Bahraini TV station disconnected from its audience March 6, 2013 Jan Beyer Nearly two years after an upstart TV station kicked off with the intention of serving Bahrain, it is still unable to reach its core audience. Only four hours after Lualua TV, which is licensed in the United Kingdom, started operating from a warehouse in North West London in July 2011, its satellite signal experienced a […] Read more »
OAS Special Rapporteurship under threat at Ecuador meeting March 5, 2013 Scott Griffen This Friday, at the invitation of the Ecuadorean government, state parties to the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights will meet in Guayaquil, Ecuador to discuss proposed reforms to the inter-American human rights system. The outcome of this gathering, whose results will be presented at an Organization of American States (OAS) Special General Assembly meeting on […] Read more »
IPI addresses open letter to Kenyan media and government March 4, 2013 Following is the text of a letter addressed by IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie to the media and state representatives of Kenya on the occasion of the national elections on March 4, 2013 Today Kenyans go to the polls to elect a new president, and in the event that no candidate has an absolute […] Read more »
IFEX members concerned over undermining of OAS Special Rapporteur March 3, 2013 The following is a statement signed by over 30 IFEX members and initiated by the International Press Institute (IPI) that is directed at member states of the Organisation of American States (OAS). The original link can be found here. To read IPI’s full report on the efforts to undermine the Special Rapporteur, click here. IFEX […] Read more »
#MemberBlog: Press freedom in Turkey An estimated 76 journalists* are currently imprisoned in Turkey. They are victims of anti-terrorism legislation and of a criminal justice system that does not differentiate between terrorists and journalists who write about terrorism. As a result, fear among the media has spread and journalists practise self-censorship to avoid being thrown in jail — all of […] Read more »
Q&A: FLIP on criminal defamation in Colombia February 19, 2013 Scott Griffen Last year, Colombia’s Press Freedom Foundation (FLIP, according to its Spanish acronym) published a printed manual for journalists facing libel and insult* charges. This past month, the organisation released an online version of the manual, “so that any journalist could access it,” FLIP director Andrés Morales explained to the Knight Foundation. The International Press Institute […] Read more »
IPI urges investigation into attack on Sri Lanka journalist February 18, 2013 Jan Beyer The International Press Institute (IPI) today urged the Sri Lankan authorities to conduct a swift and comprehensive investigation into the violent attack on Sunday Leader journalist Faraz Shauketaly. Shauketaly was seriously injured on Saturday after three gunmen broke into his house near the Sri Lankan capital Colombo and opened fire from close range. The 54-year-old […] Read more »
Journalists’ safety draws international mission to Mexico February 15, 2013 A delegation from the International Press Institute (IPI) and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) this week examined Mexican government measures to ensure greater safety of journalists, along with strategies adopted by media and journalists to continue reporting from highly dangerous parts of the country. The delegation met with a wide variety […] Read more »
Guest Comment: Turkey’s imprisoned press February 14, 2013 Aryeh Neier According to two pro-government newspapers in Turkey, Star and Yeni Akit, as well as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan himself, those who denounce the state of press freedom in Turkey are “terrorists.” That is the term that they were using last week to denounce the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Paris-based […] Read more »
New restrictions for legal commentators in Cambodia February 13, 2013 Jan Beyer The International Press Institute (IPI) is concerned about the Cambodian government’s efforts to restrict the capacity of lawyers to appear on national radio and television. On Friday, Feb. 8, the Ministry of Information made public an instruction given to radio and TV stations on Jan. 31, stipulating that lawyers could only be interviewed with prior […] Read more »
The Gambia should end media oppression January 23, 2013 H.E. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh President of the Republic of The Gambia State House Banjul, The Gambia Dear President Jammeh, We, the undersigned organizations working to promote the compliance of states to their international and regional human rights obligations, are writing to bring to your attention a series of abuses by the National Intelligence Agency […] Read more »
Nepal’s PM angered by arrests in journalist murder case January 9, 2013 Siromani Dhungana Nepal’s prime minister Baburam Bhattarai has reportedly expressed anger over the arrests of individuals allegedly involved in the 2004 murder of journalist Dekendra Thapa in Dailekh, in mid-western Nepal. At an event organised in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, on Jan 8, PM Bhattarai stated that the government did not support the arrests. In fact, Bhattarai condemned […] Read more »
IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism goes to The Tribune January 2, 2013 The International Press Institute’s Indian National Committee has named Chandigarh-based English-language newspaper The Tribune as the 2012 recipient of its IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism. IPI India, in a press release noting the newspaper’s “outstanding journalistic work done during 2011,” specifically recognized Tribune Bureau Chief “Prabhjot Singh’s in-depth series on the looting of […] Read more »
Blog: Despite revolution, press freedom remains under attack in Egypt December 30, 2012 Shahira Amin I was deputy head of Nile TV International. I was also one of the network’s senior anchors and correspondents and I had traveled the world covering major events. Then came the revolution. I was away for the first five days in London attending an EU-sponsored workshop on free expression. I was following closely the events […] Read more »
Bolivian journalist wounded in arson attack returns home after treatment December 14, 2012 Scott Griffen The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomed news that Bolivian journalist Fernando Vidal was released from an Argentine hospital where he had been treated for third-degree burns suffered during an arson attack in October. Vidal’s son-in-law, Esteban Farfán Romero, informed IPI that the journalist arrived in his hometown of Yacuiba, Bolivia, late at night on […] Read more »
Threat of imminent execution of Ukrainian journalist kidnapped in Syria December 12, 2012 ARTICLE 19, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute and Reporters Without Borders are deeply concerned that Ukrainian journalist Anhar Kochneva, kidnapped by Syrian rebels in October 2012, is in grave danger of being murdered. Her kidnappers, allegedly members of the Free Syrian Army, have threatened to kill her tomorrow, 13 December 2012, […] Read more »
Syrian Journalists Association: 100 media activists & journalists killed in Syrian conflict December 3, 2012 Naomi Hunt The media freedom committee of the Syrian Journalists Association, with whom the International Press Institute (IPI) has cooperated in its efforts to verify information related to attacks against journalists in Syria, announced that 100 media activists, citizen reporters and journalists have been killed in Syria since the start of the conflict last year. Thirty-six journalists […] Read more »
Egypt set to enshrine press freedom confusion in new Constitution November 30, 2012 Naomi Hunt The 234 articles of Egypt’s new draft constitution have been approved by the country’s constituent assembly, and the charter will now be voted on by the public in a referendum. Proponents have hailed the arrival of a constitution they say enshrines the values of the revolution, but when it comes to journalists’ rights, observers fear […] Read more »
Turkish journalist freed after 3 years in prison November 29, 2012 Steven M. Ellis The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomed news that journalist and publisher Bedri Adanir, who had been imprisoned in Turkey for nearly three years, has been released. A court in Diyarbakir on Tuesday ordered Adanir, owner of Aram Publishing and a writer for Kurdish daily newspaper Hawar, freed after convicting him of aiding a terrorist […] Read more »
Journalists under attack – a call for action to improve journalists’ safety November 23, 2012 Michael Spindelegger, Vice-Chancellor & Foreign Minister of the Republic of Austria and Alison Bethel McKenzie, Executive Director, The International Press Institute (IPI) Well over 100 journalists have been killed so far this year – the highest number since the International Press Institute (IPI) began keeping count of journalists’ deaths in 1997. All across the world – from Africa, Asia and Europe, to the Middle East and Latin America – journalists continue to be systematically and brutally […] Read more »
IPI urges Bahamas to repeal criminal defamation November 21, 2012 The International Press Institute (IPI) last week sent a letter to Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie urging the newly re-elected leader to decriminalise defamation offences and thereby bring the nation’s press-related laws in line with international standards. Under the Bahamian Penal Code, individuals convicted of intentional libel face up to two years in prison. Seditious […] Read more »
Palestinian journalist prosecuted, TV channel seeks justice following Israeli raid November 12, 2012 Nadia Danecek, Naomi Hunt Political commentator Jihad Harb could be prosecuted by the Palestinian Authority for a piece published on a news website, while Palestinian broadcaster Watan TV has turned to the Israeli High Court for justice months after a raid by the Israeli Defense Forces, in which the station’s broadcasting equipment and documents were confiscated. Jihad Harb Jihad […] Read more »
SEEMO observes deterioration of press freedom in Greece November 12, 2012 SEEMO Staff The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), said today that it has registered an increase in attacks and pressure on Greek journalists. “Greek police and courts appear to be slow when investigating and condemning attacks against journalists and extremely fast when detaining media representatives,” SEEMO Secretary […] Read more »
Wave of journalist arrests in Cuba November 12, 2012 Scott Griffen International Press Institute (IPI) World Press Freedom Hero Yoani Sánchez and prominent opposition journalist and attorney Yaremis Flores were among at least 27 Cuban dissidents arrested last week during what observers have called a new “wave of repression” on the Caribbean island. Flores was among a group of independent lawyers detained by authorities last Wednesday. […] Read more »
Press freedom advocate publishes English language report on the ‘Fences of Silence’ in Sudan November 8, 2012 Naomi Hunt If the flow of information and ideas in Sudan is ever to be free, Khartoum will need to change the way it treats journalists and the media, according to a new report by Sudanese journalist and press freedom advocate Abdelgadir Mohammed Abdelgadir. His research, which documents violations of press freedom and freedom of expression that […] Read more »
IPI Board congratules Grenada on decriminalising defamation November 6, 2012 The Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI) congratulated Grenadian Prime Minister Tillman Thomas on his government’s partial decriminalisation of defamation in a letter sent last week. Writing on behalf of the other 27 board members, IPI Board Chair and Head of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism – Foundation 19/29 (Russia) Galina Sidorova said […] Read more »
Groups criticize EU’s silence on case against Greek journalist November 2, 2012 The International Press Institute (IPI) and its affiliate, the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), have joined international freedom of expression groups in criticising the European Union’s silence on Greek prosecutors’ decision to appeal the acquittal of a journalist who published a list of names of some 2,000 Greeks who allegedly hold bank accounts in […] Read more »
Another journalist killed in Pakistan’s Balochistan province October 25, 2012 On Oct. 23, unknown assailants gunned down Pakistani journalist Khalid Musa Mengal, a reporter with the daily newspaper Ummat in Turbat, Balochistan province, the Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP) reported. Condemning the murder as a „barbaric act“, RMNP noted that most attacks against journalists are never investigated and go unpunished. Balochistan is the most dangerous […] Read more »
2012 deadliest year for journalists October 23, 2012 IPI Staff This year of continuing change in the world of news media has also been marked by an appalling and disturbing truth: an unprecedented 133 journalists were killed in the line of duty or as a consequence of their reporting in 2012. This year’s figure is the highest since the International Press Institute (IPI) started systematically […] Read more »
IPI Special Report: Criminal defamation laws remain widespread in the Caribbean October 15, 2012 Scott Griffen Where in the Caribbean can journalists be sent to prison for doing their job? The answer: Everywhere. A comprehensive legal review conducted by the International Press Institute (IPI) confirmed that every independent state considered geographically or culturally part of the Caribbean maintains some form of criminal defamation that could result in imprisonment. Of those 16 […] Read more »
IPI expresses concern over proposed changes to Italian defamation law October 12, 2012 Nadia Danecek The International Press Institute (IPI) today expressed concern over proposed amendments to Italy’s defamation law, the latest of which includes imprisonment as a possible penalty for criminal libel. Parliament has been considering changes to Italian defamation law since Italy’s highest tribunal last month upheld Il Giornale editor Alessandro Sallusti’s conviction and 14-month prison sentence for […] Read more »
IPI joins international groups in letter to Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn October 9, 2012 The International Press Institute (IPI) joined nearly thirty organisations in writing to Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, to ask that his government prioritise human rights reforms, particularly with respect to press freedom and journalism. Over the last year, five journalists were detained and later sentenced to years in prison for “terrorism”, while several others […] Read more »
Italian president weighs in on editor’s conviction in criminal libel case September 28, 2012 Steven M. Ellis The International Press Institute (IPI) today criticised an Italian court’s decision upholding an editor’s 14-month prison sentence for criminal libel, but the press freedom group expressed hope that the decision could lead to long-overdue reforms of Italian defamation law. A statement posted on Italian President Giorgio Napolitano’s website yesterday said that he and Justice Minister […] Read more »