Index on Censorship

The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan, a coalition of international NGOs working to promote and protect freedom of expression in Azerbaijan, has condemned the blackmail and continued harassment of Ismayilova, one of the few independent investigative journalists working in the country.

SEAPA joined the Media Legal Defence Initiative and other human rights organisations in calling for the release of five bloggers arbitrarily detained for more than seven months.

In places like Zimbabwe the need for “outsider” critique is essential: solipsistic regimes create complex narratives about betrayal and patriotism; no more so than in Zimbabwe. Whether material originates from “inside” or “outside” the regime can be important in establishing its veracity.

Kenya represents a beacon of regional press freedom, and the majority of regional journalists are able to continue to work in the media field without harassment.
But life in Nairobi is by no means glamorous.

Fifty IFEX members and other rights groups call on the Bahrain authorities to release from prison human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, whose life is at risk since beginning a hunger strike on 8 February.

Mazen Darwish, as well as seven of his colleagues and a visitor, remain under arrest following a recent raid on the Damascus offices of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression.

The IFEX-TMG calls on the government to immediately pass the application decrees regarding the establishment of the HAICA – a regulatory body consisting of experts and representatives of all stakeholders to protect media against all forms of corruption and abuse.

The delegation reaffirmed the necessity to enshrine the right to freedom of expression in the future constitution, to guarantee press freedom and the independence of public service media.