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IFEX Communiqué Vol 20, No 28

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Sudan

Post-split, governments silencing voices

Just a few hours before South Sudan's independence, the popular Arabic daily "Ajras Al-Hurriya" and five English-language newspapers were suspended - a worrying start to the relationship between north and south, report the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) and Index on Censorship.

United Kingdom

IFEX members weigh in on fallout of phone hacking scandal

Last week, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron announced not one but two inquiries into the phone hacking scandal. While IFEX members Index on Censorship, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the International Press Institute (IPI) welcomed the inquiries, they warn that the fallout from the scandal raises wider questions about media ethics, press regulations and the relationship between politicians and journalists.

Montenegro

Government decriminalises speech offences

Last week Montenegro became the latest country in the world to decriminalise libel, reports the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI).

Syria

Revolutionary singer killed in regime's propaganda war

Over the past few weeks in the northern city of Hama, Syria, up to 200,000 residents would gather nightly in al-Aqsi Square to do their part in the Arab uprisings. Most nights, Ibrahim Kashoush, popularly known as "the singer of the revolution", would perform political songs that expressed the defiance of the people. That ended abruptly on 5 July, when his throat was slit by security forces amid a series of deadly raids, reports the Arabic Network of Human Rights Information (ANHRI).

Malaysia

Atmosphere "euphoric" despite arrests of protesters

As expected, the tens of thousands of peaceful protesters who took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur demanding electoral reform were met with police violence and arrests, report the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and ARTICLE 19. But the mood in Malaysia is "euphoric", says CIJ: the rally, defying a government ban, went down as the largest in Malaysian history.

International

ARTICLE 19 launches new look and website

ARTICLE 19, one of the founding members of IFEX, has unveiled a new look and website to reflect its international presence and new approach to defending the right to free expression. See it here: www.article19.org