Special International Day to End Impunity Issue: Mong Palatino's latest Asia and Pacific brief shines a light on the intersections between impunity, journalists' safety, and elections, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
As the world prepares to mark another International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, on 2 November, the fight against impunity continues in the Philippines and Pakistan. Cheng Lei returns home to Australia, Mortaza Behboudi walks free in Afghanistan, and we share initiatives by IFEX members featuring the impact of AI, combatting election disinformation, and resisting the use of repressive laws against artists and writers.
Justice remains elusive for murdered journalists
A year has passed since the murder of a radio broadcaster in the Philippines and a Pakistani TV journalist in Kenya, but their families and media groups continue to demand justice.
The self-confessed killers of Filipino radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa are already in jail but the Freedom for Media Freedom for All (FMFA) coalition is worried that the case against those who allegedly planned the murders could be archived. The hired gunmen are prisoners, while the suspected masterminds are prison authorities who could be taking orders from other officials as well.
“Mabasa’s murder laid bare how dangerous the Philippines has become for media workers, particularly for hard-hitting radio commentators. The high-profile investigation that followed also revealed the sordid underbelly of the Philippine correctional system,” FMFA said in a statement.
In Kenya, the family of Pakistani news anchor Arshad Sharif has filed a lawsuit a year after the prominent journalist was killed at a police checkpoint outside Nairobi. Sharif fled Pakistan after being accused of spreading hate against the military and other state institutions. At least 10 judicial charges were registered against him by military authorities.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deplored the lack of cooperation between Kenya and Pakistan and their failure to investigate and prosecute those involved in the killing of Sharif.
“A year after Arshad Sharif’s murder, no suspect has been arrested and no instigator has been identified. Kenya is protecting its police officers and Pakistan is deliberately steering clear of the possibility that its security services were involved,” said Arnaud Froger, head of RSF’s investigation desk.
The unresolved killing of Sharif, and the circumstances that forced him to seek exile, reflect the precarious situation of Pakistani journalists who face intensified risk and other grave threats ahead of the January 2024 general election.
Released: Cheng Lei, Mortaza Behboudi, and Matiullah Wesa
Journalist Cheng Lei arrived in Australia on 11 October after being detained in China for three years over espionage charges. Before her arrest in Beijing, she was a TV presenter for state-run China Global Television Network. Media groups believe that Cheng Lei was held hostage when China and Australia engaged in a diplomatic tussle.
“We have always believed that the charges against her had no substance, and that if due legal process was followed she would be found innocent,” said Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance in a statement.
Cheng Lei celebrated her freedom with her family, who posted this message on X (Twitter).
Human rights reporter Zhou Weilin was also released in China. Despite these positive updates, scores of journalists and press freedom advocates, including Australian political commentator Yang Hengjun and Swedish publisher Gui Minhai. remain in detention.
In Afghanistan, a local court dismissed the espionage charges against freelance journalist Mortaza Behboudi, allowing the Afghan-French citizen to return to France after being in jail for 284 days. He was arrested while applying for work credentials as a journalist. IFEX member the Afghanistan Journalists Center described Behboudi’s prolonged arrest and detention as “unwarranted” and a “flagrant violation of Afghanistan’s media law”.
Behboudi thanked his fellow journalists for saving his life.
“After 20 difficult days of interrogations, the man questioning me at the Taliban central intelligence agency told me, ‘We’re not going to do anything to you (…) we can’t kill you, because you’re everywhere in the media.’”
RSF also shared the campaign it initiated to secure the safety and freedom of Behboudi. “The organisation’s uninterrupted contacts with regime officials and the numerous items of information passed on to the judges via the lawyers helped to convince them of Mortaza’s journalistic activity and that his detention could no longer be justified.”
Another campaign that garnered international attention was the demand for the release of Afghan educator Matiullah Wesa, who was arrested seven months ago for spreading “propaganda against the government” of the Taliban. Wesa co-founded Pen Path, which promotes education access for girls. He walked free on 26 October. Prior to his release, he was announced as among the winners at the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards.
Meanwhile, two reporters of Radio Nasim in Central Daikundi province in Afghanistan were released after being detained for 10 days. But the manager of the station remains in prison, and authorities have yet to state the cause of the arrests and the police raid at Radio Nasim.
New and noteworthy
‘Censorship worker’. IFEX member Global Voices translated a video interview with a ‘censorship worker’ from China named Blowfish Princess, who shared details of how information is systematically controlled by authorities. “The censor would not intervene in daily conversation, but once you mention something political, like criticising the party policy or as a property owner you criticize unfinished construction and tell others that you would protest, the related content would be blocked even if they are private conversation.”
Manipur internet shutdown. IFEX member SFLC.in has produced a legal analysis, timeline, and comprehensive review of the impact of the prolonged internet shutdown in Manipur, India. “Our economy, livelihood, education system, and communication are affected by the lack of access to the internet. This lack of access plays out in the inability to pay rent, the inability to access online education resources, the inability to register for exams, and the inability to even conduct one’s job.”
AI and gendered bias. IFEX member Digital Rights Foundation has published the latest edition of its feminist e-magazine tackling the theme of generative AI and its implications for gendered minorities. The articles discussed the impact of AI-driven algorithms on job screenings, cash transfer delivery, perception on South Asian women, beauty standards in the news industry, and the prospect of replacing human journalists with AI-powered anchors.
Countering electoral disinformation. IFEX member Media Matters for Democracy has unveiled a webinar and podcast series aimed at countering election-related disinformation. It conducted a webinar about the crucial role of newsrooms in combatting disinformation. It also released a podcast about the rights of voters. Its Trends Monitor toolkit has been shared with journalists and serves as a course guide for the detection, investigation, and countering of disinformation.
In brief: Artists and writers under attack
Filipino drag artist Pura Luka Vega was detained over charges of offending religious sentiments after performing a rendition of the Catholic song The Lord’s Prayer in an outfit resembling Jesus Christ. He was released after posting bail. Ryan Thoreson of Human Rights Watch wrote that “Vega’s performance may offend some, but it is protected expression under international human rights law.” He added that “freedom of expression includes artistic expression that offends, satirizes, or challenges religious beliefs.”
Malaysian writer Kean Wong is under investigation for sedition three years after the anti-corruption book he edited was banned by authorities. In a joint statement, various groups said that the arrest “demonstrates the State’s concerted effort to suppress the public’s ability to both inform and to speak out without fear of censorship.” They urged authorities to review and repeal “archaic legislations” like the Sedition Act, which are often “arbitrarily used as a weapon to silence any critic.”
Indian authorities have permitted the filing of cases against writer Arundhati Roy for a speech she made at a conference in Kashmir 13 years ago. This was announced after the novelist joined a protest condemning the police, which raided the office of independent news outlet NewsClick and the homes of its editors. Human rights groups deplored the use of anti-terror laws against journalists, activists, and opposition figures.
“The completely disproportionate use of police raids and anti-terror legislation against journalists and writers sends a chilling signal to independent media across the country.” said Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.
Thai lawyer, poet, and activist Anon Nampa was sentenced to four years in prison for royal defamation in connection to a speech he delivered during a pro-democracy rally in October 2020. His sentencing reflects the failure of the new government to end the persecution of activists and human rights defenders through the use of restrictive monarchy laws. At least 257 individuals are facing lèse majesté (anti-royal insult law) charges, while 11 have been detained, including Anon, pending the resolution of their appeals.
