Dominican Republic partially tosses criminal defamation law February 23, 2016 In a partial victory for media freedom, the Dominican Republic Constitutional Court on Sunday invalidated provisions in the country’s press law criminalising defamation of government bodies and public officials, but declined to strike down criminal defamation more broadly. The Constitutional Court said in a statement that Arts. 30, 31, 34 and 37 of the country’s press […] Read more »
Bahrain frees four arrested American journalists February 16, 2016 By: IPI Contributor Jovana Vujanovic and IPI Staff The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomed news that four American journalists detained on Sunday in Bahrain while covering protests have been released, but it condemned authorities’ decision to charge them with “illegal gathering” and to deport them. Award-winning freelance journalist Anna Therese Day and her three-person camera crew were arrested while reporting on clashes […] Read more »
IPI urges Bahrain to lift travel ban on Nabeel Rajab February 12, 2016 By IPI Contributor Michael Kudlak Bahraini authorities should immediately lift an ongoing travel ban against Nabeel Rajab, president and co-founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, and drop all charges against him, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. Rajab, who also serves as the deputy secretary general of the International Federation for Human Rights (IFHR) and a member […] Read more »
IPI adds Caribbean defamation laws to online database February 12, 2016 Detailed information in defamation laws in 15 Caribbean countries in now included in the International Press Institute’s (IPI) online media laws database. The information reflects data collected by IPI over the course of a campaign it launched in April 2012 together with the Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM) to reform defamation law in the Caribbean. […] Read more »
Hungary anti-terror proposal threatens press freedom February 5, 2016 IPI Contributor Jovana Vujanovic and IPI Staff The International Press Institute (IPI) today joined international observers in criticising proposed anti-terrorism measures in Hungary that could give the government sweeping powers to control Internet and other media content, and restrict movement. As Amnesty International observed in a report released on Monday, proposed legislation leaked to the media in January and expected to be […] Read more »
Polish governing party files libel suit over critical commentary February 3, 2016 The International Press Institute (IPI) today expressed alarm over the decision by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party to pursue a libel claim against a leading Polish newspaper that criticised Polish President Andrzej Duda’s pardon of a former anti-corruption official convicted of abuse of power. In a commentary piece published in Gazeta Wyborcza on […] Read more »
Ethiopia’s Zone 9 collective – freed, but still under pressure February 2, 2016 Ethiopian authorities should cease an ongoing campaign of persecution targeting journalists and bloggers from the Zone 9 collective and allow them to travel and report freely, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. Despite a federal high court’s decision to drop widely criticised charges of terrorism against them last year, members of the group continue […] Read more »
In Sri Lanka, media settle in for long march to change February 1, 2016 Scott Griffen, IPI Director of Press Freedom Programmes Just over one year ago, Sri Lankans chose Maithripala Sirisena to be their next president, in a surprise rejection of incumbent leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, the man who had brought the country’s long-running civil war to a close. It was a historic result that triggered a wave of optimism among free expression defenders – a sentiment […] Read more »
Mission urges Poland to guarantee public broadcasting independence February 1, 2016 The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and the International Press Institute (IPI) completed a two-day fact-finding mission to Poland by calling on Polish journalists to stand together in defence of principles of press and media freedom. The group’s call came after the newly elected Polish government […] Read more »
Groups demonstrate outside Turkey prison in support of Can Dündar, Erdem Gül January 27, 2016 Bu yazıyı okumak için tıklayınız. Delegates from a coalition of leading international free expression and press freedom groups travelled to Turkey’s Silivri Prison today to demonstrate support for imprisoned journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, to protest Turkish authorities’ denial of permission to visit to the two journalists, and to call for their release. The […] Read more »
Groups urge Morocco to ‘let Ali Anouzla go free’ January 21, 2016 The International Press Institute (IPI) today joined with 11 other free expression and human rights defenders in urging Moroccan authorities to end the years of judicial harassment journalist Ali Anouzla has faced by finally and fully dismissing spurious terrorism charges against him, and by allowing him the freedom to practice independent journalism unhindered. Anouzla faces […] Read more »
Iran releases imprisoned Washington Post journalist January 18, 2016 The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomed the release of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, who had been imprisoned in Iran since July 2014. Rezaian, 39, was freed Saturday as part of a prisoner swap between the United States and Iran, and is reported to have left the country on Sunday. His release came hours before […] Read more »
New report highlights impunity for police violence against Greek photoreporters January 5, 2016 While a wave of police violence against photojournalists in Greece appears to have ebbed in recent months, the overwhelming majority of past incidents remain mired in impunity, a report released today by the International Press Institute (IPI) has found. Statistics kept by the Hellenic Photojournalists’ Union (EFE) and included in the report indicate that just […] Read more »
Greece passes bill aiming to combat abuse of defamation law against journalists January 5, 2016 The International Press Institute (IPI) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) today welcomed the passage of legislation intended to strengthen protections for the Greek media in defamation cases. Greek lawmakers on Dec. 22 overwhelmingly approvedcritical reforms to Greece’s Press Law, popularly known as the “press killer”, that were included in a bill legalising […] Read more »
International Declaration and Best Practices for journalist safety launched December 9, 2015 The International Press Institute (IPI), Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN), Geneva Global Media and the Geneva Press Club today presented the International Declaration and Best Practices on the Promotion of Journalists Safety at an event organised in Geneva. The International Declaration, which was timely unveiled on the eve of International Human Rights Day, aims to […] Read more »
IPI joins international call to release Turkish journalists December 1, 2015 IPI Contributor Çağla Zimmermann and IPI Staff The International Press Institute (IPI) today joined Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and eight other leading media freedom watchdogs, and some 29 public figures from around the globe, in calling on Turkish authorities to immediately release Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and the paper’s Ankara bureau chief, Erdem Gül. The groups made the call as they launched an […] Read more »
IPI urges Vatican to drop charges against Italian journalists November 27, 2015 IPI Contributor Çağla Zimmerman and IPI staff The International Press Institute (IPI) today called on Vatican City to drop criminal charges against two Italian journalists it accuses of publishing classified information in books that have cast the city-state and the Catholic hierarchy in a harsh light. A Vatican judge earlier this week ruled that the case against Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi, […] Read more »
In Suu Kyi election victory, Myanmar journalists see chance for change November 27, 2015 Çağla Zimmerman, IPI Contributor The date November 8, 2015 may go down as a historic turning point for democracy in Myanmar. On that day, formerly jailed opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won 390 seats in the country’s combined Parliament, enough for an absolute majority despite […] Read more »
Journalist Maziar Bahari, formerly jailed in Iran, to join IPI for talk on film ‘Rosewater’ November 26, 2015 The International Press Institute (IPI) has teamed with Austrian human rights film festival “this human world” to present a screening of director Jon Stewart’s “Rosewater”, depicting Iran’s brutal imprisonment of acclaimed journalist Maziar Bahari, followed by a discussion with Bahari himself about the film and his campaign #journalismisnotacrime. The event will take place at Vienna’s Filmcasino theatre (Margaretenstraße 78, 1050) on Dec. 8 beginning at 8:15 p.m. Read more »
Problems remain for independent journalism in Belarus November 20, 2015 IPI Contributor Çağla Zimmermann Do recent events indicate that Belarus could fully turn towards Europe and pull away from Russia politically? In the last few months, a number of developments have excited observers in international media and revitalised old debates about the former Soviet country’s future. But despite positive indications, a broader view suggests that this prediction may be […] Read more »
Greek civil defamation reform bill step in the right direction, IPI/SEEMO delegation says November 16, 2015 New draft legislation intended to combat the abuse of Greece’s civil defamation law in cases involving journalists marks a step in the right direction, but must be complemented by the repeal of criminal defamation, the International Press Institute (IPI) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) said today following a joint three-day visit to […] Read more »
Spanish political parties urged to strengthen free expression November 5, 2015 Scott Griffen, Director of Press Freedom Programmes The next Spanish government should repeal a controversial public security law and restore independence to the country’s public broadcaster, a group of international press freedom organisations said in a report released today. Read more »
International editors demand protection of press in Turkey October 30, 2015 More than 50 leading international media editors have written an open letter to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raising profound concerns about the deteriorating conditions for press freedom in Turkey in the run up to the elections. The letter and a full list of signatories follow below. Signatories include Dean Baquet, executive editor, the New York […] Read more »
Japanese journalist accused of defaming South Korean president faces jail October 20, 2015 Rebecca Hetzer, IPI Contributor A decision by South Korean prosecutors to seek jail time for a Japanese journalist accused of defaming the South Korean president risks chilling media coverage of political figures, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. Prosecutors announced on Monday that they would request an 18-month prison sentence for Tatsuya Kato, former Seoul bureau chief of […] Read more »
U.N. Rapporteur calls for whistleblower, source protections October 15, 2015 IPI Contributor Rebecca Hetzer In a new report released this week, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression has called on states to protect the right of whistle-blowers to disclose information in the public interest and to uphold the general principle of source confidentiality in law and practice. “A common thread ties together the right of access to information, […] Read more »
Journalists’ arrests highlight repression in Azerbaijan October 6, 2015 IPI Contributor Rebecca Hetzer Azerbaijan’s government needs to end an ongoing campaign of repression against journalists and others, which has led to the detention and investigation of several journalists in recent weeks, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. The past month has seen a surge in the number of journalists detained for questioning by Azerbaijani authorities – including […] Read more »
Ecuador halts effort to dissolve Fundamedios October 1, 2015 Lea este comunicado en español The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomed the decision of Ecuador’s media regulator, SECOM, to terminate proceedings aimed at dissolving the press freedom organisation Fundamedios. However, the decision, issued on Sept. 25, is accompanied by an ultimatum warning that SECOM could restart the proceedings if and when it considers that […] Read more »
IPI mourns former board member Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf September 28, 2015 IPI Contributor Rebecca Hetzer The International Press Institute (IPI) today expressed deep sadness at the news of the death of former IPI Executive Board Member and respected Nigerian journalist Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf, who was tragically killed in a stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia on Thursday. The first female editor at the Sunday Triumph Kano, Bilkisu served on IPI’s Executive […] Read more »
Turkish journalism ‘agonizing under unbearable pressure’ September 24, 2015 Journalism in Turkey is “agonizing under unbearable pressure”, leading Turkish journalist and Chair of the International Press Institute (IPI)’s Turkish National Committee Kadri Gürsel said on Monday in an address to participants gathered in Warsaw for Europe’s largest annual human rights conference. Gürsel made the remarks during a session chaired by OSCE Representative on Freedom […] Read more »
OSCE RFoM releases recommendations for countering online abuse of female journalists September 22, 2015 IPI Digital Media Coordinator Javier Luque Martínez The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (OSCE RFoM), Dunja Mijatovic, has released a list of recommendations directed at OSCE states, media organisations and social media platforms for countering the online harassment and abuse of female journalists. The recommendations aim to combat a new form of silencing critical journalism that, paradoxically, has emerged from […] Read more »
IPI launches new online media laws database September 17, 2015 The International Press Institute (IPI) today launched a new online database aimed at cataloguing legal provisions affecting freedom of the press and expression on a country-by-country basis. The initial roll-out of the database features detailed information on defamation laws, parsed into 12 searchable categories, for countries in the European Union and the Caribbean, building on IPI’s […] Read more »
Journalist safety roundtable shows need for concerted efforts September 7, 2015 As violent attacks on journalists surge to an unprecedented level with at least 55 confirmed dead in connection with their job so far this year according to the International Press Institute (IPI)’s Death Watch, 2015 may end up as one of the deadliest years for journalists since the beginning of the new millennium, participants at an […] Read more »
The struggles of Albania’s 30-year-old media landscape September 1, 2015 Alice Taylor, IPI member & co-editor of exit.al For almost 50 years, Albania was in the grips of a brutal Communist regime. After it fell in 1990, the first independent media began to navigate a complex social and democratic situation. Over the past 30 years, the sector has grown to include hundreds of online portals and tens of TV stations. Despite this, Albania […] Read more »
