For Immediate Release 31st/October/2019 Following persistent and deliberate attacks on journalists while on duty by armed forces, mainly the Uganda Police Force, at Makerere University, journalists have declared a media black-out on the police until the safety and security of journalists covering news in spaces manned by the police is guaranteed. Since October 22, 2019,…
Protests condemn communications blackout, police violence, and government secrecy laws
Protests turn violent while China censors solidarity Protests in Hong Kong show no sign of abating, as activists press for urgent reforms amid calls to investigate the police for using excessive force in dealing with the participants of the mass actions. Even journalists have been violently attacked and detained, impeding their work and affecting coverage…
Journalists attacked, protesters arrested, porn users relieved
Ján, Alisher, Daphne October saw significant developments in the cases of three murdered journalists who have figured prominently in the work of IFEX members. In Slovakia, four people were charged in connection with the 2018 murders of anti-corruption journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. Those charged are Alena Zsuzsová, Tomáš Szabó, Miroslav Marček…
Montenegro: Appeal court quashes journalist Jovo Martinović’s 18-month jail sentence
This statement was originally published on rsf.org on 28 October 2019. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes a Montenegro appeal court’s decision to quash investigative journalist Jovo Martinović’s conviction on charges of marijuana smuggling and criminal association, for which he was given an 18-month jail sentence, and calls on the court that retries him to issue…
Iran: Security forces arrest family member of prominent feminist voice
This statement was originally published on gc4hr.org on 30 October 2019. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) is dismayed by reports of the recent arrest of Ali Alinejad, who is the brother of prominent human rights defender Masih Alinejad, who is the focal point for an ongoing campaign against forced hijab, the #whitewednesdays campaign. Masih Alinejad is an Iranian…
Egypt: How systematic torture has become state policy
This statement was originally published on cihrs.org on 29 October 2019. Joint UN submission by rights groups exposes endemic torture and appalling conditions in Egypt’s prisons Harrowing testimonies of systematic torture continue being too frequently heard as the date for Egypt’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) approaches; Egypt’s review will take place on the 13th of…
India: Delhi High Court approves take down of content globally
This statement was originally published on sflc.in on 24 October 2019. Statement: At SFLC.in we believe that ordering intermediary platforms to take down content globally negatively impacts freedom of expression online, as different countries have different standards of speech. Such orders, require intermediary platforms to rely on automated filters and scan each uploaded content to…
Addressing abuse on social media: Tools and strategies for news outlets
This statement was originally published on ipi.media on 29 October 2019. The International Press Institute (IPI) has published a new resource for online moderators of news outlets to address abuse that takes place on social media. The tools and strategies for managing debate on Facebook and Twitter are part of IPI’s Newsrooms Ontheline platform, which…