The undersigned freedom of expression and press freedom organisations strongly condemn the decision of the Central Jakarta Court to sentence Bambang Harymurti, the editor of Tempo magazine, to a year’s imprisonment for defamation. We are united in our view that such a disproportionate sanction is a serious setback for freedom of expression, reversing gains made […]

The International Press Institute (IPI) is becoming increasingly concerned at the desire of governments around the world to create statutory press councils that will have a detrimental impact on journalists and the media environment. Since the January 2002 passage of the Zimbabwean Access to Information and Protection and Privacy Act (AIPPA), IPI has noticed that […]

On 4 September, Iraq’s interim government decided to extend its ban on Al-Jazeera’s Baghdad bureau for an indefinite period. In support of the ban the Iraqi authorities apparently forced their way into the offices of the Qatar-based satellite broadcaster, photographed equipment and then sealed the offices. Fourteen security guards were later stationed outside the Al-Jazeera […]

In recent days, in Russia, journalists have been forced to resign, detained, and possibly poisoned, in what appears to be a concerted attempt to control the way in which the Beslan hostage crisis is reported. Raf Shakirov, editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Izvestiya, resigned on 6 September. In an interview with Radio Liberty, he stated […]