Freedom House

“The campaign against Golos is yet another reason to raise serious questions about the legitimacy, openness, and competitiveness of Russia’s parliamentary election,” says Freedom House.

After hearing rumours of the death of Dawit Isaak, an Swedish-Eritrean journalist held without charge for ten years, 31 members of IFEX are asking President Isaias Afewerki to confirm that he is still alive and if so, to release him from prison.

Despite the regime’s brutality, the United States recently signed a multimillion-dollar arms deal (currently on hold) with the country and has remained largely silent amid a crackdown that proportionally surpasses the magnitude of any other in the region.

Independent Judge Kennou suffered persecution for speaking in favour of an independent judiciary as the former Secretary-General of the AMT, under Ben Ali. She has now been elected AMT President.

The “Countries at the Crossroads 2011” report concludes that success in the Arab democratic revolution will require major reforms in government institutions that had been seriously undermined during previous authoritarian regimes.

The report shows that governments are becoming increasingly savvy in maintaining control over content, says the organisation.

IFEX-TMG says time is of the essence to effectively support freedom of expression by adopting a series of positive measures and setting high standards for the future.

IFEX-TMG attends trial of Samir Feriani, acquitted of charges of leaking information about the destruction of evidence linking Tunisian secret police to torture and other crimes.