IFEX Digest | 25 April - 1 May 2011

International

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2011 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize awarded to Vietnamese publisher Bui Chat (IPA)

Jailed Iranian writer and lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh honored in New York (PEN American Center)

Africa

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Cameroon

Holding officials and security services accountable (CJFE)

Côte d'Ivoire

Arsonists destroy Pro-Gbagbo printing press (MFWA)

Guinea-Bissau

Newspaper given reprieve as suspension threat lifted (RSF)

Liberia

Journalist flogged by political partisans (CEMESP)

Political candidate's supporters attack reporter (CEMESP)

Court seizes reporter's recorder, cellphone (CEMESP)

Uganda

ISPs harassed, told to shut down Facebook and Twitter for 24 hours (HRNJ-Uganda)
+ Government could target Facebook and Twitter on eve of new protests (RSF)

Zambia

Government threatens to revoke radio stations' operating licences (MISA)

Zimbabwe

Student nurse fined for assaulting journalist (MISA)

Americas

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IAPA to celebrate World Press Freedom Day in Chile (IAPA)

Argentina

IAPA mission to visit Argentina (IAPA)

Bolivia

Body of missing journalist found in La Paz (ANP)
+ Journalist dead; explosive cited (CPJ)
+ Journalist found dead on La Paz street, killed by explosive device (RSF)
+ IAPA outraged at journalist's murder, calls for prompt investigation (IAPA)

Brazil

Little progress in investigation into fatal shooting of journalist in northeast (RSF)

Cuba

News site journalists face arrest, intimidation during Communist Party Congress (CPJ)
+ Authorities step up harassment of independent news center (RSF)

Ecuador

Radio journalists resign, denounce pressure to tone down their rhetoric (Fundamedios)

Ecuadorian embassy official prevents distribution of book at Buenos Aires book festival (Fundamedios)

Authorities use national telecast to attack two journalists (Fundamedios)

WAN-IFRA condemns attacks on press freedom (WAN-IFRA)

El Salvador

Murder of camera operator brings IAPA condemnation, call for investigation (IAPA)
+ TV camera operator gunned down in bus near San Salvador (RSF)
+ Gunmen kill camera operator (CPJ)

Haiti

Radio station destroyed in arson attack (CPJ)

President-elect urged to help defuse tension, threats to media freedom (RSF)

Honduras

La Voz de Zacate Grande journalist targeted (C-Libre)

Mexico

Italian journalist arbitrarily deported (RSF)

Peru

Journalist imprisoned after criticising district attorney (IPYS)
+ Appeal to presidential candidates after journalist gets three years for defamation (RSF)

Venezuela

Journalist receives death threats after revealing irregularities in health system (IPYS-Venezuela)

Asia & Pacific

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Afghanistan

Government must respect right to report news, says RSF (RSF)

Australia

Australian prime minister urged to spotlight rights regression in China (Human Rights Watch)
+ Indonesia urged to press China to sign "disappearances" treaty (Human Rights Watch)
+ Japan urged to raise rights as China crackdown escalates (Human Rights Watch)

China

Australian prime minister urged to spotlight rights regression in China (Human Rights Watch)
+ Indonesia urged to press China to sign "disappearances" treaty (Human Rights Watch)
+ Japan urged to raise rights as China crackdown escalates (Human Rights Watch)

Government bars writer Liao Yiwu from attending PEN festival in New York (PEN American Center)
+ Banned writer Liao Yiwu, Salman Rushdie exchange messages, solidarity (PEN American Center)

Nepal

Journalists assaulted by police while covering vandalism story (Freedom Forum)

Attack on news reader and camera operator (Freedom Forum)

Pakistan

Tribal Areas correspondent shot in Rawalpindi (RSF)
+ IFJ calls on authorities to investigate shooting of journalist (IFJ)

Another reporter attacked by gunmen (RSF)

Sri Lanka

Another Lanka eNews journalist arrested (CPJ)

Thailand

New cyber crime draft law shelved in face of civil society opposition (SEAPA)

Thirteen community radio stations ordered closed, three media workers arrested, for airing lese majeste speech (SEAPA)
+ Police close a dozen community radio stations, carry out arrests (RSF)
+ Authorities silence "Red Shirt" community radios (Human Rights Watch)
+ Officials close 13 radio stations, detain staff (CPJ)

TJA calls on prime minister to support World Press Freedom Day (TJA)

Vietnam

Government urged to free influential democracy activist (Human Rights Watch)

Europe & Central Asia

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Azerbaijan

"Bizim Yol" reporter assaulted during protest (IRFS)

IPI renews call to free journalist Eynulla Fatullayev (IPI)

Belarus

After deadly metro blast, new crackdown on the press (CPJ)

Bulgaria

Concern over growing restrictions on press freedom (IPI)

Authorities urged to allow Macedonian journalists to enter the country (IPI)
+ Journalists denied entry to Bulgaria (CJFE)

Hungary

New constitution poses serious threat to right to information, warn human rights and media freedom groups (SEENPM)

Serbia

IPI condemns attack on journalist with Hungarian-language daily (IPI)

Turkey

Journalist assaulted by customs officer (BIANET)

Publisher harassed over Turkish edition of Burroughs novel "The Soft Machine" (BIANET)
+ IPA calls for acquittal of publisher being brought before the court (IPA)
+ IPA calls for immediate acquittal of Burroughs' Turkish publisher Sanci (Sel Publishing House) (IPA)

Turkmenistan

Activists arrested on eve of EU Parliament visit (Human Rights Watch)

Uzbekistan

Activists harassed after TV broadcast (Human Rights Watch)

Middle East & North Africa

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Journalists, cyber activists in the line of fire (ARTICLE 19) Bahrain detains columnist; journalists located in Libya; violations in Yemen (CPJ)

Bahrain

Seizures of newspapers, smear campaigns against journalists in Yemen (RSF)

Egypt

Blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad sentenced to three years in prison (CJFE)

Iran

Regime still targeting human rights lawyers and journalists (RSF)

UN High Commissioner urged to intervene to stop persecution of independent publishers, writers (IPA)

Authorities ban coverage of crackdown on Arab minority protests in Khuzestan (RSF)
+ Investigate reported killings of demonstrators (Human Rights Watch)

Iraq

Widening crackdown on protests (Human Rights Watch)

Lebanon

Al-Jazeera suspends Syria operations (CPJ)

Libya

Journalists Hammerl, Morgana Gillis in Libyan custody (CPJ)

Syria

EOHR condemns detention of human rights activist (EOHR)

Al-Jazeera suspends Syria operations (CPJ)

Syria should not be allowed on UN Human Rights Council, rights groups urge (CIHRS)
+ League of Arab States should not be a platform to support crimes of Syrian regime against its people (CIHRS)
+ Arab governments and the Arab League must absolve themselves of OIC efforts to shield Syria from accountability (CIHRS)
+ UN Human Rights Council should investigate crackdown (Human Rights Watch)
+ UN: reject Syria's Human Rights Council candidacy (Human Rights Watch)
+ Syria ends rights body bid, but not repression (Human Rights Watch)

Human Rights Watch calls for international inquiry after killings of protesters (Human Rights Watch)
+ Rein in security services (Human Rights Watch)
+ Arab states should push for end to killings (Human Rights Watch)
+ Syria should heed call to end violence (Human Rights Watch)
+ UN Security Council should demand end to crackdown (Human Rights Watch)

United Arab Emirates

Detained activists face charges for signing petition demanding reforms (ANHRI)
+ Activists arrested for "opposing government" (Human Rights Watch)
+ Government dissolves rights group's board (Human Rights Watch)
+ Civil society crackdown widens (Human Rights Watch)

Yemen

Deadly attacks on protesters follow president's immunity pact (Human Rights Watch)

Seizures of newspapers, smear campaigns against journalists in Yemen (RSF)

Awards

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2011 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize awarded to Vietnamese publisher Bui Chat (IPA)