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Syria court drops charges against Mazen Darwish

The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomed reports that all charges against 2015 IPI World Press Freedom Hero Mazen Darwish will be dropped after a Syrian court ruled that a 2014 amnesty applies to the case. “We are extremely pleased to hear of this decision, which was long overdue”, IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications […]

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Denmark urged to repeal blasphemy law

Danish lawmakers should repeal the country’s outdated criminal blasphemy law, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. Art. 140 of the Danish Criminal Code sanctions “mocking a person’s religion or the doctrine of a faith” with up to four months in prison. The provision had fallen out of use in recent years, but in February […]

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Turkey not alone in shielding leaders from criticism

Last Sunday, Turkish voters narrowly approved constitutional changes that observers fear will lead to authoritarian rule under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. While international election observers have criticised technical aspects of the vote, Erdoğan’s crackdown on the press – including the jailing of at least 150 journalists – and nurturing of a state propaganda machine had […]

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Tanzania leader’s aside on ‘limits’ of freedom raises fears

Tanzanian President John Magufuli’s ominous warning to journalists last month that press freedom had “limits” following a sequence of events that led to the firing of his information minister has raised new concerns about authoritarianism in the east African republic. Over the course of Magufuli’s nearly 18 months in office, newspapers have been shuttered, opposition rallies […]

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