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IFEX Communiqué Vol 19, No 8

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International

Activists encourage President Obama to take a stand for free expression

Frontline human rights activists from around the world met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on 18 February to talk about what the U.S. can do to address threats to freedom of association and expression. The meeting was arranged as part of a human rights summit organised by Freedom House and Human Rights First, which included dozens of activists from 27 countries.

Egypt

NGOs call for human rights reform during UN review

During a United Nations Human Rights Council review of Egypt's rights record on 17 February, Egyptian NGOs, including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) and the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR), called on the government to seriously address human rights violations. Two days later, Egypt accepted some rights reforms and rejected others.

Iraq

Journalist kidnapped

An Iraqi reporter was abducted by gunmen in Kirkuk last week, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI).

Libya

Independent news sources suspended; journalists arrested

Libyan authorities are waging a war on journalists critical of the regime's abuses, report Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In late January, authorities slammed press freedom by blocking several independent and opposition websites, and suspending the print-runs of two privately owned newspapers. Last week, four radio journalists that report on corruption were arrested.

Pakistan

Reporter killed

A Pakistani journalist who reported on feuds between local groups was gunned down in Sindh province on 17 February, report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Zimbabwe

Free expression abuses pervasive under power-sharing agreement

Zimbabwe's power-sharing agreement recognised the right to freedom of expression last year, but the media remain muzzled and journalists continue to face intimidation and arrest, report IFEX members.

Somalia

Militants imprison radio journalist

A Somali radio journalist was seized on 21 February by Al-Shabaab militants, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members.

Costa Rica

Prison terms removed from press law

In a press freedom victory, a Costa Rican court recently reformed a press law by eliminating a clause that imposed prison terms of up to 120 days for defamation in print, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Colombia

FLIP report highlights illegal espionage as a major threat to press freedom

Illegal espionage is one of the most serious threats to press freedom in Colombia, says the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) in their 2009 report: "Interceptaciones y seguimientos ilegales: grave intimidación al periodismo colombiano" (Illegal wiretapping and monitoring: The severe intimidation of Colombian journalism).

International

Sri Lankan editor honoured by IPI as a World Press Freedom Hero

Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, former editor of the "The Sunday Leader", has been posthumously declared an International Press Institute (IPI) World Press Freedom Hero. He was murdered in January 2009. Wickrematunge was a tenacious critic of abuses by the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Journalists at "The Sunday Leader" continue to work under dangerous conditions and a few have received death threats.