Freedom House

Thirty IFEX members protested the sentencing of bloggers, citizen journalists and rights activists, jailed for up to 13 years in the biggest ever trial of pro-democracy activists in Vietnam.

In December 2011, the Egyptian authorities raided the offices of 11 human rights and democracy organizations after launching a smear campaign against them that then turned into a formal investigation. 43 NGO workers were charged and now face possible jail terms.

While welcoming moves to implement measures that guarantee media independence, IFEX-TMG calls on the Tunisian government to fully respect free expression in the new Constitution and put an end to attacks on journalists and artists.

Civil society delegates at a UN Inter-Agency meeting have agreed to support the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

While the Chinese Communist Party Congress is notorious for its secrecy, considerable resources were also used to gag the media and dissidents in the lead-up to the Beijing event, IFEX members report.

Leading international rights organisations have called for the postponement of the adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, pointing out that the Declaration risks creating a sub-standard level of human rights protection in the region.

Besides the Great Firewall of China and other highly publicised attacks on the net, there are a host of lesser-known threats to Internet freedom, says the US-based organisation Freedom House.

As hard-won civil liberties are being rapidly eroded worldwide, civil society is increasingly looking to democratic governments not just for solidarity, but to champion a reversal of the global assault on peaceful dissent, notes Freedom House.