About IFEX:

News by region:

IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy:

IFEX Email Products:

Opportunities and assistance:

Communiqué Vol 18, No 40

---

International

IFEX members protest journalists being used as spies and police disguised as journalists

The Nepali government intends to use journalists as informants as part of a security plan, report ARTICLE 19 and the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), a decision that would undermine the role of independent media and increase attacks on journalists. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) reports that Israeli security forces were disguised as photojournalists in the midst of a demonstration on 8 and 9 October and arrested protesters.

Vietnam

Bloggers and writers sentenced to long prison terms

Dozens of dissidents have been arrested in Vietnam since September 2008 and, last week, nine Vietnamese bloggers and writers were charged with anti-government propaganda and sentenced to severe prison terms, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN.

Somalia

Deadly edicts issued against press; journalist honoured

Independent media continues to be under threat in southern Somalia as a result of a recent outbreak of internal fighting last week between rival Islamist groups fighting for control of the town of Kismayo and its lucrative port, reports the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

Yemen

Free expression activists assaulted during protests

A demonstration demanding freedom of expression in Yemen, organised by the NGO Women Journalists without Chains, was brutally dismantled by police on 6 October, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Kuwait

Journalist beaten; state monitors blogosphere

A Kuwaiti journalist known for his reporting and activism on corruption was assaulted and left bloodied and bruised on 4 October, reports ARTICLE 19. Freedom of expression is also being diminished with the monitoring of blogs and websites by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Transportation, according to the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI).

International

"War on Words" conference examines national security vs. media freedom

Journalists, human rights lawyers and advocates, and counter-terrorism experts gathered in Vienna last week to discuss the tension between media freedom and terrorism laws.

International / Awards and other opportunities

Call for nominations for Daniel Pearl awards

The 2010 Daniel Pearl Awards competition is now accepting entries to honour cross-border investigative reporting on a topic of world significance. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) renamed the prizes in 2008 in honour of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl who was killed by militants in Pakistan in 2002.