This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 17 September 2020. An Istanbul court today announced that Can Dündar, an exiled Turkish journalist living in Germany, would be declared a fugitive and his assets would be seized unless he returns to the country within 15 days, according to news reports. “Journalist Can Dündar has already paid…
BAJ: ‘The law does not defend us, but we defend the law’
This statement was originally published on baj.by on 18 September 2020. Today, the law does not defend us. From the beginning of the year to mid-September, BAJ recorded more than 300 cases of gross violations of journalists’ rights. The absolute majority of them occurred in the post-election period, that is, in just 1.5 months. There…
Laos: Activists and rights groups demand release of blogger Mouay
This statement was originally published on ifj.org on 16 September 2020. Lao blogger Houayheuang Xayabouly, known by her nickname Mouay, was detained in 2019 for criticising the region’s government for the mishandling of flooding in Laos’ southern Champassak and Salavan provinces. After having served one year of her five year sentence, this week activists and…
India: Arrests of activists politically motivated
This statement was originally published on hrw.org on 16 September 2020. The Indian authorities are increasingly bringing politically motivated cases, including under severe sedition and terrorism laws, against critics of the government, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately drop baseless charges against activists, academics, student leaders, and others, and unconditionally release those…
Philippines: Appeal to UNESCO regarding the classification of the Ampatuan massacre case as “resolved”
This statement was originally published on cmfr-phil.org on 18 September 2020. Alarmed by the supposed UNESCO classification of the Ampatuan massacre case as “resolved” from news reports that were based on a press release of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS), a broad group of organizations and individuals signed on to this letter…
Iran: Political prisoner Nasrin Sotoudeh protests continued detention of human rights defenders amidst pandemic
This statement was originally published on gc4hr.org on 11 September 2020. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) calls for the release of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer, writer and woman human rights defender who has been on hunger strike in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison for a full month since 11 August 2020. She is protesting the…
Rights groups launch ‘Report It’ campaign to enable easy reporting of attacks on press freedom
This statement was originally published on europeanjournalists.org on 17 September 2020. To protect press and media freedom, we need an accurate picture of the forces that threaten it. To do this, we must collect and verify as much information as possible. That is why the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) has launched the ‘Report It’…
Rights groups raise concerns as Albania looks to push ahead with controversial ‘anti-defamation law’
This statement was originally published on ipi.media on 16 September 2020. The International Press Institute (IPI) today joined partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in sending a letter to political leaders in Albania raising concerns over the ruling Socialist Party’s apparent plans to push ahead with a controversial package of online media laws without…