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Articles - Western Europe

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United Kingdom

Queen announces major libel reform bill

Thanks largely to Index on Censorship's libel reform campaign, the government will introduce a law "to protect freedom of speech and reform the law of defamation" in the next parliament.

United Kingdom

Proposed snooping law: What you need to know

IFEX's guide to the government's plan to introduce more monitoring of people's emails, phone calls and web usage in the U.K. - and what it means for free expression.

Cuba / Spain

Dissident journalist takes own life after year in exile

A dissident Cuban journalist who was released last year and forced into exile has committed suicide, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Ethiopia / Sweden

Swedish journalists given 11 years on terrorism charges

Ethiopia sentenced two Swedish journalists to 11 years in jail last week on charges of supporting terrorism after the pair illegally entered the country with a Somali rebel group, report IFEX's international members. Photojournalist Johan Persson and reporter Martin Schibbye were arrested by Ethiopian security forces in July during a gunfight between Ethiopian soldiers and rebels in the no-go region of Ogaden, and were put on trial in October.

France

Weekly firebombed over edition satirising Islamists

The office of a satirical French weekly was firebombed just before an edition that pokes fun at Islamists was due for release, report IFEX members. At 1am on 2 November, unidentified attackers threw a Molotov cocktail through a window of the "Charlie Hebdo" offices, acting on rumours about the issue.

United Kingdom

Police drop attempt to use Official Secrets Act against journalist in phone hacking scandal

After threatening to use the retrograde Official Secrets Act to force a "Guardian" journalist to reveal her sources in the phone hacking scandal, the Metropolitan Police is holding a closed-door meeting with members of parliament to explain the move, report Index on Censorship and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Spain

Police assault journalists covering protests

Journalists covering anti-corruption protests as well as demonstrations against Pope Benedict's four-day visit to Madrid have been met with police violence, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

United Kingdom

Prime Minister considers banning social media, interferes with journalists' editorial independence

On the heels of riots in England this month, Prime Minister David Cameron's government is looking at banning the use of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook in order to stop suspected rioters from sharing online messages to foment violence. Cameron has also called on broadcasters to hand over unused footage of the riots to police. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warn that censorship does not prevent social unrest, and that sharing personal data with police is a disturbing precedent.

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.

Afghanistan / France

French reporters freed after 18 months

Exactly 18 months after they were abducted in northeastern Afghanistan, French journalists Hervé Ghesquière and Stéphane Taponier and their Afghan interpreter have been released, say Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and news reports.

Palestine / Italy

Italian journalist kidnapped and killed in Gaza

Hamas officials have found the body of an Italian journalist and activist who was kidnapped last week in Gaza, report the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) and the International Press Institute (IPI). Vittorio Arrigoni was affiliated with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian rights group, and reported on Palestinian issues for the Italian newspaper "Il Manifesto" and online paper Peacereporter, and also wrote a blog.

United Kingdom

Government vows to reform "laughing stock" libel law

The U.K.'s coalition government has promised sweeping changes to England's much-criticised libel laws, paying tribute to Index on Censorship's libel reform campaign which has "led the debate on this issue for so long."

Italy

Media concentration in hands of Berlusconi "cause for concern," says IPI mission

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's ownership of Italy's most powerful private broadcasting company - and willingness to use his power to influence the country's public broadcaster - are severe blows to the diversity of Italy's television news, the International Press Institute (IPI) found on a recent press freedom mission to the country.

Italy

Journalists strike back at gag law with silence and empty newsstands

Journalists across Italy refused to work on 8 July to protest a wiretapping bill that bans reporting on judicial investigations, say the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Index on Censorship. Criticism of the law has also come from outside Italy's borders.

Iceland

Authorities create a safe haven for press freedom

On the cutting edge of press freedom, Iceland's parliament has approved a resolution known as the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI) to protect journalists and their sources, and shield reporters from foreign libel judgments, report Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Freedom House.

Italy

Journalists furious over gag law

Despite massive protest from both independent Italian journalists and those close to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Senate approved a gag law on phone taps on 10 June. The "legge bavaglio" criminalises journalists found guilty of publishing the contents of phone taps, serving them with huge fines and harsh prison terms, report Index on Censorship and the International Press Institute (IPI). The law limits journalists' ability to provide vital information to the public.

United Kingdom

Libel law reform needed

Libel law in the United Kingdom has been used to protect the wealthy and powerful from criticism as the "high costs involved and the scale of damages have chilled free speech," says a recent report by English PEN and Index on Censorship. The cost of libel action in England and Wales is 140 times higher than the European average.

Italy

Right to know; thousands protest

Thousands marched the streets in Rome on 3 October to defend press freedom and freedom of information in the face of continuous attacks by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, reports the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European group of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

United Kingdom

Sedition law to be scrapped, finally

After years of lobbying the UK government to remove repressive defamation and sedition laws from the books, it appears ARTICLE 19's campaigning has paid off.

Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)

Court issues landmark ruling on protection of journalists' sources

A Belfast journalist in Northern Ireland last week won the right to withhold material relating to the Real IRA from the state, in a landmark ruling on press freedom, say the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and ARTICLE 19.

United Kingdom

DES PHOTOGRAPHES PROTESTENT CONTRE UNE NOUVELLE LOI ANTITERRORISTE

United Kingdom

FOTÓGRAFOS PROTESTAN POR NUEVA LEY ANTITERRORISMO

United Kingdom

PHOTOGRAPHERS PROTEST NEW ANTI-TERROR LAW

Hundreds of photographers descended on New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the British Metropolitan Police, in London on 16 February to protest against an amendment to the Counter-Terrorism Act that could criminalise anyone taking a photograph of a police officer, report the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the regional arm of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and news reports.

Germany

PARLAMENTO DERROTA LEY ANTITERRORISMO

Germany

LE PARLEMENT REJETTE UNE LOI ANTITERRORISTE

Germany

PARLIAMENT DEFEATS ANTI-TERRORISM LAW

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European body of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), welcomed last week's defeat in the upper house of Germany's Parliament of an anti-terrorism law that would have given the federal police unprecedented spying powers.

Italy

ITALIA: HABLE CONTRA LA CAMORRA

Italy

ITALIE : DÉNONCEZ LA CAMORRA

Italy

ITALY: SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE CAMORRA

If the mafia gets its way, Italian writer Roberto Saviano has only weeks to live. The Camorra, an Italian mafia group that Saviano denounced in his bestselling book "Gomorra", has ordered him killed before Christmas. Saviano has since announced he is fleeing the country. Join more than 200,000 others, including International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC), and sign a "La Repubblica" appeal urging the Italian authorities to take up Saviano's case.

France

AGISSEZ ! EXIGEZ LA REMISE EN LIBERTÉ D'UN JOURNALISTE INNOCENT INCARCÉRÉ EN CÔTE D'IVOIRE

France

SARKOZY DEBE UTILIZAR SU VISITA A SIRIA PARA HABLAR DE DERECHOS HUMANOS, DICEN MIEMBROS DE IFEX

France

SARKOZY DEVRAIT PROFITER DE SA VISITE EN SYRIE POUR SOULEVER LA QUESTION DES DROITS, DISENT LES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX

France

SARKOZY SHOULD USE SYRIA VISIT TO RAISE RIGHTS, SAY IFEX MEMBERS

In a joint action, 26 IFEX members appealed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy to demand the release of hundreds of political prisoners and raise the issue of Syria's dire free expression record with President Bashar al-Assad during his visit to Damascus on 3 and 4 September.

United Kingdom

LIBRE EXPRESIÓN RESTRINGIDA, ENCUENTRA COMITÉ DE ONU

United Kingdom

LA LIBRE EXPRESSION EST SOUMISE À DES CONTRAINTES, CONSTATE UN COMITÉ DES NATIONS UNIES

United Kingdom

FREE EXPRESSION CONSTRAINED, UN COMMITTEE FINDS

The United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has criticised Britain's 2006 Terrorism Act and other laws and practices as unduly restricting freedom of expression, says ARTICLE 19 in an August report. In its sixth periodic report on the United Kingdom, released in July, the committee said the Terrorism Act's definition of the "encouragement of terrorism" offence was "broad and vague," including no requirement of intent for the offence to be committed.

France

IFEX MEMBERS URGE MEDITERRANEAN LEADERS TO CONSIDER RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

Eight Reporters Without Borders (RSF) activists who used the occasion of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's launch of the Union for the Mediterranean were arrested for protesting against Syria's dire free expression record.

Italy

PERIODISTAS ITALIANOS ATACADOS POR LA MAFIA DURANTE MÁS DE 40 AÑOS, DICE ORGANISMO DE VIGILANCIA DE LOS MEDIOS

Italy

LES JOURNALISTES ITALIENS SONT ATTAQUÉS PAR LA MAFIA DEPUIS 40 ANS, DIT UN CHIEN DE GARDE DES MÉDIAS

Italy

ITALIAN JOURNALISTS UNDER ATTACK BY MAFIA FOR 40 YEARS, SAYS MEDIA WATCHDOG

For more than 40 years, the Mafia has been targeting journalists who try to expose the organisation's criminal activities, says an Italian media watchdog.

France

PROYECTO DE LEY SOBRE PROTECCIÓN DE FUENTES DE PERIODISTAS NO VA LO SUFICIENTEMENTE LEJOS, DICE RSF

France

UN PROJET DE LOI SUR LA PROTECTION DES SOURCES DES JOURNALISTES NE VA PAS ASSEZ LOIN, DIT RSF

France

BILL ON PROTECTING JOURNALISTS' SOURCES DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH, SAYS RSF

The French government introduced a bill last week that says reporters may have to reveal their sources when "a pressing imperative requires it" - wording that Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other press freedom organisations say is too vague.

United Kingdom

TESCO CONTINUES SPREE OF LIBEL SUITS

One of Thailand's retail giants has filed an exorbitant defamation suit against a business journalist, the latest in a string of lawsuits by private companies to intimidate their critics and the press in general, say the Thai Journalists Association (TJA), the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and ARTICLE 19.

United Kingdom

ARTICLE 19 ELOGIA VOTO PARA REVOCAR BLASFEMIA

United Kingdom

ARTICLE 19 SE RÉJOUIT DU VOTE QUI ABOLIT LE BLASPHÈME

United Kingdom

ARTICLE 19 COMMENDS VOTE TO REPEAL BLASPHEMY

In an historic break with tradition, the U.K. House of Lords has voted to abolish laws that make it a crime to commit blasphemy against Christianity, report ARTICLE 19 and news reports.

Denmark

LA CONTROVERSE ENTOURANT LES CARICATURES DE MAHOMET REFAIT SURFACE

Denmark

RESURGE POLÉMICA POR CARICATURAS DE MAHOMA

Denmark

MOHAMMED CARTOON CONTROVERSY RESURFACES

More than a dozen Danish newspapers last week reprinted a drawing of the Prophet Mohammed that caused worldwide controversy in 2006, in protest at a newly discovered plot to kill the cartoonist, according to Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and news reports.

France

RESTRICTIVE COURT RULING SPURS DEMAND FOR RIGHT TO PUBLISH PHOTOGRAPHS

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), an International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) affiliate, is supporting a petition for the right to information through pictures and the right to publish news photographs.

Sweden

DEFENSORES DE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN MARCHAN PARA PROTEGER A CARICATURISTA

Sweden

LES DÉFENSEURS DE LA LIBRE EXPRESSION SE RASSEMBLENT AUTOUR D'UN CARICATURISTE

Sweden

FREE EXPRESSION ADVOCATES RALLY AROUND CARTOONIST

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) have strongly condemned a US$150,000 bounty on a Swedish artist who drew the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog.

Germany

DE NOMBREUX JOURNALISTES RISQUENT DES POURSUITES PÉNALES

Germany

NUMEROSOS PERIODISTAS SE ENFRENTAN A INVESTIGACIÓN PENAL

Germany

NUMEROUS JOURNALISTS FACE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

Germany recently launched criminal proceedings against 17 journalists who published information related to U.S. prisoner rendition flights and German secret service activities in Irag during the 2003 invasion, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).A German committee investigating the renditions (movements of prisoners by the Central Intelligence Agency with layovers in Germany) and suspected misconduct of the domestic intelligence service, the BND, was trying to keep documents cited by the reports classified.

United Kingdom

PERIODISTA GANA LUCHA POR PROTEGER FUENTE

United Kingdom

UN JOURNALISTE GAGNE SA BATAILLE POUR PRÉSERVER UNE SOURCE

United Kingdom

JOURNALIST WINS FIGHT TO PROTECT SOURCE

A freelance journalist's marathon legal fight to protect a confidential source has finally ended in victory, reports the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

United Kingdom

NUEVO PREMIER DEBERÁ HACER MÁS PARA PROTEGER LA LIBERTAD DE PALABRA

United Kingdom

LE NOUVEAU PREMIER MINISTRE DOIT FAIRE PLUS POUR PROTÉGER LA LIBERTÉ DE PAROLE

United Kingdom

NEW PM SHOULD DO MORE TO PROTECT FREE SPEECH

Free expression groups in the U.K. are demanding that newly crowned Prime Minister Gordon Brown protects whistleblowers, respects the right to protest and scraps proposals to restrict the Freedom of Information Act - and ultimately does a better job than outgoing Tony Blair in defending free speech.

Spain

LES GROUPES DE DÉFENSE DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE APPUIENT UN JOURNALISTE QU'ON TRAÎNE DEVANT LES TRIBUNAUX

Spain

GRUPOS DE LIBERTAD DE PRENSA RESPALDA A PERIODISTA LLEVADO A RASTRAS POR TRIBUNALES

Spain

PRESS FREEDOM GROUPS BACK JOURNALIST DRAGGED THROUGH COURTS

On World Press Freedom Day (3 May) in Colombia, the Coordinating Committee of Press Freedom Organizations (CCPFO) of nine press freedom groups unanimously approved a resolution supporting a Spanish journalist who has been the target of judicial harassment for more than a decade in Spain's courts.

United Kingdom

LA LOI D'ACCÈS À L'INFORMATION EST MENACÉE

United Kingdom

LEY DE ACCESO A LA INFORMACIÓN AMENAZADA

United Kingdom

ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT UNDER THREAT

Barely two years after the United Kingdom enacted a Freedom of Information Act guaranteeing citizens the right to access government-held information, the legislation is under serious attack, warn ARTICLE 19, Index on Censorship and the International Press Institute (IPI).

France

L'ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE ADOPTE UN AVANT-PROJET DE LOI QUI CRIMINALISE LA NÉGATION DU GÉNOCIDE ARMÉNIEN

France

ASAMBLEA NACIONAL APRUEBA LEY QUE PENALIZA LA NEGACIÓN DEL GENOCIDIO ARMENIO

United Kingdom

FALLO HISTÓRICO PROTEGE A MEDIDOS DE DEMANDAS POR CALUMNIA

Ireland

LEYES PROPUESTAS DE DIFAMACIÓN Y PRIVACIDAD CAUSAN INQUIETUD

Ireland

DES PROPOSITIONS DE LOIS SUR LA DIFFAMATION ET LE RESPECT DE LA VIE PRIVÉE SOULÈVENT L'INQUIÉTUDE

Ireland

PROPOSED DEFAMATION, PRIVACY BILLS DRAW CONCERN

In Ireland, the government has tabled two new bills aimed at bringing the country's defamation and privacy laws more in line with European human rights standards. However, ARTICLE 19 and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) have expressed concern that some of the provisions in the bills still pose a threat to freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

France

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PASSES LAW CRIMINALISING DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

France's National Assembly has approved on first reading a draft law that would make it a crime to deny the 1915 Armenian genocide. Both Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and ARTICLE 19 called on the French Senate to reject the proposal as an unjustified limit on free expression.

United Kingdom

DES JOURNALISTES REÇOIVENT DES MENACES DE MORT

United Kingdom

PERIODISTAS SE ENFRENTAN A AMENAZAS DE MUERTE

United Kingdom

JOURNALISTS FACE DEATH THREATS

Five years after investigative reporter Martin O'Hagan was gunned down in Northern Ireland, his killers remain at large and threats of violence against journalists have quadrupled, a new report by Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) has found.

United Kingdom

FILMACIÓN DE NOVELA PROVOCA PROTESTA COMUNITARIA

United Kingdom

CERTAINES PRODUCTIONS CULTURELLES PROVOQUENT DES PROTESTATIONS DANS CERTAINES COMMUNAUTÉS

United Kingdom

FILMING OF NOVEL PROVOKES COMMUNITY PROTEST

Protests by community groups in the United Kingdom against cultural productions deemed offensive or insulting are raising questions over whether the freedom to write or express art is being compromised in the name of cultural sensitivity, reports Index on Censorship.

Switzerland

INVITAN A PERIODISTAS A TALLER SOBRE DERECHO HUMANITARIO 11 DE JULIO DE 2006

Switzerland

LES JOURNALISTES SONT INVITÉS À UN ATELIER SUR LE DROIT HUMANITAIRE 11 JUILLET 2006

Spain

SUPREMA CORTE CONFIRMA CONDENA DE PERIODISTA DE AL YAZIRA

Spain

LA COUR SUPRÊME CONFIRME LA CULPABILITÉ DU JOURNALISTE D'AL JAZIRAH

Spain

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS CONVICTION OF Al JAZEERA JOURNALIST

Spain's Supreme Court has upheld a lower-court ruling sentencing former Al Jazeera correspondent Tayseer Allouni to jail for collaborating with Al-Qaida, report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Germany

UN SERVICE DE RENSEIGNEMENTS A PAYÉ DES JOURNALISTES POUR ESPIONNER LEURS COLLÈGUES

Germany

ORGANISMOS DE INTELIGENCIA PAGARON A PERIODISTAS PARA ESPIAR A COLEGAS

Germany

INTELLIGENCE AGENCY PAID JOURNALISTS TO SPY ON COLLEAGUES

The German government has promised to launch a special inquiry into a scandal involving journalists who were paid by the federal intelligence agency to spy on their colleagues, say Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Denmark

CARICATURAS CAUSAN DISPUTA DIPLOMÁTICA

Denmark

DES CARICATURES QUI PROVOQUENT UN AFFRONTEMENT DIPLOMATIQUE

Denmark

CARTOONS CAUSE DIPLOMATIC ROW

The reproduction of cartoons in several European newspapers depicting the Prophet Muhammad has ignited a storm of controversy in Europe and the Middle East over freedom of expression, media ethics and religious fundamentalism.

United Kingdom

MEDIA GAGGED OVER AL-JAZEERA MEMO

The leaking of an alleged memo revealing U.S. President George W. Bush's apparent plan to bomb the Qatar headquarters of Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera has ignited a storm of controversy and raised concerns among IFEX members about a possible backlash on the media.

United Kingdom

LES MESURES ANTITERRORISTES CONTREVIENNENT AUX NORMES INTERNATIONALES EN MATIÈRE DE DROITS

United Kingdom

MEDIDAS ANTITERRORISMO VIOLAN NORMAS JURÍDICAS INTERNACIONALES

United Kingdom

PROYECTO DE LEY CONTRA ODIO RELIGIOSO ATRAE POLÉMICA

United Kingdom

LA PROPOSITION DE LOI SUR LA HAINE RELIGIEUSE SUSCITE LA CONTROVERSE

United Kingdom

PROPOSED RELIGIOUS HATE LAW DRAWS CONTROVERSY

Britain's plan to introduce tougher laws criminalising religious-inspired hatred is being challenged in a forthcoming book published by English PEN.

Italy

LA LOI ITALIENNE NE PARVIENT PAS À LIMITER LA CONCENTRATION DE LA PROPRIÉTÉ DES MÉDIAS, DIT L'OSCE

Italy

LEYES ITALIANAS NO RESTRINGEN CONCENTRACIÓN DE MEDIOS: OSCE

Italy

ITALIAN LAW FAILS TO CURB MEDIA CONCENTRATION: OSCE

Italy's broadcasting market remains highly concentrated despite a law passed last year to regulate television, says the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media.

Belgium

LA LOI PROTÈGE LES SOURCES DES JOURNALISTES

Belgium

LEY PROTEGE FUENTES DE PERIODISTAS

Belgium

LAW PROTECTS JOURNALISTS' SOURCES

Belgium's Parliament has passed a law that protects the confidentiality of journalists' sources and bars authorities from monitoring their phones or searching their homes, reports the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

United Kingdom

LA COUR EUROPÉENNE DES DROITS DE L'HOMME DONNE RAISON À DEUX PERSONNES POURSUIVIES EN DIFFAMATION PAR MCDONALD'S

United Kingdom

TRIBUNAL EUROPEO VINDICA A PAREJA DE JUICIO POR MCDIFAMACIÓN

United Kingdom

EUROPEAN COURT VINDICATES MCLIBEL PAIR

In what ARTICLE 19 is calling a groundbreaking judgment, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that a libel trial launched by McDonalds against two environmental activists in the 1990s was unfair and violated their right to freedom of expression.

Netherlands

POLÉMICO CINEASTA ASESINADO

Netherlands

UN CINÉASTE CONTROVERSÉ EST ASSASSINÉ

Netherlands

CONTROVERSIAL FILMMAKER MURDERED

Dutch filmmaker and newspaper columnist Theo van Gogh was no stranger to controversy. His films provoked outrage from Muslims in the Netherlands and he received death threats. Last week in Amsterdam, he was murdered in broad daylight.

United Kingdom

LE FBI ORDONNE UN RAID CONTRE LES SERVEURS D'INDYMEDIA

United Kingdom

FBI ORDENA OPERATIVO CONTRA SERVIDORES DE INDYMEDIA

United Kingdom

FBI ORDERS RAID ON INDYMEDIA SERVERS

Free expression advocates are calling on authorities in Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom to explain why police in London have confiscated two Internet servers used by Indymedia, the alternative independent news service.

United Kingdom

LES LOIS SUR LA DIFFAMATION JETTENT UN FROID SUR LES

United Kingdom

LEYES DE DIFAMACIÓN LANZAN ONDA GÉLIDA SOBRE EDITORES

United Kingdom

LIBEL LAWS CAST CHILL OVER PUBLISHERS

London is known as the "libel capital of the world," a haven for rich and powerful claimants from other countries who are using the courts to stifle scrutiny of their dealings, reports "Index on Censorship" magazine. With financial factors increasingly determining whether publishers choose to defend their writers in English courts, there are fears that the country's libel laws are casting a chill over freedom of expression.

France

RSF OUVRE UN REFUGE POUR JOURNALISTES EXILÉS

Italy

VETO À UNE PROPOSITION DE LOI SUR LES MÉDIAS

France

RSF ABRE REFUGIO PARA PERIODISTAS EXILIADOS

Italy

VETAN PROYECTO DE LEY DE MEDIOS

France

RSF OPENS REFUGE FOR EXILED JOURNALISTS

Journalists forced into exile in France because of their work now have a temporary refuge upon arrival in Paris, thanks to Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and 20 media companies and organisations.

Italy

PROPOSED MEDIA LAW VETOED

Numerous IFEX members have welcomed a move by Italy's President, Carlo Ciampi, to veto a proposed bill that would have given Prime Minister and media magnate Silvio Berlusconi greater control over the country's media markets.

Italy

UNE LOI « MONSTRUEUSE » SUR LES MÉDIAS PERMET LA PROPRIÉTÉ CROISÉE DES MÉDIAS

Italy

"MONSTRUOSA" LEY DE MEDIOS PERMITE PROPIEDAD CRUZADA DE MEDIOS

Italy

"MONSTROUS" LAW ALLOWS MEDIA CROSS-OWNERSHIP

The International Federation of Journalists' (IFJ) regional body in Europe has raised concerns over what it calls a "monstrous and dangerous" new media law in Italy that will endanger pluralism and reinforce media concentration.

Norway

UN NOUVEAU CENTRE DE LA LIBRE EXPRESSION POUR SOUTENIR LES ÉCRIVAINS EN EXIL

Norway

NUEVO CENTRO DE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN APOYA A ESCRITORES EXILIADOS

Norway

NEW FREE-EXPRESSION CENTRE SUPPORTS EXILED WRITERS

The city of Stavanger in Norway has opened a new centre to support exiled writers and promote and monitor freedom of expression, Norwegian PEN has announced. Xpress will support writers who have sought asylum in Norway by helping them use their newly acquired freedom of expression through writing, films or theatre.

Spain

FERMETURE D?UN JOURNAL BASQUE

Spain

PERIÓDICO VASCO CLAUSURADO

Spain

BASQUE NEWSPAPER SHUT DOWN

The only daily newspaper in Spain published in the Basque language has been shut down after being accused of supporting the armed separatist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), eliciting calls of concern from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Germany

LA LIBRE EXPRESSION MENACÉE SUR INTERNET?

Germany

¿LIBRE EXPRESIÓN EN INTERNET AMENAZADA?

Germany

INTERNET FREE EXPRESSION THREATENED?

There are worrying signs that Internet free expression in Germany may not be so free, reports Index on Censorship (INDEX). Last week, a German judge acquitted an individual of charges of "endorsing criminality" after he posted a deliberately sarcastic note on a German website about the 11 September attacks on the United States.

Italy

BERLUSCONI BAJO PRESIÓN MIENTRAS SE CANCELAN PROGRAMAS DE TV QUE LO CRITICAN

Italy

SUITE DE L?ANNULATION D?ÉMISSIONS DE TÉLÉVISION CRITIQUES DE SON GOUVERNEMENT

Italy

BERLUSCONI UNDER PRESSURE AS CRITICAL TV SHOWS CANCELLED

Italian prime minister and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi is facing mounting pressure from international free-expression groups over his attempts to influence the public broadcaster RAI following news that two television programs critical of Berlusconi will be cancelled.

France

RSF CRAINT QU?UN NOUVEAU PROJET DE LOI NE MENACE LES LIBERTÉS SUR INTERNET

France

RSF TEME QUE NUEVO PROYECTO DE LEY AMENACE LIBERTADES EN INTERNET

France

RSF FEARS NEW BILL THREATENS INTERNET FREEDOMS

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) is voicing fears that a new bill on internal security passed by the French Senate gives police officers powers to access computer files and seize information stored on internet service providers' (ISP) computer servers. Adopted by the Senate on 31 July, the Loi d'orientation et de programmation sur la sécurité intérieure (LOPSI) sets out the government's new security policies.

Italy

RSF Y FIP CONDENAN CONTROL DE BERLUSCONI SOBRE MEDIOS

Italy

RSF ET LA FIJ DÉNONCENT L?EMPRISE DE BERLUSCONI SUR LES MÉDIAS

Italy

RSF, IFJ DECRY BERLUSCONI'S GRIP ON MEDIA

Concerns about Italian prime minister Silvio Belusconi's potential conflict of interest over his extensive media holdings have flared up again, following the appointment of a new board of directors at Italy's public broadcaster RAI, according to INDEX on Censorship (INDEX), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). Last week, the government appointed a new five-person board of governors for the public broadcaster RAI; INDEX says critics worry that a majority of board members have close ties to Berlusconi's ruling Forza Italia coalition, leaving the broadcaster vulnerable to government influence. RSF notes that Berlusconi already owns Italy's three biggest television channels (Rete 4, Canale 5, Italia 1) through Mediaset, as well as Italy's largest publisher (Mondadori) and largest advertising agency (Publitalia).

France

L?UNITÉ ANTITERRORISTE MET DES JOURNALISTES SUR ÉCOUTE ÉLECTRONIQUE

France

UNIDAD ANTITERRORISMO INTERVIENE TELÉFONOS DE PERIODISTAS

France

ANTI-TERRORISM UNIT BUGS JOURNALISTS' PHONES

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) is calling on France's Justice Minister to amend the Criminal Law Procedure rules following revelations that a French judge ordered the government's anti-terrorist unit to monitor the phone conversations of six journalists as part of an investigation into the activities of a militant separatist leader in Corsica. The French daily "Le Monde" reported on 30 January that the French National Anti-Terrorist Service (DNAT) has been tapping the phones of Gamma reporter Jean-Pierre Rey, France 2 editor Michèle Fines, "Paris Match" reporter Delphine Byrka, Jean-Michel Verne of "France-Soir" and "Le Figaro" and freelance journalists Guy Benhamou and Roger Auque since 2000.

Spain

REINICIAN ATAQUES TERRORISTAS CONTRA MEDIOS

Spain

REPRISE DES ATTENTATS TERRORISTES CONTRE LES MÉDIAS

Spain

TERROR ATTACKS AGAINST MEDIA RENEWED

Three journalists have been the targets of attempted assassinations two weeks ago, sparking fears that terrorist attacks against the media in Spain's Basque country are starting up again, observe Reporters sans frontières (RSF) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

Norway

"CITIES OF ASYLUM" NETWORK NEEDS CHANGE, SAYS NFFE; NFFE CLOSES DOWN

The International Parliament of Writers' (IPW) "Cities of Asylum" network - created in1994 to give safe refuge to persecuted writers - "does not work" and is in need of change, concludes a report recently released by the Norwegian Forum for Freedom of Expression (NFFE).

France

RSF CRÉE UN RÉSEAU INTERNATIONAL

France

RSF CREA RED INTERNACIONAL

France

RSF LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL NETWORK

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has announced the formation of an international network of affiliated press freedom organizations, aimed at strengthening information exchange, battling impunity and focusing wider attention on countries where repressive laws and regimes infringe on journalists.

France

PERIODISTAS OBLIGADOS A REVELAR INFORMACIÓN CONFIDENCIAL

France

DES JOURNALISTES SONT CONTRAINTS DE DIVULGUER DES RENSEIGNEMENTS CONFIDENTIELS

France

JOURNALISTS COMPELLED TO DISCLOSE CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has expressed alarm at the increasing number of cases in France in which journalists have been arrested by justice officials and compelled to disclose confidential information and sources. According to RSF, five journalists have been detained and questioned in the past 20 months.

Spain

CONFERENCIA PARA CONDENAR VIOLENCIA DE ETA; PERIÓDICO SUFRE OTRO ATAQUE

Spain

CONFÉRENCE POUR CONDAMNER LA VIOLENCE DE L?ETA; UN JOURNAL SUBIT UNE NOUVELLE AT

Spain

CONFERENCE TO CONDEMN ETA VIOLENCE; NEWSPAPER SUFFERS ANOTHER ATTACK

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) is convening a conference in Bilbao, Spain, this week to focus attention on the recent renewal of violence against journalists in the Basque region by the militant ETA group. Delegates from 22 countries will meet on 14 September 2001 to discuss and denounce ETA's campaign of terrorism, as well as discuss violence in other countries such as Northern Ireland, Algeria and Israel.

Italy

VIOLENCIA SIN PRECEDENTES CONTRA LOS MEDIOS EN LA CUMBRE DEL G-8, DICE RSF

Italy

VIOLENCE SANS PRÉCÉDENT CONTRE LES MÉDIAS LORS DU SOMMET DES PAYS DU G-8

Italy

UNPRECEDENTED VIOLENCE AGAINST MEDIA AT G-8 SUMMIT, SAYS RSF

At the summit of G-8 leaders in Genoa on 21 and 22 July, at least sixteen journalists were seriously injured and a media centre was ransacked by police during a violent raid, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The organisation adds that some journalists were detained, threatened or had their material confiscated during the events.

Norway

NFFE ASKS HOW TO BUILD ON EXISTING FREEDOMS

The Norwegian Forum for Freedom of Expression (NFFE) is encouraging the media in Norway, one of the world's most open democracies, to mark World Press Freedom Day. NFFE points to a recent International Press Institute (IPI) report that found that no serious press freedom violations took place in Norway in 2000, and says the question regarding freedom of the press and freedom of expression is how to improve and expand upon existing freedoms.

Austria

PERIODISTAS PRESIONADOS POR PARTIDO DERECHISTA, DICE RSF

Austria

DES JOURNALISTES SUBISSENT DES PRESSIONS D?UN PARTI DE DROITE

Austria

JOURNALISTS UNDER PRESSURE FROM RIGHT-WING PARTY, SAYS RSF

Austrian journalists have been facing numerous personal attacks, an increase in interference in their work, and multiple lawsuits, according to a new report from Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The actions of the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ), which joined a coalition government in February 2000, are of particular concern. The FPÖ's leading figure, Jörg Haider, has generated international controversy over past pro-Nazi statements. RSF notes that denunciation of the media, which he considers to have a left-wing bias, has also been a constant feature of Haider's rhetoric since 1986.

Spain

DES JOURNALISTES DANS LA MIRE DE L?ETA

Spain

PERIODISTAS, EN LA MIRA DE ETA

Spain

JOURNALISTS IN ETA'S LINE OF FIRE

A new report by Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) documents the growing dangers faced by journalists in the Basque country of Spain. During its mission in the region from 31 May to 2 June, RSF met with journalists, unionists, media directors, leaders of the main political parties, and government officials. "Some fifty journalists and publication directors are under police escort in the Basque country and in Madrid. In total, nearly one hundred require official or private protection. Furthermore, a dozen information professionals have been 'exiled' from the Basque country to Madrid and certain media outlets are multiplying their security measures," says RSF. "In both the Basque country and elsewhere in Spain, media outlets and journalists who do not share the radical nationalist ideology are considered 'Basque traitors' or 'Spanish invaders' and are threatened by the armed independence organisation Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA)."

United Kingdom

LEYES NUEVAS Y VIEJAS AMENAZAN LIBRE EXPRESIÓN

United Kingdom

D?ANCIENNES ET DE NOUVELLES LOIS MENACENT LA LIBRE EXPRESSION

United Kingdom

OLD AND NEW LAWS THREATEN FREE EXPRESSION

The United Kingdom's Freedom of Information Bill, which goes before the House of Commons on 4 and 5 April, still contains some areas of concern for free expression, says ARTICLE 19. While the bill has undergone some positive amendments with respect to public interest disclosures, it still fails to meet international standards and best practice in this area. The bill extends the powers of the Information Commissioner, however, it also stipulates an "excessively broad regime of exemptions," which enables government officials to veto the Commissioner's decisions and to define what constitutes public interest. Moreover, according to ARTICLE 19, "several exemptions are not subject to any form of public interest override." In addition, the bill will be subject to "any secrecy, or other laws which may preclude disclosure."

France

JURIDIQUES QUI PÈSENT SUR LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

France

RSF EXHORTA AL GOBIERNO A EVALUAR AMENAZAS LEGALES A LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

France

RSF URGES GOVERNMENT TO ASSESS LEGAL THREATS TO PRESS FREEDOM

Clauses in the presumption of innocence bill may threaten freedom of information in France, says Reporters sans frontiPres (RSF) in a recent press release. While RSF reports that certain aspects of the bill are positive, it cautions that other clauses in the new legislation call for "sanctions in the form of fines of up to 100,000 francs (15,244 Euros) for the publication of photographs showing handcuffed or shackled individuals or the publication of images of victims of attacks or crimes." Stating that those clauses "run counter" to the European Convention on Human Rights and European Court case law, RSF urges Members of parliament to oppose all clauses in this bill that could restrict the right to inform and be informed. The legislation was to go before the National Assembly for a second reading on 9 and 10 February.

Norway

PLAN DE DERECHOS HUMANOS CREA SUBSIDIOS PARA ESCRITORES PERSEGUIDOS

Ireland

CONTINÚA CENSURA DE DIRECCIÓN DE PUBLICACIONES

Ireland

LE ?CENSORSHIP OF PUBLICATIONS BOARD? PERDURE

Ireland

CENSORSHIP OF PUBLICATIONS BOARD ENDURES

Ireland continues to employ its Censorship of Publications Board (CPB), a body created in 1929, reports Michael Foley in his article "In Dublin's Fair City," in the latest issue of Index on Censorship (vol 5, 1999). Created on the recommendation of the Committee on Evil Literature, the CPB, "hidden from public scrutiny," has been "quietly banning away for years," states Foley. Publications banned by the CPB include works by James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Walter Macken, Sean O'Faolain, Edna O'Brien, Kate O'Brien, and John McGahern.

United Kingdom

LEY DE LIBERTAD DE INFORMACIÓN NO ES SUFICIENTEMENTE ABIERTA

United Kingdom

LE PROJET DE LOI SUR LA LIBERTÉ D?INFORMATION N?EST PAS ASSEZ TRANSPARENT

United Kingdom

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION BILL NOT OPEN ENOUGH

The United Kingdom's new Freedom of Information Bill is not open enough, says a report by ARTICLE 19, published on 22 June. The Report, "The Public's Right to Know: Principles on Freedom of Information Legislation", provides "a set of international and comparative standards on access to information held by public bodies." Andrew Puddephatt, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, said, "The strength of the public's right to know is a good indication of the health of a democracy. International comparison shows that this Bill is overbroad and overcautious. It is even less progressive than draft freedom of information laws recently published by emerging democracies such as Moldova and Bulgaria. It includes broader exemptions than laws which have been operating successfully for almost 20 years in countries like Canada, New Zealand and Australia." The UK government purports that the Bill is "a radical measure containing clear and robust access rights for those requesting information and a strong enforcement regime," says ARTICLE 19.

United Kingdom

INFORMAR ACERCA DE IRLANDA DEL NORTE ES PELIGROSO, DICE INDEX

United Kingdom

REPORTING ON NORTHERN IRELAND DANGEROUS, SAYS INDEX

It can be dangerous to report on Northern Ireland, say two articles in the latest "INDEX on Censorship" (Vol. 2, 1999). John O'Farrell writes about the recent murder of Eamon Collins, a Irish Republican Army (IRA) informant and author who wrote about his experiences as a member of the IRA. Collins wrote "Killing Rage", published in 1997 by Granta, which "INDEX" says caused "storms of controversy... among republicans who objected to his portrayal of the 'struggle' as nasty, brutish and, occasionally, drunk." Some politicians and members of the public were outraged that Collins profited from his book, considering his connection to violence and murder. Collins was supposed to give evidence in a libel case against the "Sunday Times" around the time of his murder, another reason someone might want him dead, says "INDEX".">http://www.indexoncensorship.org">"INDEX on Censorship" (Vol. 2, 1999). John O'Farrell writes about the recent murder of Eamon Collins, a Irish Republican Army (IRA) informant and author who wrote about his experiences as a member of the IRA. Collins wrote "Killing Rage", published in 1997 by Granta, which "INDEX" says caused "storms of controversy... among republicans who objected to his portrayal of the 'struggle' as nasty, brutish and, occasionally, drunk." Some politicians and members of the public were outraged that Collins profited from his book, considering his connection to violence and murder. Collins was supposed to give evidence in a libel case against the "Sunday Times" around the time of his murder, another reason someone might want him dead, says "INDEX".

Germany

LIBERTAD DE PRENSA Y PERIODISMO DE INVESTIGACIÓN ESTÁN AMENAZADOS

Germany

LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE ET LE JOURNALISME D'ENQUÊTE SONT MENACÉS

Germany

PRESS FREEDOM AND INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM UNDER THREAT

A German Supreme Court decision in late February to give prosecutors the right to raid the homes and offices of freelance journalists and to seize materials without an official warrant is dangerous and threatens press freedom, says the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), in a report circulated by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

United Kingdom

ÉCRIRE SUR L'IRLANDE DU NORD COMPORTE DES DANGERS