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Communiqué Vol 18, No 31

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Burma

Suu Kyi gets eighteen months' house arrest amid international outrage

Amid a flurry of protests around the world, Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to one and a half years of house arrest, report Mizzima News, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), ARTICLE 19 and other IFEX members.

Venezuela

Chávez's war on media continues, say IFEX members

The Venezuelan authorities have revoked the broadcast licences of 34 private radio and TV stations and proposed new media laws that would expand pro-government media and suppress dissent, say Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS), the Inter American Press Association (IPYS), Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión (OLA) and other IFEX members.

Mexico

Journalist murdered in gruesome fashion in Guerrero

Mexican authorities have found the battered body of a journalist near the southwestern resort city of Acapulco, report Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS), el Centro de Periodismo y Ética Pública (CEPET), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), ARTICLE 19 and other IFEX members. They call on the Mexican authorities to thoroughly investigate the killing, and to put an end to the ongoing violence against Mexican journalists.

The Gambia

Six journalists sentenced to two years for sedition

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and other IFEX members have condemned the "politicised" verdict against six Gambian journalists who were sentenced last week to two years in jail and heavy fines for sedition and criminal defamation.

North Korea / United States

Bill Clinton returns to U.S. with pardoned journalists

IFEX members the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomed last week's release of U.S. journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were jailed since March in North Korea. Following rare talks with reclusive leader Kim Jong-il, who pardoned the women, former U.S. President Bill Clinton brought the journalists home on 5 August.

Sudan

Pledge solidarity with Sudanese journalist facing 40 lashes for wearing pants

Last month, Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein wore pants to a restaurant - and now faces 40 lashes for "sensational dressing up." Join the International PEN Women Writers' Committee and protest the treatment of al-Hussein, who has turned her case into a challenge of the validity of applying public indecency laws to women who wear trousers.

Events / International

Vienna to host IPI conference on terrorism, media and the law

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Salzburg-based Center for International Legal Studies (CILS) are holding an international conference, "The War on Words - Terrorism, Media and the Law", in Vienna, Austria, on 5-6 October 2009.

Awards and other opportunities

Rory Peck Awards for freelance camera operators

Freelance camera operators from around the world are invited to submit entries for the 2009 Rory Peck Awards, which honour the best freelance footage in news and current affairs - especially in regions where it is difficult to operate as a news gatherer. The deadline for entries is 4 September 2009.