Attacks on Mexico journalists continue into June March 23, 2017 The International Press Institute (IPI) today expressed renewed alarm over the state of media freedom in Mexico following the attempted murder* of a radio journalist in Guerrero state and a violent attack on another journalist in Quintana Roo within a period of two days. On Saturday morning, radio host Marcela de Jesús Natalia was shot […] Read more »
IPI World Congress 2017: Joel Whittaker on hostile environment training Practicing journalism is often tied to a range of threats: from online harassment to criminal prosecution and physical attacks, informing the public comes at a high price. Journalists and media workers operating in hostile environments – such as those marked by armed conflict or natural disaster – are particularly vulnerable. According to the International Press […] Read more »
Study: criminal defamation unduly limits media freedom March 7, 2017 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today released a comparative study “Defamation and Insult Laws in the OSCE Region” finding that criminal law remains an instrument to excessively limit media freedom. Commissioned by the representative and conducted by International Press Institute (IPI) Director of Press […] Read more »
Declaration of March 2017 joint mission to Turkey March 6, 2017 Lesen Sie diesen Artikel auf Deutsch Bu yazıyı Türkçe okumak için burayı tıklayınız DECLARATION OF JOINT INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY PRESS FREEDOM MISSION Following an international press freedom mission to Turkey on 27 February to 2 March 2017, the undersigned participants, representing six international free expression watchdog organisations, express severe concern about media freedom and respect for […] Read more »
Know Your Rights: Fighting the abuse of libel laws (April 8, Perugia) The International Press Institute (IPI) is proud to host a workshop at the 2017 International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy on how to avoid legal trouble for defamation. The Festival, from April 5 to 9, is one of Europe’s largest media events. The abuse of defamation and insult laws remains a significant threat to investigative […] Read more »
Tally of journalists killed in Mexico continues to rise March 2, 2017 IPI Contributor Henri Koponen The killing of a Honduran journalist in Mexico – the ninth journalist slain there so far this year – again highlights an ongoing failure by authorities in that country to do enough to end violent attacks on journalists, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. Video journalist Edwin Rivera Paz, a former cameraman for Honduran […] Read more »
New study analyses civil defamation practice in Hungary March 2, 2017 Hungarian courts’ doctrine of objective liability for media outlets quoting third parties presents a significant obstacle to the coverage of political affairs, a new study on civil defamation practice in Hungary has found. According to the study, released today by the International Press Institute (IPI), journalists in Hungary who quote or use information from a […] Read more »
New Council of Europe head urged to protect press freedom March 2, 2017 The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, has a joined 21 other national and international press freedom groups in urging the new secretary-general of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, to enhance efforts to protect freedom of expression, press freedom and the safety of […] Read more » TaggedCouncil of Europe press freedom
Leonidas González Pérez, Colombia – Under Investigation Sports journalist Leonidas González Pérez was found dead on Feb. 27, 2017 in a street in the municipality of Bello, a suburb of Medellin, with trauma from apparent blows to the head. A local human rights activist said that González received a death threat within two months before the killing. The activist advanced four potential […] Read more »
IPI launches FreeTurkeyJournalists website February 23, 2017 The International Press Institute (IPI) yesterday unveiled a new website to serve as a resource for information on the more-than-150 journalists and media workers currently behind bars in Turkey. The website, freeturkeyjournalists.com, is part of an effort to promote and defend free expression in Turkey by calling for every journalist behind bars to receive due […] Read more »
Experts voice concern as Turkey’s media under siege February 22, 2017 IPI Contributor Florence Peschke The Turkish government’s crackdown on independent media poses serious risks to democracy and stability, journalists from the country told a Vienna audience today at an International Press Institute (IPI) event examining media freedom in Turkey ahead of an April constitutional referendum that could vest even greater power in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. […] Read more »
ECPMF/ECtHR Conference 2017 (March 24, 2017) IPI is pleased to be among the supporters of the ECPMF/ECtHR Conference 2017, which will explore current developments and challenges in the freedom of expression case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Led by the European Centre for Press and Freedom Freedom (ECPMF), the one-day conference aims to bring together judges and lawyers of […] Read more »
Three months on, Qatar still blocking Doha News February 16, 2017 Independent online news portal Doha News has blasted the Qatari government’s ongoing block of the website in the country, saying that the nearly-three-month-old effort amounted to censorship. The country’s two telecommunications providers, Ooredoo and Vodafone, have blocked access to Doha News since Nov. 30 and the site is only accessibly through a Virtual Private Network […] Read more »
Turkey’s Media Under Siege: IPI Expert Panel and Solidarity Event (Feb. 22, 2017) One-hundred-fifty journalists are currently behind bars in Turkey, the world’s leading jailer of journalists. The vast majority of those held were detained – many arbitrarily and without formal charges – as part of a sweeping government crackdown on independent media following the July 2016 coup attempt. At the same time, government pressure on Turkey’s judicial […] Read more »
Wave of attacks on Ecuador news sites before election February 9, 2017 Lea esta noticia en español. Ecuador’s restrictive communications laws have limited investigative journalism to news websites constantly struggling amid precarious economic circumstances, so the takedown of five online media outlets in less than 72 hours following numerous digital attacks represents a troubling development. The incidents have come ahead of a presidential election set for Feb. […] Read more »
Oleada de ataques contra medios digitales en Ecuador antes de los comicios February 6, 2017 Read this article in English. La restrictiva Ley de Comunicación de Ecuador ha reducido el periodismo de investigación a portales especializados que lidian constantemente con una situación económica precaria. En este sentido, es especialmente preocupante los ataques que han recibido cinco páginas web de noticias en menos de 72 horas y que, como consecuencia, estuvieron offline […] Read more »
IPI blasts Bahrain cases against Nabeel Rajab February 3, 2017 IPI Contributor Florence Peschke and IPI Staff The International Press Institute (IPI) today urged Bahrain to free prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab after prosecutors said a charge that he spread “false news” harming the state’s image stemmed from his claim that journalists and international NGOs were banned from entering Bahrain. The disclosure, the first time that Bahrain’s government identified the basis […] Read more »
Egypt urged to free Al Jazeera journalist tomorrow February 2, 2017 The International Press Institute (IPI) today called on Egypt to release an Al Jazeera journalist who was detained on Dec. 20 when he entered the country on holiday and urged authorities not to extend his detention for a third time tomorrow. Egypt’s government accuses Mahmoud Hussein, a Doha-based Egyptian national with more than two decades […] Read more »
Q&A: the abuse of libel laws in Malta February 1, 2017 Despite its small size, the Mediterranean island nation of Malta sees a surprisingly high number of libel cases. Notably, criminal defamation remains on the books in Malta – with a potential penalty of a year in prison – and the country’s politicians have traditionally not been shy about filing charges against journalists who scrutinise their […] Read more »
Ugandan journalist allegedly shot at by police January 28, 2017 Naomi Hunt IPI condemns the alleged attack on a photojournalist working for the Daily Monitor newspaper in Uganda. The reporter was allegedly shot at by a police officer while covering an opposition demonstration in Kampala, according to a first-person account in the newspaper and a report from the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda). Isaac Kasamani was […] Read more »
Greek defence minister takes on media in libel cases January 17, 2017 IPI Correspondent Lambrini Papadopoulou; IPI Staff Last week was a busy one, to say the least, for press freedom in Greece: two major libel cases brought by Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, leader of the Independent Greeks (ANEL) party, made headlines in and outside the courtroom. On Thursday, an Athens court heard evidence in Kammenos’ suit against well-known Greek political cartoonist Andreas […] Read more »
IPI welcomes Austria’s chairmanship of the OSCE January 16, 2017 IPI Contributor Florence Peschke The Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) welcomed Austria’s assumption of the 2017 chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) last week, calling on the country to use the opportunity to strengthen cooperation to protect and promote media freedom among OSCE participating states. Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs […] Read more »
Ex-IPI board member, Jerusalem Post editor Ari Rath dies Renowned Austrian-Israeli editor and former International Press Institute (IPI) Executive Board Member Ari Rath, who headed the English-language broadsheet newspaper The Jerusalem Post for 14 years and was a staunch proponent of Palestinians’ right to have their own state, died in Vienna on Friday, just one week after celebrating his 92nd birthday. “Ari Rath was […] Read more »
Defamation defence manual launched in four new languages January 12, 2017 IPI/MLDI reference guide now available in Greek, Turkish, Italian and Russian Read more »
In Greece, judges’ application of European libel law seen as lacking January 10, 2017 IPI Correspondent Lambrini Papadopoulou In December 2015, Greek legislators received plaudits for finally tackling the country’s industry of vexatious defamation claims by enacting important reforms to the country’s press law. Good laws, however, are only part of the picture: protecting journalists’ rights in defamation cases also depends upon having experienced and knowledgeable judges. “Greece may have truly taken some […] Read more »
In Depth: Libel damages squeeze Ireland’s press January 4, 2017 Scott Griffen The amount that media outlets in Ireland are forced to pay in defamation cases is far above the European average and continues to spiral, despite reform attempts. In this in-depth piece,, part of IPI's coverage of libel laws and freedom of expression in Europe, we take a look at what's contributing to the rise, how Irish media are feeling the pressure and what solutions are in sight. Read more »
Concerns as head of Azerbaijan news agency arrested December 25, 2016 IPI Contributor Henri Mikael Koponen Last week’s arrest in Azerbaijan of Mehman Aliyev, head of the independent Turan Information Agency, and the criminal charges his news outlet faces have renewed concerns about deteriorating media freedom in the country, where at least 11 other journalists are currently behind bars. Aliyev, who has headed the news agency since its founding in 1990, […] Read more »
Remembering Anna Politkovskaya: ‘She became a role model for many young Russian journalists’ December 25, 2016 IPI Helsingin Sanomat Foundation Fellow Ronja Koskinen It has been 15 years since prominent Russian journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya was brutally murdered after receiving several threats. Her death shocked the nation and made headlines all over the world. Until this day it is unclear who ordered the assassination. On October 7, 2006, Politkovskaya was carrying groceries to her central […] Read more » TaggedAnna Politkovskaya impunity IPI press freedom Russia
IPI deeply concerned at death of RFE/RL correspondent in Turkmenistan December 24, 2016 According to information before IPI, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Turkmen Service correspondent Ogulsapar Muradova died in custody while serving a prison sentence on charges that were said to be politically motivated. Her relatives were notified by police on 14 September, but the circumstances of her death remain unclear. Based on media reports, Muradova’s body […] Read more »
Widad Hussein Ali, Iraq Widad Hussein Ali, 28, an Iraqi Kurdish reporter for the pro-Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) news agency RojNews, was abducted in broad daylight by unidentified men in the city of Duhok on Aug. 13, 2016 and found dead on the side of a road later the same day. Ali’s body displayed serious wounds and bruises, including […] Read more »
Bittersweet end for Greek journalist who won libel trial but lost job December 7, 2016 IPI Correspondent Lambrini Papadopoulou Greek journalist Alekos Andrikakis strikes a bittersweet tone when describing his long-awaited acquittal last month on libel charges brought by the former mayor of Heraklion, on the island of Crete. “There is a great sense of victory,” Andrikakis said in an interview with the International Press Institute (IPI). “A personal victory and a victory for […] Read more »
Indonesia urged to address press freedom violations in West Papua December 7, 2016 IPI Contributor Tara Nissl Just five months before Indonesia is set to host UNESCO’s 2017 celebration of World Press Freedom Day, its government still has not met a regional human rights watchdog’s demands to address press freedom violations in the country’s restive West Papua province. Upon the announcement in July that UNESCO would mark May 3, 2017 with a […] Read more »
Turkey’s detention of journalists ‘monumental injustice’ December 6, 2016 Turkey’s imprisonment of more than 100 journalists for months without any chance to contest the flimsy allegations they face is a monumental injustice that is completely incompatible with democratic values, the International Press Institute (IPI) said yesterday. IPI made the statement on the one-month anniversary of the arrest of IPI Executive Board Member Kadri Gürsel […] Read more »
