 youth activists, currently facing charges of planning to carry out acts of terrorism, named the seven well-known human rights defenders as the instigators and trainers of the plans. According to the youths' lawyers,the detainees showed signs of ill-treatment and torture during interrogation. But the accusations were repeated without reservation in all the major Bahrain dailies and government-owned and run TV networks. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), fears that rights defenders have been slandered to deter them from defending Shi'a minority rights, and is asking for supporters to write to the authorities expressing concern that the activists were framed.

See: http://tinyurl.com/7uyulv This strategy of blurring the lines between truthful reporting, unattributed opinion and propaganda, coordinated to serve a political objective, is also being extensively developed by the U.S. in Iraq, despite domestic legal restraints and strong ethical opposition, says Jayasekera. According to Jayasekera, the responsibility of separating truth from lies rests on journalists. "They should treat false reports with healthy scepticism and always question the motive behind the message," he says. "In today's high-volume, high-speed media environment it has never been more important to ask not only 'Is this person telling me the truth?' but also to ask 'Why is he telling me this?'"

Visit these links:- Jayasekera's op-ed, published in "The Daily Star", Lebanon: http://tinyurl.com/7o7den- TMG: http://campaigns.ifex.org/tmg/- ANHRI: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/99843/- BCHR: http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/2661 AFRICA

DOHA CENTRE OFFERS ASSISTANCE FOR MEDIA AT RISK

DOHA CENTRE OFFERS ASSISTANCE FOR MEDIA AT RISK

Journalists and media outlets in danger are invited to apply for support from the Doha Centre for Media Freedom, a relatively new international freedom of expression organisation based in Qatar and run by the former head of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Robert Ménard.

The centre provides assistance to imprisoned journalists and their families, and to journalists who have been threatened or attacked, by offering funding, legal aid and money for medical treatment. The centre also offers advice for those facing lawsuits, including how best to defend themselves at the regional and international level. Media outlets that have been censored or persecuted, or destroyed in fighting or national disasters, can also call on the centre for help. The centre has given financial assistance to 150 journalists or media outlets so far, totalling more than US$340,000.

The Doha Centre was set up in December 2007 by a decree of Qatar's Emir, H.H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, who is also the chair of Al Jazeera, and is under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned. Complete the application form online here: http://tinyurl.com/7a29ee The form can also be sent to you on request by contacting: assistance (@)dohacentre.org

For more information, see: http://www.dohacentre.org/-Assistance-.html--------------------------------------------

Amnesty International : Watch our new video First 100 days

Watch our new video First 100 days

The inauguration of US President-elect Barack Obama on 20 January 2009 will be accompanied by widespread expectation of change. The world will be watching and hoping for positive outcomes on many different issues. Ahead of his inauguration, Amnesty International’s new film First 100 days is asking the President-elect to take concrete steps to demonstrate his

commitment to international human rights standards, including in the context of countering terrorism. Since the attacks on the USA on 11 September 2001, the US authorities have authorised and justified human rights violations in the name of national security: illegal transfers and detentions; enforced disappearance; torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

The new administration and Congress must break with the past. President-elect Obama has already said that he will close Guantánamo and end torture. We’re not asking the impossible.
We have a checklist for President Obama’s first 100 days in office.
His first steps should be to:
announce a plan and date to close Guantánamo
ban torture and other ill-treatment, as defined under international law
ensure an independent commission of enquiry in US ‘war on terror’ abuses is set up


These things are possible and you can help.Visit www.obama100day.org today, sign the petition and support the challenge for Obama.
Thank youThe Counter Terror with Justice campaign team
http://obama100days.amnesty.org/index.html

ARTICLE 19 Laments Murder of Editor

Sri Lanka: ARTICLE 19 Laments Murder of Editor

Lasantha Wickrematunga, Editor-in-Chief of The Sunday Leader, was murdered as he drove to work in Colombo on 8 January 2009. At least the ninth journalist to have been killed in Sri Lanka over the last two years, Lasantha’s murder signals an all-time low point for freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. The government has signally failed in its duty to bring to justice those responsible for these murders, as well as its wider duty to respect freedom of expression.

“The murder of Lasantha is a travesty and a grave blow for freedom of expression in Sri Lanka,” said Toby Mendel, Senior Legal Counsel, ARTICLE 19. “This is a direct attack on The Sunday Leader, which ARTICLE 19 has defended in the past, and which is one of the most independent sources of information in Sri Lanka.”The silencing of voices through murder, the most extreme form of censorship, has become rampant in Sri Lanka in recent years. The government’s unprecedented military successes against the Tamil Tigers, and its ability to maintain strict security checkpoints around the country, stand in stark contrast to its complete failure to find and prosecute any of those guilty of these heinous crimes, which attack not only the immediate victims, but all Sri Lankans. A moving editorial published in The Sunday Leader on 11 January, a few days after Lasantha’s death, and apparently written shortly beforehand, stands as a grim testament to the reality of life for independent journalists in Sri Lanka. The editorial is clear as to who is responsible for Lasantha’s murder: “When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me.”Indifference to murders of journalists is only one of many failures on the part of the Sri Lankan government to respect freedom of expression. The government has imposed a complete blanket of secrecy around its military operations. The only information on the conflict comes from official sources and the LTTE, which often provide wildly different, even diametrically opposing, views on events. Government retains firm control over the State broadcasters, no right to information law has been adopted despite numerous promises, there is no independent broadcast regulator and a number of repressive laws set strict standards for media output. A stark example of this is the case of Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainyagam, who has been in detention since March 2008 and was finally charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in August of that year.ARTICLE 19 calls on the Sri Lankan government to ensure that a proper investigation of this murder is undertaken and those responsible are brought to justice. It also calls on the international community to take effective steps to address the lack of respect for freedom of expression in Sri Lanka, and to make sure that Lasantha’s death was not totally in vain.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• For more information: please contact Toby Mendel, Senior Legal Counsel, ARTICLE 19, a19law@hfx.eastlink.ca, +1 902 431-3688.

United States: New Openness Policies

United States: ARTICLE 19 and Privacy International Welcome New Openness Policies

ARTICLE 19 and Privacy International (PI) welcome US President Barack Obama’s announcement on 21 January of new policies enhancing public access to government information, in one of his first official actions as President. These changes mark a significant departure from previous policies.

The new rules revise existing controls on access to government information under the Freedom of Information Act and the Presidential Records Act. They create a presumption in favour of disclosure and also encourage affirmative disclosure of information. They call for “creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government”.The Presidential Memorandum on the Freedom of Information Act clearly sets out new standards that should be the benchmark for transparency:
In the face of doubt, openness prevails. The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears. Nondisclosure should never be based on an effort to protect the personal interests of Government officials at the expense of those they are supposed to serve.
ARTICLE 19 and PI welcome President Obama’s initiative – on his first day in office – which recognises the importance of openness and reverses years of excessive secrecy. These changes are not only important to the US but to the global community, given the US’ importance in promoting openness. Other nations should take this opportunity to reaffirm their commitments to adopting easy-to-use, effective mechanisms to allow their citizens access to information.Dr Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director, said: “ARTICLE 19 and PI welcome President Obama’s commitment to transparency and openness. That it comes on the first full day of President Obama’s administration signals a new approach to government domestically in the US. It also marks a shift towards re-establishing the US position as a global leader in promoting human rights, good governance and democracy.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• For more information: please contact Nicola Spurr, Senior Press Officer: ARTICLE 19 at nicola@article19.org or +44 20 7278 9292 or David Banisar, Deputy Director: Privacy International at privacyint@privacy.org or +44 20 8123 7933.• Privacy International (PI) is a human rights group formed in 1990 as a watchdog on surveillance and privacy invasions by governments and corporations. PI is based in London, England, and has an office in Washington, D.C. We have campaigned across the world to protect people against intrusion by governments and corporations that seek to erode this fragile right. We believe that privacy forms part of the bedrock of freedoms, and our goal has always been to use every means to preserve it.

Reporters into the Gaza Strip not Allowed

Ten days after the Israeli's Supreme Court ruling on 31 December which ordered the state to allow foreign reporters into the Gaza Strip, Israel continues to block foreign media access. Each day international journalists have gone to the border crossing and have been turned away by military officials, normally on the premise that it is too dangerous and that the presence of journalists at the terminals could make them, a target for militants. Journalists have therefore not been able to talk to the Palestinians inside Gaza to gain their version of events. However, at the same time international reporters have been welcomed into Israel and have been free to interview Israeli officials on the crisis.
"The media blackout is a violation of the world's right to know what is happening in Gaza. In the absence of international media it is impossible to receive unbiased news on the situation. It is also an abuse of the right to freedom of expression for those living inside Gaza who are being prevented from telling their story to the world. Moreover, the presence of journalists on the ground can actually deter abuses of international human rights and international humanitarian law in a conflict situation. Freedom of expression and the right to access to information are necessary for building a situation of lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East,” stated Agnes Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19Preventing foreign media from reporting from inside Gaza represents a new low for press freedom in Israel. The State has historically allowed access to foreign reporters even at the height of previous conflicts. The Israeli State not only stands in violation of international human rights law but is also acting against the decision of its own highest court by which eight members of the media were to be allowed into Gaza when the Erez crossing was opened for humanitarian reasons. It should be noted that the Supreme Court’s ruling represents somewhat of a compromise between international standards and the Israeli State in that it permits the authorities to place a limitation on the number of journalists allowed entry to Gaza and only says they must consider increasing numbers once security allows. Although security is an issue for all journalists in conflict situations and it is sometimes easier to ensure the safety of small numbers, access to journalists should not be limited numerically. Limiting the numbers of journalists given access places a restriction upon the number of reports and range of opinions coming out of a conflict zone. There are currently journalists from about 30 different countries, speaking at least 10 different languages waiting in Israel to access Gaza. Even if the Israeli government were to permit the entry of 8 individuals at a time, this would clearly not be enough to serve the world’s media and right to information effectively.ARTICLE 19 calls upon the Israeli authorities to allow immediate and unrestricted foreign media access into the Gaza Strip in accordance with its international obligations on the right to freedom of expression and the right to access information, under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Israel ratified on 3 October 1991.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
For more information: please contact Jasmine O’Connor, Senior Director for Development, http://article19.org/+44 20 7278 9292





Article 19 condemns continuing media blackout of crisis in Gaza

Ten days after the Israeli's Supreme Court ruling on 31 December which ordered
the state to allow foreign reporters into the Gaza Strip, Israel continues to block
foreign media access. Each day international journalists have gone to the border crossing and have been turned away by military officials, normally on the premise that it is too dangerous and that the presence of journalists at the terminals could make them, a target for militants. Journalists have therefore not been able to talk to the Palestinians inside Gaza to gain their version of
events. However, at the same time international reporters have been welcomed into Israel and have been free to interview Israeli officials on the crisis.
"The media blackout is a violation of the world's right to know what is happening in Gaza. In the absence of international media it is impossible to receive unbiased news on the situation. It is also an abuse of the right to freedom of expression for those living inside Gaza who are being prevented from telling their story to the world. Moreover, the presence of journalists on the ground can actually deter abuses of international human rights and international humanitarian law in a conflict situation. Freedom of expression
and the right to access to information are necessary for building a situation of
lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East,” stated Agnes Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19 Preventing foreign media from reporting from inside Gaza represents a new low for press
freedom in Israel. The State has historically allowed access to foreign reporters even at the height of previous conflicts. The Israeli State not only stands in violation of international human rights law but is also acting against the decision of its own highest court by which eight members of the media were to be allowed into Gaza when the Erez crossing was opened for humanitarian reasons. It should be noted that the Supreme Court’s ruling represents somewhat of a compromise between international standards and the Israeli State in that it permits the authorities to place a limitation on the number of journalists allowed entry to Gaza and only says they must consider increasing numbers once security allows. Although security is an issue for all journalists in conflict situations and it is sometimes easier to ensure the safety of small
numbers, access to journalists should not be limited numerically. Limiting the numbers of journalists given access places a restriction upon the number of reports and range of opinions coming out of a conflict zone. There are currently journalists from about 30 different countries, speaking at least 10 different languages waiting in Israel to access Gaza. Even if the Israeli government were to permit the entry of 8 individuals at a time, this would clearly not be enough to serve the world’s media and right to information effectively.

ARTICLE 19 calls upon the Israeli authorities to allow immediate and unrestricted foreign media access into the Gaza Strip in accordance with its international obligations on the right to freedom of expression and the right to access information, under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Israel ratified on 3 October 1991.

JOURNALISTS KILLED FOR THEIR WORK IN 2008

DOZENS OF JOURNALISTS KILLED FOR THEIR WORK IN 2008
Last year, fewer journalists were killed while doing their job than in recent years - but that should not be grounds for optimism, say IFEX members in their end of year reports.
According to its annual analysis, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recorded 41 journalists killed in direct connection to their work in 2008 - a drop from 65 in 2007. "While that's lower than the unprecedented numbers we saw over the last few years, by historical standards it's still very high," says CPJ. The lower death toll was due mainly to a sharp drop in deaths in Iraq, from 32 in 2007 to 11 last year, due to improved security conditions there, says CPJ. CPJ is still investigating further cases.
The 2008 death toll reflected a shift in global hot spots, as high numbers of deaths were reported in restive areas of Asia and the Caucasus, says CPJ. Watch CPJ's video tribute to the journalists who died in 2008:

http://tinyurl.com/7ouzyw then read the report: http://tinyurl.com/9v6kvf

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) counts 60 journalists killed in the line of duty. RSF tallies cases in which a link between the violation and the victim's work as a journalist is clearly established or very likely. But RSF says the fall in numbers of attacks on the traditional media does not mean the press freedom situation has improved - online repression is on the rise, with bloggers being imprisoned and websites being censored. RSF says cases of online censorship were recorded in 37 countries, with Syria (162 websites censored), China (93) and Iran (38) topping the list.
"The figures may be lower than last year's but this should not mask the fact that intimidation and censorship have become more widespread, including in the West, and the most authoritarian governments have been taking an even tougher line," says RSF. See:

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29797

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) records 68 journalists and other media workers killed last year. "Attacks on journalists throughout the world - by organised crime groups in Latin America, autocratic regimes in the Middle East, repressive governments in Africa and by combatants in war zones - pose serious threats to press freedom," said WAN in its report, with region-by-region details. See:
http://www.wan-press.org/article17943.html

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which compiles figures in cooperation with the International News Safety Institute (INSI), counts 109 journalists and media workers killed last year in 36 countries. IFJ includes all journalists killed because of their work as well as those killed in accident while on assignment or on their way to or from a story. According to IFJ, India's death toll also figured high on the list with 10 casualties, following a surge of attacks in insurgent-hit states in the country. See IFJ:

http://tinyurl.com/8juw3k and INSI: http://tinyurl.com/8suo9d
Despite the range in numbers, all agree that even though the casualties have decreased, Iraq was once again the world's most dangerous country for the press. Many of the at least 11 journalists - all Iraqi nationals working for local Iraqi news outlets - were deliberately targeted.
The next three deadliest countries for the media were Pakistan with at least seven journalists killed for doing their work, the Philippines with six killed, and Mexico, with four murdered.
In the Americas, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) called 2008 "a year of contrasts." The year was marked on the one hand by violence and harassment of the media, including 13 journalists killed, and by the passing of constructive new laws on the other. IAPA blamed organised crime for the murders. IAPA notes "aggravation and threats" took place in Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela, while 26 journalists remain jailed in Cuba, many of them seriously ill. But the good news is that access to information improved in Chile, Guatemala, Uruguay and Nicaragua. See:

http://tinyurl.com/9bhsuh

In Mexico journalists have increasingly become the target of drug traffickers and mobsters. According to WAN, 23 have been killed since 2000, and seven others have disappeared since 2005 - cementing Mexico's position as the most dangerous country in the Americas for the media, even surpassing Colombia. Like the Philippines, Mexico is among the worst in solving these murders: none of the killers of journalists murdered in Mexico this year have been brought to justice.
The fall in the death toll in Africa, say IFEX members, is a result of many journalists opting not to work, often turning to a less dangerous trade or going into exile. WAN reports that charges of defamation, sedition and "disrupting public order" work to intimidate and silence independent and opposition media. Those that choose to report on rebellions or criticise the authorities often end up in jail - the number of arrests is particularly high in Africa, says RSF.
Even in Europe and Central Asia, death threats against or prosecution of journalists reporting on conflict zones, war crimes and organised crime are common. Journalists are at risk in an increasingly volatile political situation in the Caucasus, where at least three journalists died in just five days of fighting between Georgian, Russian and local forces over the disputed region of South Ossetia, say the members.
Some IFEX members have also put out country-specific year-end analyses.
"2008 was not a bright year for press freedom in Indonesia," says the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), especially with a slew of criminal charges against journalists and, unsurprisingly, the introduction of new laws that criminalise press offences. Those who commit defamation via the Internet face up to six years in jail, for example. See:
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/99600/
Safety remains the biggest concern for journalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo, says Journalist in Danger (JED) in its 2008 annual report, "Ten years for press freedom: the situation of freedom of the press in Central Africa". JED says a decline in the number of attacks against the press is more likely attributable to censorship and self-censorship, rather than improvements to the country's press laws or the impunity that journalists' killers usually enjoy. See: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/99592/

IFEX will continue to publish members' reports online as they are made available: http://www.ifex.org/

(Photo: Funeral of Shihab al-Tamimi, leader of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate who died from injuries suffered in a targeted shooting in Baghdad last year. Photo courtesy of CPJ) (7 January 2009)

Grievous blow to Sri Lankan media

By Alastair Lawson BBC News

Rights groups argue that journalists face a culture of intimidation
The murder of Sri Lankan newspaper editor Lasantha Wickramatunga highlights the claim often made by human rights groups that the country is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists to operate.
He is the latest in a long line of Sri Lankan journalists who have been murdered or silenced over the past two decades.
Many of the victims have not met their fate in the country's war zone, because for much of the past 20 years independent journalists have been banned from reporting from the conflict areas.
Instead they have been targeted in Colombo - and nearly all of them had records of exposing official corruption or what they said was inept handling of the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels.
The war now appears to be reaching its final, crucial stage as the army continues to make in-roads into the rebels' northern stronghold.
'Iconoclastic journalist'
"Mr Wickramatunga's death is a serious blow for press freedom because he was one of the few reporters in the country who could write authoritatively about the government and Tamil Tigers' conduct of a brutal war which has claimed thousands of lives over the years but has been consistently under-reported by much of the world's media," said Priyath Liyanage, editor of the BBC's Sinhala service.

Recent coverage of the war has increased tension in the media
Campaigning groups such as Reporters Without Borders say that the targeting of journalists has worsened in recent years. Only on Tuesday, gunmen armed with grenades ransacked offices of the largest private TV broadcaster in the country.
"Sri Lanka has lost one of its more talented, courageous and iconoclastic journalists," a Reporters Without Borders statement said.
"President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his associates and the government media are directly to blame because they incited hatred against him and allowed an outrageous level of impunity to develop as regards violence against the press. Sri Lanka's image is badly sullied by this murder, which is an absolute scandal and must not go unpunished."
Amnesty International last year said that at least 10 media workers were killed over a two-year period. It said that many more were abducted, detained or had disappeared.
Last month Human Rights Watch called on the government to free prominent Tamil journalist, JS Tissainayagam. His magazine accused the government of "shamefully using anti-terror laws to silence peaceful critics".
Criminal libel
One of those reporters who steadfastly refused to be silenced was Lasantha Wickramatunga. A flamboyant and colourful character, he was not afraid to expose the perceived wrongdoings of the country's most influential politicians.
The Rajapaksas are swollen... with the pride of bloodthirsty euphoria [following the fall of Kilinochchi] and are unable to think beyond the destruction of the Tamil Tigers and its leadership
Lasantha Wickramatunga
I interviewed him in Colombo in 2000, when his paper was closed down because it mockingly avoided censorship regulations by reporting the opposite of what had really happened.
At that time the army was in retreat and the northern Jaffna peninsula was close to falling to the Tigers. The paper avoided the censor by reporting that Jaffna was safe in the government's hands and that the army was on the offensive.
On another occasion Mr Wickramatunga obtained the credit card details of a government minister to show that his bills were being illegally paid for by a foreign company eager to invest in the country.
While some of the material Mr Wickramatunga produced arguably veered towards the prurient, his "publish and be damned" attitude to journalism meant that at times he was able to expose high-profile cases of government corruption which meant that he received numerous death threats and several periods of detention.
'Flamboyant'
"I believe it is my duty not to accept anything the government tells us at face value," he told me, "and it is especially our duty not to allow the press in Sri Lanka to be brow-beaten or censored. We need to tell the outside world about the horrific nature of the war in which we are currently involved."
His work exposing government dealings in arms procurement deals - especially a recent agreement to buy MiG fighters from Russia - earned him a reputation as one of the country's most fearless reporters.

Many Sri Lankan journalists say they are being gagged by the govenrment
At the same time it also earned him a reputation as being one of the strongest critics and bitterest enemies of the governing People's Alliance party.
Few reporters would dare write what he did in his most recent editorial - in which he referred to the president's "bloodthirsty euphoria" following the fall of the Tamil Tiger-held town of Kilinochchi last week.
"Should we fail meaningfully to address the aspirations of the Tamil people that survive this holocaust, we can be sure as night follows day that history will repeat itself... and all the bloodshed and all the sacrifice made to bring the war to a conclusion will have been in vain," he said.
While there is little evidence to suggest Mr Wickramatunga was unduly partisan in his reporting, his position was perhaps undermined by his known support for the opposition United National Party, for whom he once stood as a parliamentary candidate.
BBC Sinhala editor, Priyath Liyanage, says Mr Wickramatunga "was one of Sri Lanka's most flamboyant, brave and outspoken journalists".
"His death is a further grievous blow to press freedom in a country where few openly dare to question the government's handling of the war."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7823729.stm


Thousands mourn Sri Lanka editor

Mr Wickramatunga was shot last Thursday by unidentified gunmen
Thousands of mourners have attended the funeral of a leading Sri Lankan newspaper editor and fierce government critic who was shot dead last week.
Security was tight in Colombo as crowds paid their last respects to Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickramatunga.
Reports say some 10,000 people attended a Christian service ahead of a burial ceremony at Colombo's main cemetery.
Journalists in Sri Lanka have suffered a string of attacks as the war with Tamil Tiger rebels has intensified.
Media freedom groups say intimidation and violence make it one of the most difficult countries in the world in which to report.
Death threats Mourners packed the Assembly of God church in Colombo on Monday afternoon for the service for Lasantha Wickramatunga. His burial was to take place later at Colombo General Cemetery, the city's main burial ground

Police are investigating the attack
Mr Wickramatunga was shot last Thursday by unidentified gunmen as he drove to work. He died from head wounds after nearly three hours of surgery, doctors said.
Police have yet to make any arrests.
Correspondents say Mr Wickramatunga had numerous run-ins with the government. His killing was one of two major attacks on the media in Sri Lanka last week. On Tuesday, gunmen armed with grenades ransacked offices of the MBC group, the largest private TV broadcaster in the country. Mr Wickramatunga worked for the channel as a presenter on a weekly current affairs programme. MBC had been criticised by the government for its coverage of the war against the Tamil Tigers. Mr Wickramatunga, 52, and his newspaper had been highly critical of government policy and the war with the Tamil Tiger rebels. He received numerous death threats throughout his career and was detained on several occasions because of the controversial nature of his stories. He also fought a number of libel cases.
'Intimidation'
Amnesty International said in November that at least 10 media employees had been killed in Sri Lanka since 2006.
Some reporters say the intimidation has got worse as the war has intensified with the Tamil Tigers.
The Sri Lankan government has been accused of encouraging violence against the media by branding reporters seen as critical as rebel-sympathisers and enemies of the state. The government has condemned the incidents and ordered full police investigations. President Rajapaksa said he was "grieved and shocked" by Mr Wickramatunga's killing.

Blockade Continues as World Marks the 60th Anniversary

11 December 2008
Gaza: Blockade Continues as World Marks the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In a week when the world marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Israel’s blockade on Gaza shows no sign of ending. The people of the Gaza strip continue to be deprived of basic human rights such as food and fuel, whilst restrictions on foreign media entering the strip reinforces their isolation
“This is an insidious abuse that seeks to suppress legitimate cries for help and depictions of suffering from reaching the rest of the world. The rights to information and expression are fundamental human rights. They underpin all human rights and are central to human development, peace and security. In the context of a conflict, fulfilling these rights takes on particular importance: information can not only ensure that assistance is effective and locally relevant, but it can also save lives and preserve human dignity,” says Dr Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19.On 4 November 2008, the Israeli authorities extended their blockade of Gaza to prevent food, fuel and essential supplies from entering the territory. Furthermore, on 6 November, the authorities imposed a news blackout by preventing international media from accessing Gaza. The blockade was eased briefly on the 27 November to allow limited amount of essential supplies, including UN food aid for only the fourth time since the start of the blockade. On 4 December, the Israeli government also lifted the ban on foreign media entering Gaza for the first time since the start of the month-long blockade. However the ban was reinstated the next day and remains in place. An Israeli Defence Force spokesman stated that the opening of crossings into Gaza would be reviewed daily and would be subject to the cessation of rocket attacks against southern Israel. However a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that the intermittent opening of these crossings would “have little impact unless they remained open on a regular daily basis”.Speaking from Gaza, Ewa Jasiewicz, a Free Gaza organizer, journalist, and solidarity worker told ARTICLE 19 that “Israel was trying to hide the inhumane effects of the siege on the people in Gaza from the world.” Jasiewicz arrived on the Free Gaza movement ship “Dignity” which successfully broke through the Israeli blockade, arriving in the port of Gaza at 2:45pm on Tuesday 9 December. The ship was carrying essential medical supplies, high-protein baby formula, in addition to a delegation of international academics and humanitarian workers. “I am delighted to be here in Gaza,” Jasiewicz also told the Democracy Now news program. “I was banned from Palestine by the Israeli authorities and, as a journalist, I think it is important that journalists report independently from the ground, being here with people.”A severe shortage in fuel has further entrenched the isolation of Gaza as limited electricity supplies restrict access to communication channels such as the internet and satellite television.ARTICLE 19, together with the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), calls for the complete lifting on the ban on foreign media entering Gaza and not just an intermittent cessation of the ban. The people of Gaza deserve to be heard and, as nations celebrate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR, the world has a right to hear of their worsening plight. On 8 December, Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories emphasised in a statement that the UN “must implement the agreed norm of a responsibility to protect a civilian population being collectively punished by policies that amount to a crime against humanity”.The UN Human Rights Council also issued a statement on the same day recommending the implementation of 99 measures to improve Israel’s human rights record. These include the “immediate cessation of Israel’s military operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the lifting of the closure imposed on the Gaza strip, the reopening of the passage to and from the Gaza Strip and to fully respect its human rights obligations in the country, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”ARTICLE 19 and MADA join the UN Human Rights Council in urging Israel to fully respect its human rights obligations by lifting the blockade and reopening the passage to and from Gaza. We especially call for the ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza to be immediately lifted.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• For more information, please contact Hoda Rouhana, MENA Programme Officer at hoda@article19.org or tel +44 (0) 207 278 9292.• To speak to the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedom (MADA), contact Mousa Rimawi, MADA Coordinator at info@madacenter.org or tel +970 2 2976519. • MADA is an independent non-governmental organization established by Palestinian journalists and supporters of media freedom. The centre aims to develop Palestinian media and to defend the rights of journalists and media institution. Visit www.madacenter.org

Defending Free Expression and Diverse Voices for Twenty Years

13 December 2008
ARTICLE 19: Defending Free Expression and Diverse Voices for Twenty Years

LONDON – ARTICLE 19 has celebrated its twentieth anniversary with the launch of a groundbreaking publication Speaking Out for Free Expression in London.

Since its inception, ARTICLE 19 has been a bold voice in defense of freedom of expression. Upholding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the organisation’s primary aim is to hold governments and other powerful actors to account when they fall short of their obligations to protect free speech.Set against the backdrop of dramatic world events, Speaking Out for Free Expression charts the course of free expression over the past two decades. It offers a compelling story of 34 countries in five regions, and essays by international experts, comparing today’s reality with the situation for free expression two decades ago. “Our twentieth anniversary compendium celebrates the advances made for free speech in many countries, while also pointing to the newer terrains of struggle,” comments Dr. Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director. Its foreword has been jointly written by four special rapporteurs on freedom of expression from the United Nations, the Americas, Africa and Europe. Also weighing in with expert opinions are Reporters without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Privacy International, UNESCO, the World Association of Newspapers and the American Civil Liberties Union, among others. Since 1988, the world has been altered immeasurably both by the revolution in information technology and by the ending of the Cold War, which opened up a plethora of newly democratised states. Together, these forces have completely transformed people’s means of and access to expression, information and communication, particularly with the advent of internet and the spread of mobile phones. Yet today, freedom of expression remains under threat. The global war on terror launched in 2001 has rolled back freedom of expression and speech in many well-established and emerging democracies. ARTICLE 19 is at the forefront of efforts to protect these hard-won freedoms and Speaking Out for Free Expression demonstrates unequivocally the need for constant vigilance. “It is extremely poignant to be commemorating our twentieth anniversary at the same time as the world celebrates the sixtieth year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” says Callamard. “It reminds us that free expression underpins all other civil, political and economic rights and is the very oxygen of genuine democracy.”The book was launched at a celebratory event in London, attended by 80 guests representing a broad spectrum of political, media and non-governmental organisations. A message of support from Zwelakhe Sisulu, a former political detainee and previous South African board member of ARTICLE 19 stated, “ARTICLE 19 is an organisation that for many had made the difference between life and death, between pain and the ignominy of a lonely death.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
• To obtain a copy of Speaking Out for Free Expression, contact Nicola Spurr at nicola@article19.org or +44 (0)207 278 9292 / +44 (0)772 686 7868. Or visit www.speaking-out.org. • To read the full text of Zwelakhe Sisulu’s message, go to http://www.article19.org/pdfs/other/statement-by-zwelakhe-sisulu-on-the-occasion-of-the-20th-anniversary-of-the-.pdf

Special Mandates Condemn Defamation of Religions

Special Mandates Condemn Defamation of Religions

The four special mandates on freedom of expression – the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the ACHPR (African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information – today issued a Joint Declaration on Defamation of Religions, and Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Extremism Legislation, with the assistance of ARTICLE 19.

The Joint Declaration expresses concern about the resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council on the subject of defamation of religions, calling on these and other international organisations to desist from adopting further statements on this issue. The Declaration also expresses concern about the proliferation, since the attacks of 11 September 2001, of anti-terrorism and anti-extremism laws which outlaw a range of legitimate political and critical speech. Among other things, the Declaration calls for:
The rejection of the very notion of defamation of religions, given that religions do not have a reputation of their own.
The repeal of laws which restrict criticism of ideas and beliefs, including religious ones (blasphemy laws).
Hate speech laws to be limited to advocacy of hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
A limited definition of terrorism as the perpetration of violent crimes with a view to inflicting terror on the general public so as to influence the actions of public authorities.
The rejection of vague notions such as the ‘glorification’ or ‘promotion’ of terrorism or ‘extremism’ in anti-terrorism laws.
Respect for the media’s role in informing the public about terrorism and acting as watchdog of government, as well as their right to protect their confidential sources of information.
ARTICLE 19 first brought the special mandates on freedom of expression together in 1999 and they have issued a Joint Declaration every year since then. Each Declaration serves to elaborate on the meaning of freedom of expression in a different thematic area(s). Collectively, the Declarations provide important guidance to those wishing to understand international human rights standards.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• The Joint Declaration is available at: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/other/joint-declaration-on-defamation-of-religions-and-anti-terrorism-and-anti-ext.pdf • For more information: please contact Toby Mendel, a19law@hfx.eastlink.ca, +44 (0)796 401 5083.