16 December 2009
Communiqué Vol 18, No 49
International
Journalists worldwide risk their lives to report on environmental degradation, according to ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In the fight against climate change, the media is a watchdog for corrupt governments that obstruct efforts to protect the environment. The media also plays a critical role in engaging the public through stories and research. But journalists who cover illegal logging and the polluting of rivers are increasingly censored, imprisoned, assaulted and at times killed, say RSF and ARTICLE 19 in separate initiatives.
International
To mark International Human Rights Day on 10 December, IFEX members paused to comment on violations of free expression as they commemorated the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Although there has been a decline in free expression violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it has not been matched by an improvement in the quality of news gathering, says Journaliste en danger (JED) in its 2009 annual report.
Honduras
A human rights activist was shot and killed in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, on 13 December, report the Comité por la Libre Expressión (C-Libre) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Lithuania
Lithuania's parliament (the Seimas) has introduced a new law created to censor information available to children, reports Human Rights Watch. The rights group called on parliament to repeal an amendment forbidding public information encouraging "homosexual and bisexual relations".
Bangladesh
Bangladeshi authorities lack the political will to bring to justice killers of journalists says the International Press Institute (IPI) after a press freedom mission on 1 to 6 December in Bangladesh. Many of the 16 journalists killed since 1998 were covering corruption, says IPI.
International
Freelancers make up 45 percent of all journalists in jail, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in its 2009 prison census. CPJ recorded a total of 136 reporters, editors and photojournalists behind bars on 1 December, an increase of 11 from the 2008 tally. At least 60 freelancers are behind bars; double the number from three years ago.
Middle East and North Africa
Freedom of expression came under relentless assault throughout the Arab world this year, says a new report by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS). "Bastion of Impunity, Mirage of Reform" outlines how different regimes track down and punish defenders of democratic free speech. The report provides a shocking overview of the deterioration of human rights in the Arab region. It reveals the systematic way in which dissent is crushed, where torture of imprisoned journalists and activists and denial of due process of rights is routine.
Americas
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) is calling for entries for its 2010 Awards for Excellence in Journalism contest. Several awards are given to the best news coverage created and produced by journalists in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, for published works in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Middle East and North Africa / Awards
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is honouring Asos Hardi, the editor and founder of the "Awene" newspaper in Iraqi Kurdistan with the 2009 Gebran Tueni Award.
Iran
The Iranian regime views any expression of dissent as opposition that must be controlled, with tighter controls on mass communication, bans on foreign press and deadly responses to peaceful protest, says ARTICLE 19. Opposition publications are routinely muzzled
RSS