International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

Civil society groups ask ECOSOC to reconsider granting valued press freedom group and IFEX member, The Committee to Protect Journalists, consultative status at the UN.

On 9 July 2016, security forces raided the premises of City FM, shut down the radio station and arrested the editor-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief. The journalists had broadcast interviews with internally displaced persons (IDPs) who accused the administration of “misappropriating” food aid.

Facebook takedowns, digital rights in Nepal, attacks on the media, Tiananmen censorship, a landmark act in Sri Lanka and much more in this month’s regional round-up.

The IFJ and NUJP welcome the murder conviction in the 2010 murder of broadcaster Desiderio Camangyan but call on Philippines government to end impunity for attacks on journalists.

Whistleblowers Antoine Deltour and Raphaël Halet were given suspended jail sentences for leaking documents that dislcosed favourable tax arrangements offered by Luxembourg to multinational companies. Investigative journalist Edouard Perrin was acquitted.

In a statement from the Rudaw Media Network, following the attack, the network made it very clear that this would not hinder them from delivering the news, declaring that ‘Rudaw was not afraid of any threats in the past and we will not be afraid now or in the future’.

IFJ joins its affiliates the Nepal Press Union (NPU) in expressing serious concerns over the recently issued government directives which threaten to undermine freedom of expression online in Nepal.

Photographer Fadil al-Garaawi, 45, was employed by Iraq’s elite Interior Ministry forces and also contributed to Iraqi news outlets. He was killed when a mortar round struck near a group of journalists and members of the security forces in Fallujah, according to media reports. Three members of the security forces were also killed.

FMM vehemently condemns the attack on the editor of the regional newspaper and website “Meepura” and calls for proper legal action against the perpetrators.

Shortly after the adoption by the European Parliament of the trade secrets directive, the European Federation of Journalists has started to campaign for EU legislation to protect whistleblowers.

Dance performances as well as documentaries featuring rights violations and struggles for justice were targeted by censors across Asia and the Pacific region in May.

The IFJ joins its affiliate the FNJ in expressing serious concerns over the arrests of several journalists in recent weeks in Nepal.

Six Turkish journalists are under criminal investigation on the grounds that articles published on the days that they participated in the solidarity campaign constituted “terrorist propaganda” and “incitement to crime”.

The results of the Digital Security Survey of Journalists in South Asia show that the use of technology and digital resources among journalists in South Asia is abundant, yet there is an overwhelming lack of knowledge.

IFEX members and regional partners urge Malaysian MPs to ensure media laws are in line with international standards on online freedom of expression and access to information.

The aim of the charter is to discourage and denounce climates of intolerance, guarantee the right to freedom of expression and press freedom and the rights of refugees and provide journalists with conditions of voluntary commitment in performing their duties.