About IFEX:

News by region:

IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy:

IFEX Email Products:

Opportunities and assistance:

IFEX Communiqué Vol 20, No 22

---

IFEX members are currently in Beirut, Lebanon, for the IFEX Strategy Conference, the biennial meeting of the world's largest network of free expression organisations. Follow them on Twitter: @IFEXGM2011 and through our blog: http://www.ifexgm2011.wordpress.com

Nigeria

Freedom of information law is a victory for democracy

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has approved a freedom of information law, giving Nigerians the power and resources to unearth facts, battle corruption and hold officials and institutions accountable. Nigerian civil society groups, including IFEX member Media Rights Agenda (MRA), have fought for years to institutionalise transparency and accountability.

International

IFEX network now 95 members strong

Seven new members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) were welcomed this week at its general meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, growing the network to 95 members. IFEX's expanding membership makes it "truly international in its scope of work and diversity of membership," said Edetaen Ojo from Nigeria's Media Rights Agenda (MRA), who was re-elected as the convenor of IFEX Council. "Ultimately this can only enhance our ability to engage more effectively around the world."

Azerbaijan

Eynulla Fatullayev free at last

Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev's imprisonment became emblematic of the battle for free expression in the country. After four years in prison on politically motivated charges, Fatullayev was released on a presidential pardon on 26 March. He endured years of threats, attacks and prosecution in retaliation for his writing, even before his imprisonment in 2007. After years of intensely campaigning for his release, the Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (IRFS) and other IFEX members are thrilled with the news that he is now free. His release was part of a general amnesty for political prisoners, marking 28 May, Republic Day.

Yemen

Protesters killed, hundreds wounded and arrested; media under fire in clashes

At least 20 Yemenis were killed as hundreds of soldiers descended on a protest camp in the southern city of Taiz on 29 May, firing at demonstrators, indiscriminately torching tents and detaining hundreds of people, reports the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI). And in the midst of rising violence, both military forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and opposition and tribal gunmen are targeting media outlets in exchanges of gunfire, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the International Press Institute (IPI).

Pakistan

Journalist found dead after reporting links between Pakistani officials and militants

A prominent Pakistani journalist considered to be an expert on Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants was found dead on 31 May about 150km outside the capital, Islamabad, where he had been abducted two days earlier, report the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Freedom House and other IFEX members.

Côte d'Ivoire

Reprisals against pro-Gbagbo journalists continue; opposition press re-emerges

After a deadly power struggle in Côte d'Ivoire in which at least 3,000 died, a million were displaced and journalists faced attacks by both sides, Alassane Ouattara was officially sworn in as President on 21 May. But the media is still operating in a climate of fear and atrocities continue. A journalist who openly supported former President Laurent Gbagbo's Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) was killed in early May and others have gone into hiding - despite the reappearance of opposition newspapers, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).