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Communiqué Vol 18, No 22

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International

Participants at IFEX General Meeting demand action

Free expression advocates from around the world gathered this week in Oslo, Norway for the General Meeting (GM) of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX). The meeting took place as part of the Global Forum on Free Expression, which brought together more than 500 journalists, activists and writers in Oslo. The following four joint actions were agreed upon by dozens of IFEX member groups. Stay tuned to the IFEX website and next week's communiqué for other joint appeals coming out of the conference.

International

IFEX network grows to 88 members

Nine new members of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) were welcomed this week at the free expression network's general meeting in Oslo, Norway.

China

20 years after Tiananmen, government still stifling debate

Tomorrow (4 June) marks the 20-year anniversary of the massacre of unarmed civilians in Tiananmen Square, but in China, the day is expected to pass like any other.

Sudan

Journalists protest press law before parliament

Sudan's draft press law will seriously impede journalists' ability to access and disseminate information if passed, say Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). ARTICLE 19 and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have also expressed concern about the repressive provisions of the draft.

Mexico

Authorities don't see death threats as crimes

Lydia Cacho, an investigative journalist in Mexico who exposed a paedophilia network involving businessmen and government officials in her book, is facing a new round of death threats and surveillance.

Venezuela

Chávez ratchets up threats against media

President Hugo Chávez has stepped up his ongoing bullying campaign against critical media in the country. This time, he's demanded officials either take action against the media that "poison" Venezuela or resign.

Iraq

Sports journalist killed by car bomb

A reporter with TV station Al-Baghdadia was killed by a car bomb in Mosul, northern Iraq, on 31 May, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Border (RSF).

Egypt

Obama should condemn free expression violations during visit

The Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) released its 2008 annual report on the worsening situation of free expression in Egypt ahead of U.S. President Barrack Obama's visit to the country.

Awards and other opportunities

New CEI award for outstanding investigative reporting

The Central European Initiative (CEI), in cooperation with the Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), is seeking proposals for the CEI Award for Outstanding Merits in Journalism. Individuals, organisations and media companies are encouraged to nominate journalists who have completed exceptional investigative reporting in the past three years. The 5,000 EUR award also includes an expense-paid trip to the CEI Journalists Forum in Poland in September 2009.

Awards

Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize

The European Commission is calling on journalists committed to reporting human rights, democracy and development issues to apply to the 2009 Lorenzo Natali Prize. A total of 60,000 EUR will be distributed among 17 winners at a ceremony at the European Commission in Sweden.