SEEMO honours Serbian photojournalist May 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) today announced that Serbian journalist Igor Pavicevic won the 2012 SEEMO Human Rights Photo Award. The winning photograph, “Ručak na barikadi”, (Lunch at the Barricades), shot on Sep. 18, 2011, in Jarinje, Kosovo, was selected by the SEEMO jury, headed by Radomir Licina (Danas daily, Belgrade, Serbia). Pavicevic […] Read more »
Mexican journalist kidnapped May 18, 2012 Scott Griffen | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) today called on Mexican authorities to secure the safety and release of a journalist kidnapped in the northern state of Sonora yesterday. According to news reports, Marcos Avila García, who covers police and crime for El Regional de Sonora, was abducted by three armed assailants while waiting for his vehicle […] Read more »
BLOG: Sudan’s war on the media May 16, 2012 Abdelgadir Mohammed Abdelgadir | Leave a Comment In the days since the world celebrated World Press Freedom Day the Sudanese press has witnessed great setbacks. On May 3, the entire print run of Al Midan newspaper was confiscated by Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Services (NISS) and it happened again on May 6, May 8, May 10, May 13 and May 15. […] Read more »
Blog: Press freedom concerns in Ecuador May 16, 2012 Anthony Mills | Leave a Comment The graffiti leapt out at us as we drove through Quito, the capital of Ecuador, on the first day of our May 7-11 IPI press freedom mission: “Weapons of Mass Destruction: El Commercio, El Universo and Teleamazonas” – a derogatory reference to the country’s two leading independent newspapers, and an independent television broadcaster. Across the […] Read more »
FARC rebels announce they will free journalist May 15, 2012 Scott Griffen | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomed reports that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, according to its Spanish acronym) planned to free a French journalist captured during a military shootout more than two weeks ago, but reiterated that the release should be immediate and unconditional. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) […] Read more »
Radio journalist kidnapped in Honduras May 10, 2012 Molly Ochs | Leave a Comment Alfredo Villatoro, presenter of the morning news program and News Director at the major Honduran radio station, HRN radio, was kidnapped Wednesday morning near his residence at 4:50 a.m., just outside the capital city Tegucigalpa. Villatoro was on his way to the office when he was abducted from his vehicle. A colleague at the radio […] Read more »
Reporters targeted in record numbers and brutal ways May 8, 2012 Alison Bethel McKenzie | Leave a Comment The op-ed below was first published on 3 May 2012, World Press Freedom Day. Reporters Targeted in Record Numbers and Brutal Ways By Alison Bethel McKenzie, IPI Executive Director How to kill a journalist: Behead; gun down; throw, with hands and feet bound, from a seventh-floor window; torture to death; blow up; deny medical care […] Read more »
Nepalese journalist receives ‘Courageous Journalism Award’ May 7, 2012 Molly Ochs | Leave a Comment In honor of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on May 3, Rajesh KC of the Nagarik Daily received the ‘Courageous Journalism Award’ in Nepal for his contribution to freedom of expression via editorial cartoons. The award was presented to KC by Nepal’s National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI), as well as the Nepal-based […] Read more »
GUEST BLOG: Alison Langley praises media activists in Syria May 3, 2012 Alison Langley | Leave a Comment Media activists in Syria have often been vilified for manipulating the news coverage in their YouTube broadcasts. While I agree that these cameramen cannot be seen as quality journalists in the traditional sense of the word, we should not forget the important role they play in keeping the international world focused on their country. Today, […] Read more »
California legislature approves resolution recognising World Press Freedom Day May 1, 2012 Steven M. Ellis | Leave a Comment The California Legislature yesterday passed a resolution recognising May 3 as World Press Freedom Day 2012 and encouraging state legislatures throughout the United States to take similar action. California State Senator Joe Simitian, who introduced Senate Joint Resolution 22, presented a copy to members of the Sacramento Press Club on the floor of the California […] Read more »
Politicians behind recent attacks against Latin American Jjournalists April 30, 2012 Scott Griffen | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned a recent series of physical and verbal attacks against journalists in Argentina, Honduras, and Panama allegedly at the hands of politicians. IPI Acting Deputy Director Anthony Mills said, “These alleged incidents underscore the reality that political figures are far too often behind attacks on the media in Latin […] Read more »
IPI Focus: World Press Freedom Day 2012 – The story of Marcela Turati April 30, 2012 Marcela Turati | Leave a Comment Lea en español “My city finds itself in a state of panic. There is shooting everywhere. People see bodies in the streets. A curfew has been self-imposed. The drug traffickers have silenced our newspaper. We cannot publish anything because they threaten us: they have killed and kidnapped our colleagues. People are afraid and frustrated, understandably […] Read more »
Azerbaijan journalist claims torture by government April 25, 2012 Steven M. Ellis | Leave a Comment Azerbaijani journalist Zaur Guliyev, who has been held in pre-trial detention since his March 13 arrest following unrest in the region of Quba, has accused the country’s government of torturing him. Guliyev, the editor-in-chief of Xayal TV, made the claim in a statement to Azerbaijani non-governmental organisation For Human Rights, the group said yesterday. The […] Read more »
Media crackdown accompanies Formula 1 race in Bahrain April 23, 2012 Nisha Thanki | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) on Monday expressed concern at a crackdown on journalists in Bahrain over the past weekend as they sought to cover protests that accompanied a controversial Formula 1 racing event. A number of journalists were denied entry into Bahrain, and those who were allowed in were prevented from reporting on demonstrations. […] Read more »
Syrian press freedom advocates charged in Damascus April 23, 2012 Nisha Thanki | Leave a Comment Eight members of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), arrested in February, began trial under the military penal code in Damascus this weekend, according to exiled SCM activist Massoud Akko. The condition of the remaining five members remains unknown. IPI Acting Deputy Director Anthony Mills said: “We call on the authorities […] Read more »
IPI World Press Freedom Heroes condemn imprisonment of Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega April 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment Twenty international journalists who have been recognised as World Press Freedom Heroes by the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) have condemned the Ethiopian government’s decision to jail Eskinder Nega and other journalists on terrorism charges, and called for their immediate release. Eskinder Nega, an online writer and critic of the current Ethiopian government, was arrested […] Read more »
Deadly week for journalists across the globe April 20, 2012 Nisha Thanki | Leave a Comment A series of journalists, and a media activist, were killed this week, and another was viciously attacked on Friday, starkly highlighting the grave global threats to the safety of journalists. The International Press Institute (IPI) was saddened to learn of the death of several citizen reporters in Syria, in the past few days, despite a […] Read more »
UNESCO honours IPI member and Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev April 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment UNESCO announced today that it has selected Azerbaijani journalist and IPI member Eynulla Fatullayev to receive the 2012 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. IPI Acting Deputy Director Anthony Mills said: “We are delighted to hear that UNESCO has decided to give the award to Mr. Fatullayev. The courage and resilience he has displayed in […] Read more »
OSCE study confirms nearly 100 journalists currently in prison in Turkey April 2, 2012 Scott Griffen | Leave a Comment The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) today released a detailed study finding that the number of journalists imprisoned in Turkey nearly doubled over the past year, prompting the group to call for immediate reform of the country’s broadly interpreted anti-terror laws. The report – an update to a similar report released one […] Read more »
Ugandan journalist who reported allegations against local politician facing defamation charges March 28, 2012 Scott Griffen | Leave a Comment A Ugandan journalist who had reported on the alleged involvement of a local politician in the theft of donated solar panels has been charged under the country’s criminal-defamation laws, according to the Human Rights Network for Journalists – Uganda (HRNJ). The journalist, Ronald Ssembuusi of Uganda’s Central Broadcasting Service (CBS), had aired a story in […] Read more »
IPI Executive Board condemns Iran’s interference with international broadcasts March 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment All 27 members of the Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI), the world’s oldest global press freedom organisation, today passed a resolution strongly condemning an escalating campaign by the Iranian government to silence free and independent media in Iran. International broadcasters including the BBC, Deutsche Welle and Voice of America have all recently […] Read more »
IPI condemns Sudan newspaper confiscations March 23, 2012 Nisha Thanki | Leave a Comment IPI is concerned about a recent trend of censorship through the confiscation of newspapers in Sudan. The Sudanese authorities confiscated the fourth issue of Al Midan in a row on March 20, and have also banned two journalists for Alwan, Mujahid Abdullah and Essam Jaafar, from writing for any Sudanese newspaper, according to the Arabic […] Read more »
Syria must free imprisoned press freedom advocates; ensure their physical safety March 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment IPI has joined nearly 20 other organizations in again calling for the release of Mazen Darwish and his colleagues from the Syrian Centre for Media & Freedom of Expression, one month after they were detained during a raid on their Damascus offices. The full text of the statement is below: The Syrian authorities must reveal […] Read more »
IPI honours world’s longest-serving editor March 5, 2012 Nisha Thanki | Leave a Comment IPI announced on Tuesday that it would be honouring Sir Étienne Dupuch OBE posthumously for being the world’s longest-serving editor, at the IPI World Congress 2012 in Trinidad and Tobago in June. Born in 1899, Sir Étienne served as editor and publisher of the Nassau Tribune, in the Bahamas, for an astounding 54 years. Sir […] Read more »
Ban Ki-moon should speak out on imprisoned Ethiopian journalists March 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment On 5 March, as online journalist Eskinder Nega was scheduled to return to court in a trial in which he faces terrorism charges, the International Press Institute (IPI) sent an open letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, asking him to speak out against the use of anti-terrorism legislation against media members in Ethiopia. […] Read more »
One year on, prominent Turkish reporter and IPI World Press Freedom Hero languishes in prison March 2, 2012 Steven M. Ellis | Leave a Comment Journalists around the world today joined the International Press Institute (IPI) in condemning Turkey’s continued imprisonment of investigative journalist and IPI World Press Freedom Hero Nedim Şener, one year after he was detained in connection with an alleged coup plot. IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said: “The fact that Nedim Şener has been taken […] Read more »
Nepal must improve press freedom, international groups say February 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment At a meeting on Feb. 27 with International Press Institute members in Nepal, IPI Senior Press Freedom Adviser Barbara Trionfi said that Nepal must ensure strong constitutional guarantees for freedom of expression. The meeting was held following an International Media Mission visit to Nepal where international media and press freedom groups, including IPI, met with […] Read more »
Ecuador president pardons journalists convicted of libel February 28, 2012 Mariela Hoyer Guerrero, Nisha Thanki | Leave a Comment Lea este artículo en español Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa announced on Monday that he had granted pardons in two high-profile libel cases involving the media. In one, El Universo newspaper had been ordered to pay $40 million in damages and its three directors and a former columnist had been sentenced to three years in prison, […] Read more »
IPI’s Turkish National Committee welcomes release of journalist in Oda TV case February 27, 2012 Steven M. Ellis | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI)’s Turkish National Committee today welcomed the release of one of the defendants in the Oda TV trial and called for the release of other journalists the group said had been jailed because of their work. News website Bianet reported Wednesday that an Istanbul court ordered the release of journalist and […] Read more »
Efforts to rescue wounded journalists in Syria continue February 27, 2012 Scott Griffen | Leave a Comment An attempt to rescue two Western journalists wounded in a rocket attack in Syria failed over the weekend, while efforts were apparently underway to secure the release of two Welsh journalists detained in Libya. According to news reports, Sunday Times (U.K.) photographer Paul Conroy and Le Figaro correspondent Edith Bouvier declined to be evacuated on […] Read more »
As attacks continue, IPI joins 32 organizations in calling for release of Syrian detainees February 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of publishers, editors and leading journalists dedicated to the defense and furtherance of press freedom around the world, has joined 32 other international human rights and press freedom organizations in calling for the immediate release of Mazen Darwish and others arrested during a raid on the Syrian […] Read more »
Palestinian journalists facing wave of detentions, attacks February 20, 2012 Scott Griffen | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) is concerned over a recent wave of press-freedom violations against Palestinian journalists at the hands of both Israeli forces and Palestinian security services. Since the beginning of 2012, at least five journalists working in the Palestinian Territories have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and a further two have seen their […] Read more »
Open letter to T&T’s commissioner of police February 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) today addressed an open letter to Dwayne Gibbs, Trinidad & Tobago’s Commissioner of Police, regarding recent intimidation tactics against journalists and media houses perpetrated by the police force. Earlier this week, the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau of Trinidad and Tobago conducted a raid on the offices of Newsday, searched a senior […] Read more »