Belarus journalist and opposition activist receives suspended sentence May 16, 2011 Mina Nacheva | Leave a Comment The wife of Andrei Sannikov, an activist arrested for allegedly organizing and participating in a political rally against Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 19 December, has herself been handed a suspended sentence, Reuters reported on Monday. Irina Khalip, correspondent for the Moscow-based Novaya Gazeta and a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), was […] Read more »
IPI joins IFEX-Tunisia monitoring group in calling for fair broadcast license distribution May 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment IPI/IFEX-TMG – 10 May 2011 – Decades of government-imposed restrictions on freedom of speech and freedom of media through censorship, imprisonments, and pressure on media outlets and journalists have left the Tunisian media landscape in urgent need of reform, with the promotion of freedom of expression as a founding cornerstone, say members of the International […] Read more »
Investigate attacks on Uganda journalists, says IPI May 11, 2011 Naomi Hunt | Leave a Comment Ugandan authorities must investigate attacks, including by security forces, against journalists attempting to cover the “Walk to Work” demonstrations and the ensuing violence that erupted last month, the director of the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. According to reports from local media and the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda), a Kampala-based free press […] Read more »
Missing Pakistani journalist found dead May 5, 2011 Saurabh Sati | Leave a Comment The body of a missing Pakistani journalist was found in the southwestern region of the country on 28 April, according to local media reports. Independent investigations have so far ruled out the possibility of his death being work-related. According to the Express Tribune, the bullet-riddled bodies of Sadiq Baloch, a member of Human Rights Commission […] Read more »
IPI on World Press Freedom Day: Naomi Hunt speaks at Oviedo Press Association on 3 May May 3, 2011 Naomi Hunt | Leave a Comment IPI Press Freedom Adviser for Africa and the Middle East Naomi Hunt is speaking at the Oviedo Press Association World Press Freedom Day Event in Oviedo, Spain, on threats facing press freedom in the Middle East. Her speech is below. Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you very much to the Press Club of Oviedo […] Read more »
IPI on World Press Freedom Day: Steven M. Ellis speaks at Freedom for Journalists Platform Congress in Istanbul, Turkey May 3, 2011 Steven M Ellis | Leave a Comment IPI Press Freedom Adviser for Europe Steven Ellis is in Istanbul to speak at the Congress of the Freedom for Journalists Platform, Turkey on World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2011. His speech is below: We are here today to talk about press freedom in Turkey. IPI’s Director, Alison Bethel McKenzie, and our Press Freedom […] Read more »
IPI on World Press Freedom Day: Barbara Trionfi speaks at the Norwegian Editors Forum May 3, 2011 Barbara Trionfi | Leave a Comment I would like to thank the organizers of this event and the IPI National Committee in Norway for this opportunity to address the participants of the Norwegian Editors Forum and celebrate with you International World Press Freedom Day. Before presenting one by one what IPI has found to be the top ten threats to press […] Read more »
IPI renews call to free Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev April 21, 2011 Steven M. Ellis | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) on Wednesday renewed its call for the release of jailed Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev on the fourth anniversary of his imprisonment. IPI also condemned Azerbaijani authorities’ deportation of three Swedish journalists who were arrested Sunday while trying to observe an opposition rally. The detention and expulsion came amidst growing reports […] Read more »
Two renowned photojournalists killed in Misrata April 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment Two highly-respected Western war photojournalists were among at least five people killed on Wednesday in the rebel-held city of Misrata when they were hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, international news reports said. At least two other journalists were wounded in the attack. Tim Hetherington, 41, was a British war photographer and filmmaker whose documentary “Restrepo,” […] Read more »
IPI alarmed at reports of bloggers, journalists detained in Syria March 25, 2011 Naomi Hunt | Leave a Comment At least five journalists and bloggers have been detained since the violent crackdown on protests in Daraa began several days ago, according to news reports, and one private television station has received threats from the Syrian authorities, a report on AlArabiya.net stated. Journalist Mazen Darwish, writer Louay Hussein, cameraman Maen Al-Ali and bloggers Khaled Elekhetayar […] Read more »
IPI director, press freedom manager wrap up emergency visit to Turkey March 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment IPI Director Alison Bethel McKenzie and IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills on Friday wrapped up an IPI emergency visit to IPI’s Turkish National Committee in Istanbul, following the recent wave of arrests of Turkish journalists, including IPI World Press Freedom Hero Nedim Şener. Those recently arrested join dozens of other journalists in prison in […] Read more »
Radio Free Europe journalist reportedly beaten covering demonstration in Baku March 14, 2011 Steven M. Ellis | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) today expressed disappointment following reports from Radio Free Europe that a freelance photographer working for its Azeri service was beaten by a police officer Friday in downtown Baku while photographing a demonstration. Abbas Atilay said he was covering the protest – where demonstrators reportedly demanded the release of jailed journalists […] Read more »
Journalists suffer in continued Uganda election violence February 25, 2011 Saurabh Sati | Leave a Comment Six journalists were injured in attacks in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, while they were covering the mayoral elections at a polling station on Wednesday. The assailants are believed to be supporters of Peter Ssematimba, the candidate for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). The journalists were attacked by a mob armed with sticks with […] Read more »
IPI delegation to Azerbaijan encouraged by steps to improve media freedom February 25, 2011 Anthony Mills | Leave a Comment Following high-level meetings with key media stakeholders this week, the International Press Institute (IPI) is encouraged by recent steps Azerbaijan’s government and the country’s Press Council have taken to improve the condition of journalists in that country. IPI Director Alison Bethel McKenzie and IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills are currently in Azerbaijan to hold […] Read more »
IPI News Innovation Contest: International Press Institute and Google announce 2.7 Million Dollar Grant February 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) today announced that it has been awarded $2.7 million by Google Inc, to sponsor the ‘IPI News Innovation Contest’, a project aimed at advancing the future of digital news by funding new ways to inform communities in Europe, Middle East and Africa. The IPI News Innovation Contest aims to encourage […] Read more »
Appeal for press freedom in Uganda February 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute has joined thirty three members of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) in calling for Ugandan President Yoweri Mousevani to ensure that press freedom is respected ahead of general elections, which are scheduled for Friday. The appeal, led by the Uganda-based Human Rights Network for Journalists and the Committee to […] Read more »
Rwandan journalists’ heavy jail sentences demonstrate need for legal reforms: IPI February 15, 2011 Saurabh Sati | Leave a Comment IPI on Tuesday said that heavy prison sentences recently handed down to two Rwandan journalists demonstrated the need for legal reforms in Rwanda. A Rwandan court on 4 February sentenced one journalist to 17 years in prison for defaming senior officials, and another to seven years, for inciting unrest. IPI is concerned that, in the […] Read more »
Targeted attacks on reporters in Cairo February 4, 2011 Naomi Hunt & Nayana Jayarajan | Leave a Comment Latest Reported Attacks on Journalists in Egypt, Thursday 3 February: ***Click thru to article for latest or follow us on Twitter: @globalfreemedia*** Don’t forget to refresh for latest! Friday 4 February, “Day of Departure/Day of Loyalty”: * IPI website under DDOS attack on Friday 4 February. * Al-Jazeera releases statement saying that their Cairo offices were […] Read more »
Yemeni journalist released two weeks after receiving five-year sentence February 2, 2011 Naomi Hunt and Gianluca Mezzofiore | Leave a Comment Yemeni journalist and Al-Qaeda analyst Abdulelah Haidar Shaia was released on Tuesday, two weeks after he was handed a five-year prison term for allegedly recruiting for Al-Qaeda and taking photos of potential Al-Qaeda targets for the Islamist terrorist group, reports said. He was released on a presidential order, according to news reports, although it was […] Read more »
Ukraine court upholds decision cancelling allocation of frequencies to broadcasters January 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment Ukraine’s Higher Administrative Court on Wednesday upheld a decision by a court in Kiev cancelling the allocation of broadcasting frequencies to two privately-run TV channels – TVi and 5 Kanal. A representative of TVi said the administrative court fully upheld the lower court’s decision without explanation or modification. The lower court last year cancelled the […] Read more »
Croatian President says he opposes proposal to criminalise defamation January 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment Croatian President Ivo Josipović said today that he opposes proposed changes to his country’s criminal code that would impose severe penalties for libel, including jail. The president told a joint delegation of the International Press Institute (IPI) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) at a meeting at his office in Zagreb that he […] Read more »
EU telecoms chief says Hungarian media law may violate EU law on press freedom, broadcasting January 18, 2011 Steven Ellis | Leave a Comment The European Union’s Telecoms Chief said on Monday that Hungary’s new media law may violate EU laws on press freedom and broadcasting. European Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes told the European Parliament in a speech that she had contacted Hungarian authorities “to raise specific points on which the media law does not appear at first […] Read more »
Crackdown against independent media continues to grip Belarus January 14, 2011 Gianluca Mezzofiore | Leave a Comment Belarus secret service agents have raided the apartments of detained journalist Irina Khalip and her mother, Lyutsina Khalip, seizing the journalist’s computer, according to Charter 97, an independent news website. Lyutsina is currently struggling to prevent the authorities taking custody of her three-year-old grandson. A decision is expected at the end of the month, when […] Read more »
IPI World Press Freedom Hero Jiri Dienstbier passes away January 10, 2011 Gianluca Mezzofiore | Leave a Comment World press freedom hero and co-founder of Velvet Revolution newspaper “Lidové Noviny” (People’s News) Jiri Dienstbier died of natural causes on Saturday at the age of 73. From 1969 until the end of Communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989, he was one of the major intellectuals associated with the dissident group Charter 77, a political and […] Read more »
IPI to hold 2011 World Congress in Taipei January 7, 2011 Michael Kudlak | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) will hold its annual World Congress in Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan), from 24-27 September 2011, the organisation today officially announced. The 2011 World Congress will mark the return of IPI’s annual event to East Asia after 12 years, when the world’s media community convened in Taipei in 1999. Themed “The […] Read more »
IPI top 10 press freedom stories 2010 December 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment This year ushered in a number of major setbacks for the media across the globe, including the threat of new, oppressive media laws, most notably in Egypt, South Africa, Zambia, Hungary and Bermuda, to name but a few countries. There were also at least 66 deaths of journalists reported in 2010, down significantly from the record 110 […] Read more »
The perils of reporting in Sudan December 6, 2010 Katy Glassborrow | Leave a Comment As I kiss my baby before he falls asleep every night, my thoughts always return to Abdelrahman. My colleague has a boy the same age as mine, and a girl of two years old. But he hasn’t kissed them goodnight for two weeks now. Abdelrahman was arrested on October 30 by the security services in […] Read more »
Azerbaijan court upholds ECHR decision to overturn journalist’s conviction on terrorism charges November 12, 2010 Nayana Jayarajan | Leave a Comment Azerbaijan’s highest court on Thursday upheld a 22 April decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), ordering the immediate release of Eynulla Fatullayev, an Azeri journalist who was sentenced in 2007 to eight-and-a-half years in prison for defamation and “fomenting terrorism” through his articles. As IPI reported at the time, the Court voted […] Read more »
On ‘Stand Up for Journalism’ Day, European Federation of Journalists throws weight behind Turkish media rights campaign November 6, 2010 Anthony Mills | Leave a Comment The Steering Committe of the Brussels-based European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on Friday 5 November lent its full support to a campaign by the Turkish ‘Freedom for Journalists Platform which seeks the release of all journalists currently imprisoned in Turkey. EFJ representatives, along with their colleagues from the NUJ branch and the AGJPB, demonstrated in […] Read more »
Killer in Hrant Dink murder to be tried in juvenile court October 25, 2010 Naomi Hunt | Leave a Comment An Istanbul court today agreed that Ogun Samast, the suspected gunman in the murder of Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, can be tried in juvenile court because he was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, news reports said. Hrant Dink, founder of Agos newspaper and an ethnic Armenian, wrote extensively on the killings […] Read more »
Four years on, IPI recalls unsolved murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya October 7, 2010 Alicia Versteegh | Leave a Comment Four years after Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot and killed by an unknown assailant in the elevator of her apartment building in Moscow her killers have yet to be brought to justice. Repeatedly criticised by rights groups over its handling of the case, the Russian government recently announced it was reinvigorating the investigation, […] Read more »
Interview with IPI Press Freedom Hero Akbar Ganji September 21, 2010 Andreas Hackl, Nicole Friesenbichler and Laura Pannasch | Leave a Comment Mr. Ganji, you spent six years in an Iranian prison. Since your release four years ago, you have been living in exile. What have you been doing since you were freed? I am working as an activist and write a lot, every day in fact. Even in prison, I never stopped writing. I criticize the […] Read more »
Interview with IPI World Press Freedom Hero Pap Saine September 21, 2010 Valentin Ladstaetter and Laura Pannasch | Leave a Comment As one of the 60 “World Press Freedom Heros”, to be honored at the IPI World Congress in Vienna this year, he dedicates himself to the struggle for press freedom. Speaking to Valentin Ladstaetter and Laura Pannasch, he talks about the country’s President Yahyah Jammeh and about the foundation of the first local independent newspaper […] Read more »