Articles by ARTICLE 19
Brazilian court upholds ban on development protestor
ARTICLE 19 is disappointed with the decision of a court in Sao Paulo to uphold a ban against a protester who has been campaigning against a property development in the city. The Court of Justice in the State of São Paulo has approved an injunction against the engineer and community activist Ricardo Fraga Oliveira.
Coalition calls on Vietnamese government to end persecution of activists
As eight Vietnamese human rights activists are appealing their convictions, a coalition of organisations has questioned the legitimacy of the trial and condemned the reported ill treatment of the activists since they have been in detention.
Kenyan court’s interpretation of “citizens” limits access to information
ARTICLE 19 welcomes a High Court decision that citizens have the right to access the information held by public and state owned corporations, but is highly concerned by the court’s continued narrow interpretation of “citizens” that would prevent NGOs, media organisations, and informal associations from making requests.
In Brazil less than half of public bodies respect information requests
One year after access to information law 12.527/2011 was adopted, a new study conducted by ARTICLE 19 reveals that only 44% of public bodies respond satisfactorily to information requests from individuals and non-governmental organisations.
Free expression advocates protest Azerbaijan’s legislative amendments
The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan strongly condemns a series of repressive legislative amendments that Azerbaijan’s National Assembly adopted on 14 May 2013. The existing penalties for criminal defamation and insult have been extended to online content and public demonstrations.
LGBT people’s free expression rights must be strengthened
On the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, states are urged to strengthen protections of the right to free expression for LGBT people and end impunity for violence.
Artistic censorship report: Filmmaker abducted, street artists fined
In its Artist Alert report for April 2013, ARTICLE 19 highlights cases from Cameroon, Kenya and Nigeria among others.
Pakistan urged to investigate presence of spyware on its communications network
A consortium of NGOs and individuals has called on the Pakistan Telecommunication Company to investigate the existence of a FinFisher surveillance tool on its network and publicly disclose its findings.