21 June 2006
ACTIVISTS FORM FREE EXPRESSION NETWORK
The Tunisia-based Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation (OLPEC) and the Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information have joined advocacy groups from six North African countries to form an organisation to support regional networking, campaigning and monitoring on press freedom and freedom of expression.
The Working Group on Press Freedom and Free Expression in North Africa was launched on 7 June 2006 at a conference hosted in Casablanca, Morocco, by OLPEC, the National Press Union of Morocco (Syndicat national de la presse marocaine) and the Moroccan Human Rights Association (Association marocaine des droits de l'Homme).
Representatives of several international organisations attended the conference, including UNESCO, International Media Support, Index on Censorship and Reporters Without Borders.
The Working Group's aims include coordinating regional campaigning and strengthening solidarity between rights advocates. It also aims to deepen ties with wider regional and international networks, including the Network of African Freedom of Expression Organisations, of which it is a member.
The Working Group is comprised of 12 organisations from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. Its plans include documenting free expression violations and sharing the information among members, organising campaigns to support persecuted activists and journalists, launching a website, and sending fact-finding missions to countries of concern.
The Working Group will be based in Casablanca and coordinated by three of its founders - Sihem Bensedrine, Gamal Eid and Aboubaker Jamai - until it holds its next meeting.
The members of the working group are listed here: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/wgfena/2006/about.shtml
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