ARTICLE 19

ARTICLE 19 has warned that the situation for journalists is at crisis level in Brazil as the Government fails to protect journalists from threats and attacks by Bolsonaro supporters.

Iranian authorities say women posting photos of themselves on social media without the hijab are breaking cyber laws in yet another demonstration of the country’s shrinking space for free expression.

ARTICLE 19 warned that the proposed Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases Bill provides for criminal penalties for those who spread information about communicable diseases that could cause ‘public panic’ in Myanmar.

The right to information is crucial for maintaining public awareness and trust, fighting misinformation, ensuring accountability, and developing and monitoring implementation of public policies aimed at tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Where a state of emergency has been declared, voters’ entitlement to receive reliable information about candidates and voting processes – and to exchange political opinions – remains unchanged. Political parties and candidates must be allowed to have access to the electorate on an equal basis.

“While we welcome any measures taken to alleviate overcrowding in Turkey’s prisons, the new measures unjustifiably exclude tens of thousands who are imprisoned for the peaceful exercise of their rights.”

While news that the Turkish government is preparing a draft law to release up to 100,000 prisoners is welcome, the package of measures does not include journalists, human rights defenders and others imprisoned for simply exercising their rights.

“These measures must be strictly time-limited and kept under regular Parliamentary scrutiny to ensure that they remain necessary and proportionate to the threat we face. Crucially, for public to trust government, transparency and accountability must be at the heart of our democratic societies’ response to this crisis”.