World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers

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.

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.

The Mexican journalist and writer said she was driven to focus on investigative journalism after the kidnapping and murder of her father in December 2000. Police investigators told the family that they were only willing to investigate the crime if the family paid them.

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.

After the court issued a ruling invalidating “Express” newspaper’s statutory documents, a government representative allegedly contacted the newspaper and offered to overturn the verdict if “Express” softened its criticism of the government.

Twenty-nine IFEX members have signed a letter to the Prosecutor General about the detention of editor Igor Vinyavsky, whose detention is believed to be politically motivated, calling for him to be released and for the evidence leading to his arrest to be made public.

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.

The WAN-IFRA report reveals that the Ecuadorean government is “establishing a strict control over all arenas of public debate, while couching this in a debate centred around media plurality”.