Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

Making a statement during International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO-T).

Protesters expressed frustration and disappointment at the suppression of dissenting voices in Russia, as well as anxiety that recent events signal a return to “the country’s Communist totalitarian past.”

Former president and co-founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja was sentenced to life in prison in June 2011. He continues to be denied adequate medical attention and suffers from severe medical complications as a result of his mistreatment in detention.

Much of the reporting that has come out of Syria in recent months has been done by freelance journalists and citizen journalists who face particular threats when reporting in one of the most dangerous locations on the planet.

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, along with other organisations, writes to Ontario’s Attorney General to urge her to make Bill 83, Protection of Public Participation Act, 2013, a key priority. The point of the bill is to create a process allowing courts to review potentially abusive libel lawsuits.

Three Al Jazeera English journalists appeared in a Cairo court on 31 March 2014 as part of their ongoing trial under charges of spreading false news, belonging to a terrorist group and operating without a permit.

On 24 March 2014, the judge overseeing the court hearing of journalists Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed adjourned the trial for another week, with the case due to reconvene on 31 March 2014. The court date came on the heels of some positive developments for the imprisoned journalists.

North Korea is one of the most opaque countries in the world. The assaults on freedom of expression are vast and varied in the military state, ranging from censorship of the media to suppression of assembly and outright defamation of the foreign press.