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Communiqué Vol 18, No 47

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Philippines

IFEX members demand justice for killed journalists

Last week's deadly attack on journalists in the Philippines is rooted in a culture of impunity that has become worse under the current regime, with a brutal intolerance for independent views. The shock of the recent massacre of at least 30 journalists and media workers has prompted 52 IFEX members to call on the authorities in the country to face the larger problems that restrict free expression.

Mexico

Journalist's murder linked to reporting on environment

A Mexican journalist was found dead in his home in Jalisco State on 24 November; his hands tied with a cable, his body wrapped in a blanket, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI).

Russia

Broadcast journalist killed

A Russian journalist allegedly committed suicide by falling out of a 14th-floor window to her death on 16 November in Kaliningrad. But outraged opposition critics and colleagues believe she was murdered, report the Centre for Journalism in Extreme Situations (CEJES) and the International Press Institute (IPI).

Tunisia

Presidential palace furious as it hunts down opposition

Despite consolidating his vice-like grip on power, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali continues to imprison journalists critical of his regime, say members of the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group in a joint action this week. Other dissidents are trapped in their homes, surrounded by police who prevent visitors from entering.

Burundi

Critics silenced; network of 146 NGOs banned

Burundian authorities outlawed a network of 146 civil society organisations on 23 November, following weeks of intimidation and threats to civil society activists who were demanding accountability for killings in 2009, report Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) in a joint statement.

Singapore

Heavy-handed use of libel suits chills free expression

Hard-hitting investigative journalism is virtually nonexistent in Singapore as the government restricts the work of local and foreign journalists by saddling them with defamation suits – silencing them with the threat or crippling them with exorbitant fines, report IFEX members. Meanwhile, other journalists are simply barred from working in the country.

Maldives

Victory for free press

An overwhelming vote by Maldives' parliament on 23 November supported a change to the penal code to abolish five legal provisions for criminal defamation, reports ARTICLE 19.

Bahrain

Smear campaign against free expression

A large number of fake human rights and civil society organisations have sprung to life in Bahrain, when in reality they are fronts for greater government control, says a new report by the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR).

International

WAN-IFRA holds press summit in India

Participants marked the opening of a summit organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) in India, on 1 December, with a moment of silence for the estimated 30 journalists killed in the Philippines last week. The 62nd World Newspaper Congress, 16th World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 2009 is being held over three days in Hyderabad.