International Press Institute (IPI)

Alemu was arrested in 2011 and charged with plotting an act of terrorism, while the Zone 9 bloggers were arrested in 2014 and accused of using social media to create instability in the country.

Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev was shot dead on 9 July 2013 as he left for work in Makhachkala, Dagestan. He had actively reported on human rights violations against Muslims by the police and Russian army.

The repeal of the two insult articles came after IPI and ARTICLE 19 conducted a joint mission to Lithuania, urging lawmakers to bring the country’s defamation law more in line with international standards.

Tanzanian lawmakers have withdrawn the Access to Information Act and the Media Services Act from discussion during the current parliamentary session.

On 1 July 2015, Turkey’s Constitutional Court rescinded columnist Bekir Coşkun’s suspended 14-month prison sentence for “insulting” public officials. The court opined that “acceptable limits to criticism of politicians are wider than acceptable limits to criticism of other people.”

“Given the fundamental need for independent media in a democracy, we urge Japan’s leaders to ensure that media outlets’ ability to report freely is respected and to take steps to protect that ability,” said IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis.

In an open letter, the leaders of 15 groups urged President Pierre Nkurunziza, who is seeking a third term in office in a poll scheduled for July 15, to allow shuttered media outlets to reopen and operate without interference.

IFEX members urge the UN Security Council to ensure the protection of journalists in Yemen in light of historic resolution.