Freedom House

Today is the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), dedicated to solidarity with LGBTI communities everywhere. The exposure that accompanies IDAHOT—and the public LGBTI pride events kicking off in the coming weeks—carries a heightened risk for LGBTI people around the world, who could face arrest or attack while standing up for their basic human rights or celebrating their identities. Yet this exposure is also vital to the long-term struggle against discrimination.

Human rights organisations are calling for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into the murders of at least nine writers, bloggers, publishers, academics, and activists in Bangladesh since February 2015.

“The Russian government continues to bring charges against the protesters of four years ago in an attempt to intimidate its critics into silence and discourage civic activism.”

Since mid-April, students across Sudan have held peaceful demonstrations on issues including the long-running conflict in Darfur and the decision by the Government to sell the University of Khartoum campus. Two university students have died as security forces responded to the protests.

In the April round-up: horrific attacks against secularists in Bangladesh, journalists arrested while protesting criminal defamation in the Maldives, crackdown on opposing voices in Cambodia, plus advocacy, awards and much more.

34 IFEX members are supporting RSF’s initiative to create the position of a Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for the Safety of Journalists.

Since its occupation of Crimea began in February 2014, Russia and occupation authorities under its control have relentlessly harassed and persecuted anyone who voices opposition to or is perceived as an opponent of the occupation, in particular Crimea’s large Crimean Tatar minority population.

The IFJ and the South East Asia Journalist Unions (SEAJU) join international organisations the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Freedom House in calling on the Timor Leste Prime Minister to withdraw the criminal defamation case against the “Timor Post”, a journalist and a former editor.