11 January 2012
IFEX Communiqué Vol 21, No 02
Americas
Free expression special rapporteur under attack
At the Washington-based Organization of American States, Ecuador has put forward proposals that in effect could severely weaken or kill the OAS Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, which would be "a step backwards for free expression in the region," says IFEX member in Colombia the Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP). IFEX's Latin American and Caribbean group (IFEX-ALC), an alliance of 16 IFEX members based in the region, has protested the move.
Philippines
Journalist's killing encouraged by culture of impunity, says CMFR
Publisher and radio broadcaster Christopher Guarin was on his way home in General Santos City last week with his wife and nine-year-old daughter when he was shot and killed by two armed men on a motorcycle, report the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and other IFEX members. The telltale killing - just five days into the new year - is the latest indication of "the persistence of the culture of impunity that encourages the killing of journalists and media workers in the Philippines," says the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, of which CMFR is a founding member.
Syria
Watch RSF parody on al-Assad's censorship regime
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released a video that parodies the iPhone voice app Siri, which understands and responds to the user, to condemn Syria's censorship regime. Watch "Siri vs Syrie" here.Turkey
Add your signature to IPI petition to free journalist Nedim Sener
Turkish journalist Nedim Sener has spent nearly 300 days in jail for being part of the "Ergenekon" plot, in which an alleged ultra-nationalist organisation with ties to security forces is said to have planned to use terrorism to overthrow the government. Join more than 3,000 people in an International Press Institute (IPI) petition calling for a fair trial or his immediate release.
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