This statement was originally published on hrw.org on 4 June 2020. Amid protests against racism and police brutality in Minneapolis, Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington likened police investigations of arrested protesters and their associates to contact tracing for COVID-19. This reckless analogy stokes fear that governments will seize on the pandemic to introduce intrusive…
Italy should abolish prison sentences for criminal defamation convictions
This statement was originally published on article19.org on 5 June 2020. On Tuesday, 9 June 2020, the Italian Constitutional Court will hold a public hearing into the legitimacy of laws that allow for jail sentences for journalists convicted of defamation. It comes after the Italian State Attorney submitted a memorandum to the Court on 31 March…
COVID-19: Deadlines for FOI requests extended or suspended across Europe
This statement was originally published on ipi.media on 2 June 2020. As lockdowns lift and Europe emerges from the immediate Covid-19 health crisis in the coming months, all extensions or suspensions of deadlines for freedom of information (FOI) requests must be reversed, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. FOIs, a process by which journalists…
Australia: War on journalism still raging a year after police raids
This statement was originally published on meaa.org on 4 June 2020. One year on from police raids of the home and offices of journalists, there has been unsatisfactory progress on press freedom in Australia, says the union and industry advocate for Australia’s journalists The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance says the raids, in retaliation for…
Afghan journalists fall victim to both bombings and COVID-19
This statement was originally published on rsf.org on 4 June 2020. Last week was deadly for media workers in Afghanistan, with two killed by a roadside bomb and two killed by Covid-19, which continues to spread among the country’s journalists. Media workers must be protected from both violence and the pandemic, says a concerned Reporters…
Indonesia: Court finds internet ban in Papua and West Papua violates the law
This statement was originally published on ifj.org on 4 June 2020. The Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) ruled the government internet ban in Papua and West Papua during the anti-racism protests in August and September 2019 was unlawful. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia welcome…
Under lockdown: States of perpetual emergency, the death of satire, and the return of the Lebanon protests
The era of pandemic lockdowns continues to provide impetus for authoritarian states in MENA to restrict freedom of expression and quash public dissent. From Egypt’s growing population of critics in overcrowded prisons, to the rapidly shrinking civic space in Algeria, and the return of Lebanese protesters to the streets, the pandemic has underscored the extent…
Commemorations, setbacks, and reflections on a COVID and post-COVID world
A different World Press Freedom Day Without doubt this year’s World Press Freedom Day was different from any other. Under the banner Without Fear or Favour, it was marked by mostly virtual events and conversations that continued throughout the month – on topics ranging in diversity from media sustainability to online harassment to the safety…