| GUATEMALA: BLOQUEADA LA PÁGINA WEB DE LA AGENCIA DE NOTICIAS GUATEMALTECA CERIGUA http://www.periodistas-es.org/pes/artigo.asp?cod_artigo=1331 ESPAÑA: AMECOPRESS SERÁ LA PRIMERA AGENCIA ESPAÑOLA CON PERSPECTIVA DE GÉNERO http://www.periodistas-es.org/pes/artigo.asp?cod_artigo=1330 PAKISTÁN: CONDENAS INTERNACIONALES A LOS INTENTOS GUBERNAMENTALES DE AMORDAZAR A LOS MEDIOS PAQUISTANÍES http://www.periodistas-es.org/pes/artigo.asp?cod_artigo=1329 |
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Esta información es responsabilidad del Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión de la Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores de la Comunicación Social (FELATRACS).
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UPDATE - EGYPT
21 June 2007
Court refuses judge's request to block websites, but allows for their
censorship and prosecution; investigation of blogger suspended
SOURCE: Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo), Cairo
**Updates IFEX alerts of 11 May, 5 April and 14 March 2007**
(HRinfo/IFEX) - There have been promising developments in the case against
judge Abdel Fatah Murad, who has filed multiple fabricated charges against
the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and HRinfo, as well as bloggers and human
rights and news websites, report the law center and HRinfo.
The State Commissioner Committee has released a report on the request by
the judge to block 51 human rights and news websites and blogs that
allegedly abused the state's dignity and threatened its interests.
Rejecting the request on the ground that the judge lacked the authority to
invoke such an action, the committee nevertheless accepted the judge's
lawsuits against the targeted institutions, but not those against the
justice and social liability ministers (see:
http://www.openarab.net/issues/2007/issue1 ).
The committee accepted the cooperation between the government and
administrators of websites and blogs, finding that they have a shared
interest in the lawsuit and have authority over their work, but refused the
request by some lawyers to side with the judge, on the ground that they do
not have an interest in the case.
It refused to block the websites, though conceding the government's right
to omit pages that contain insults against the aggrieved party in the case
or his judicial identity.
In response to the report, the court session has been postponed to 8 July
2007.
Meanwhile, police have suspended the investigation on blogger "Amr
Gharbia", charged with defaming Judge Murad. Gharbia, the 2005 winner of
the Best Arabic Blog, awarded by the Deutce Welle organization, is now free
on bail. PC Police declared that Gharbia's blog had merely hosted comments
insulting the judge; as the comments did not come from him, he was absolved
of the charge.
In another related matter, the Alexandria Prosecution Office has taken up
HRinfo Chair Gamal Eid's demand for an investigation into the judge for
violating intellectual property rights. Gamal Eid also called for the
lifting of the judge's immunity, so that he will face a prison term and a
fine, if found guilty.
Gamal Eid is also suing the judge, demanding a compensation of 500,000
pounds (approx. US$ 995,263), for violating intellectual property rights.
The judge had quoted extensively from HRinfo's report on free expression on
the Internet without crediting the source.
"We will be investing in a unit for lawyers to defend freedom of opinion
and expression and intellectual property rights," Gamal Eid said. "The
Arabic Network has decided to start receiving complaints on violations of
intellectual property rights."
The suit will be reviewed in the South Cairo Court of First Instance on 14
July.
A North Cairo court hearing that began on 17 June, on the extortion charge
against Ahmed Seif and Gamal Eid, fabricated by judge Murad, was postponed
upon a demand by the two accused that the Lawyers' Syndicate be informed of
the case before it could proceed further. Gamal Eid's case will resume on
27 June, while Ahmed Seif's will resume on 1 July.
Declaring the promising developments in the case against the judge, HRinfo
and the Hisham Mubarak Law Center said that the one thing that gave them
the strength to face the judge's fabricated cases against many websites and
youth bloggers in Egypt, was that there was no deception on their part.
The case against the judge has changed from that of violating intellectual
property rights to a defense for intellectual property rights and freedom
of opinion and expression.
In addition, HRinfo and Hisham Mubarak Law Center have uncovered many facts
about the case - which they will expose later - that will provide evidence
for the prosecution and conviction of the judge. All that is required now
is a fair and just investigation.
For more information, see:
http://www.hrinfo.net/en/campaigns/2007/pr0426-2.shtml ;
http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2007/pr0618.shtml
For further information contact Gamal Eid, Executive Director, HRinfo,
Apartment 10, No. 5, Street 105, from Midan al Hurriya, al Maadi, Cairo,
Egypt, tel/fax: +202 524 9544, e-mail: info@hrinfo.net,
gamal4eid@yahoo.com, Internet: http://www.hrinfo.net/en
The information contained in this update is the sole responsibility of
HRinfo. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
HRinfo.
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UPDATE - SRI LANKA
21 June 2007
Minister admits desire to hire hackers to disable news website; remarks
tantamount to "cyber-terrorism," says FMM
SOURCE: Free Media Movement (FMM), Colombo
**Updates previous IFEX alert of 21 June 2007**
(FMM/IFEX) - The following is an FMM press release:
Government Minister admits to cyber-terrorism: Attempts to hack Tamilnews
website
21st June 2007, Colombo, Sri Lanka - The Free Media Movement (FMM)
unequivocally condemns the outrageous statement by Minister Keheliya
Rambukwella, as reported by the BBC's Sinhala Service and by AFP today,
that he would love to hire hackers to disable Tamilnet, but had not found
anyone yet for the job.
Minister Rambukwella's statement is tantamount to government sanctioned
cyber-terrorism against websites that do not toe its line. The reference to
the use of hackers to shut down websites is a strategy that violates the
responsibility to protect fundamental rights of citizens, including the
freedom of expression and the right to information, of a Government
Minister. The Minister's statement also puts him at cross purposes with the
Computer Crimes Bill enacted in Sri Lanka earlier this year, holding him
culpable under the law for attempting to hack into a website with the
intent to cause disruption.
The FMM seeks urgent clarification from the Government as to whether
Minister Rambukwella's comments are indicative of official Government
policy to shutdown, disrupt or censor content and websites on the Internet.
If not, the FMM seeks a full retraction from the Minister and reiterates
that the Government must immediately unblock access to Tamilnet in Sri
Lanka.
For further information, contact the Free Media Movement, 237/22, Wijeya
Kumaratunga Road, Colombo 05, Sri Lanka, tel: +94 777 312 457 / +94 11 257
3439, fax: +94 11 471 4460, e-mail: fmm@sltnet.lk, Internet:
http://www.freemediasrilanka.org
The information contained in this update is the sole responsibility of FMM.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit FMM.
_________________________________________________________________
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UPDATE - UNITED NATIONS
21 June 2007
Denial of accreditation to journalists from non-member countries
contravenes internationally recognized agreements, says CPJ
SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York
**Updates IFEX alert of 17 May 2007**
(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 June 2007 CPJ letter to U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
United Nations Headquarters
New York, NY 10017
Via facsimile: +1 212 963-2155
Dear Mr. Secretary-General:
The Committee to Protect Journalists is greatly concerned about the United
Nations' refusal to accredit journalists from states not recognized by the
U.N. General Assembly. In its rigid application of this policy, the
organization excludes these journalists from entering any U.N. facility
anywhere in the world and prevents them from performing their work.
Journalists from Taiwan are particularly affected by this policy and were
unfairly excluded from covering this year's World Health Organization
annual assembly on May 14, as they have been since 2004.
The U.N. media accreditation office, when questioned by CPJ, pointed to the
U.N. Web site by way of explanation. The Web site describes the
accreditation rules, which require a journalist to have a current passport
from a state recognized by the General Assembly. Thus, journalists from
Taiwan are denied accreditation because the United Nations does not
recognize Taiwan as a member.
The U.N. policy of accrediting only those journalists who hold passports
from U.N. member nations appears to contravene two internationally
recognized agreements. The International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights and its predecessor, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
underpin the broad concept of human rights and specifically mention the
rights of journalists; they are part of the United Nations' fundamental
organizational ideals.
The second paragraph of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights says that "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of
expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally,
in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of
his choice."
As you know, the Covenant, which entered into force on March 23, 1976, is a
U.N. treaty based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an advisory
declaration adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on December 10, 1948.
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states the same
ideals in much the same language as the Covenant: "Everyone has the right
to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold
opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information
and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
The use of "everyone" in both statements is clearly meant to be universal,
and does not allow for discrimination against citizens of countries that
are not U.N. member nations. In excluding journalists from entering U.N.
facilities anywhere in the world on the basis of the passport they hold,
the United Nations is clearly interfering with the ability to "to seek,
receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless
of frontiers."
Even if their home country is not a member of the United Nations,
journalists should be allowed equal access to U.N. facilities and
officials. We ask that you change the policy that now denies Taiwanese
journalists, and all other journalists who might fall into their category,
the right to cover global events.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We await your reply.
Sincerely,
Joel Simon
Executive Director
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Send similar appeals to:
Mr. Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General
United Nations Headquarters
New York, NY 10017 USA
Fax: +1 212 963 2155
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
For further information, contact Asia Program Coordinator Bob Dietz or Asia
Program Senior Researcher Kristin Jones at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York,
NY 10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail:
asiaprogram@cpj.org, bdietz@cpj.org, Internet: http://www.cpj.org/
The information contained in this update is the sole responsibility of CPJ.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit CPJ.
_________________________________________________________________
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UPDATE - UNITED KINGDOM
21 June 2007
Proposed reforms aimed at denying costliest requests for publicly held
information endanger fledgling Freedom of Information Act, says ARTICLE 19
SOURCE: ARTICLE 19, London
**Updates IFEX alerts of 29 May, 9 February, 29 and 17 January 2007**
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 19 June 2007 ARTICLE 19 press
release:
United Kingdom: Proposed Reforms Endanger Freedom of Information Act
ARTICLE 19 has urged the British government to drop its plans to change the
way in which costs for access to publicly held information are calculated.
Responding to an official consultation, ARTICLE 19 warned that the proposed
amendments would greatly enfeeble the fledgling freedom of information
regime on the pretext of saving a very modest amount of money.
"After two successful years of the Freedom of Information Act's operation,
it is as though the government wants to put the genie back into the
bottle," said Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19.
The annual cost of the FOI Act is £35.5 million; according to government
figures, 5% of information requests account for 45% of this amount. The
thrust of the proposed amendments is to eliminate the most expensive
requests by making it easier to refuse them on the grounds of costs,
leading to projected annual savings of £11.8 million.
In its submission, ARTICLE 19 points out that the Act, which has already
exposed serious inefficiencies in the use of public funds, offers good
overall value at just 0.0064% of total government expenditure. The proposed
measures fail to discriminate between expensive requests which are in the
public interests and those which are not. By the government's own
admission, the hardest hit groups of requesters would be journalists, MPs,
campaign groups and researchers, which collectively hold the government to
account.
ARTICLE 19 takes the position that at 67p per person in England and Wales,
the cost of the FOI Act is reasonable and in line with other jurisdictions.
If cost-cutting is nevertheless deemed necessary, the government should
choose those means which are least harmful to the right to know. To date,
it has made no effort to explore other options, such as charging for
requests which impose a significant cost or refusing requests when the cost
of processing them is out of proportion to the public interest they serve.
Accordingly, the submission joins the chorus of voices calling for the
proposed amendments to be dropped.
The submission, which is in response to a supplementary consultation called
by the Department of Constitutional Affairs (now subsumed in the new
Ministry of Justice), can be downloaded from the ARTICLE 19 website at
http://www.article19.org/publications/law/legal-analyses.html
ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works globally
to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its
name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which
guarantees free speech.
For further information, contact Daniel Simons, Legal Officer, tel: +44 20
7239 1192, daniel@article19.org, or ARTICLE 19, 6-8 Amwell Street, London,
EC1R 1UQ, U.K., tel: +44 20 7278 9292, fax: +44 20 7278 7660, e-mail:
info@article19.org, Internet: http://www.article19.org
The information contained in this update is the sole responsibility of
ARTICLE 19. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please
credit ARTICLE 19.
_______________________________________________________________
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IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________
UPDATE - MALI
21 June 2007
Four newspaper editors join reporter and school teacher in jail over school
essay making fun of imaginary president
SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
**Updates IFEX alert of 18 June 2007**
(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the release of a
secondary school teacher and a total of five journalists who have been
arrested over an article about a school essay on the comical indiscretions
of an imaginary president.
The teacher and an "Info-Matin" reporter were arrested on 14 June 2007.
"Info-Matin's" editor and the editors of three other newspapers were
arrested on 20 June for reprinting the article, which Reporters Without
Borders is posting on its website to show the absurdity of these arrests.
"Mali was hailed as an example of democracy in Africa, but as this case
goes from bad to worse, it is looking more and more like an authoritarian
regime, crippled by taboos and dangerous for those who show a lack of
respect for an untouchable president," the press freedom organisation said.
"We are dismayed by the way the state prosecutor is flouting democratic
standards and the presumption of innocence by imprisoning journalists,"
Reporters Without Borders added. "President Amadou Toumani Touré's silence
on this matter is baffling."
The four newspaper editors - Sambi Touré of "Info-Matin", Ibrahima Fall of
"Le Républicain," Alexis Kalambry of "Les Echos" and Haméye Cissé of "Le
Scorpion" - were summoned late on 20 June 2007 by the state prosecutor and
were immediately jailed on charges of "complicity in an insult against the
president."
They were sent to the main Bamako prison, where they joined "Info-Matin"
reporter Seydina Oumar Diarra and Lycée Nanaïssa Santara literature teacher
Bassirou Kassim Minta.
Diarra and Minta were arrested by the state prosecutor on 14 June because
of a 1 June article by Diarra, headlined "Lycée Nanaïssa Santara: the
president's mistress," about a humorous essay subject that Minta gave his
final-year literature students - the story of a "female student and
economic prostitute" who became pregnant by a fictitious president and
fought for her child to be recognised.
The five journalists and the teacher are due to appear before a Bamako
criminal court on 26 June.
For further information, contact Léonard Vincent at RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: africa@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org
The information contained in this update is the sole responsibility of RSF.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.
_________________________________________________________________
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IFEX - Nouvelles de la communauté internationale de défense de la liberté
d'expression
_________________________________________________________________
MISE À JOUR - MALI
Le 21 juin 2007
Quatre directeurs de journaux envoyés en prison pour avoir repris un
article qui a valu à un journaliste et un enseignant d'être arrêtés
SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
**Mise à jour d'une alerte de l'IFEX du 18 juin 2007**
(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters sans frontières demande la libération de cinq
journalistes et un enseignant incarcérés depuis le 14 et le 20 juin 2007
pour avoir publié un article sur une dissertation évoquant les frasques
burlesques d'un président imaginaire.
Pour démontrer l'absurdité de ces procédures, l'organisation publie sur son
site Internet l'intégralité de l'article incriminé.
"Avec la dégradation de cette affaire, le Mali, salué comme une démocratie
exemplaire en Afrique, prend le visage banal d'une république autoritaire,
percluse de tabous et dangereuse pour ceux qui se montreraient
irrévérencieux envers un chef de l'État intouchable. Nous sommes consternés
par l'acharnement du procureur à envoyer des journalistes en prison, au
mépris des standards démocratiques et de la présomption d'innocence. De
plus, que le président Amadou Toumani Touré soit resté silencieux est
incompréhensible", a déclaré l'organisation.
Après avoir été convoqués par le procureur, le 20 juin en fin de journée,
quatre directeurs de publication de journaux proches de l'opposition ont
été inculpés et écroués pour "complicité d'offense au chef de l'Etat".
Sambi Touré, directeur de publication d'"Info-Matin", Ibrahima Fall, du
"Républicain", Alexis Kalambry des "Echos", Haméye Cissé du "Scorpion", ont
rejoint à la prison centrale de Bamako Seydina Oumar Diarra, journaliste
d'"Info-Matin", et Bassirou Kassim Minta, professeur de lettres et censeur
du Lycée Nanaïssa Santara.
Ces deux derniers avaient été arrêtés, le 14 juin, après que le procureur
de la République s'était autosaisi d'une plainte, suite à la publication
d'un article intitulé "Lycée Nanaïssa Santara : la maîtresse du président
de la République!". Le texte, paru le 1er juin, reprenait et commentait un
sujet de dissertation au ton satirique donné par l'enseignant à ses élèves
de 10e Lettres, dans lequel une "étudiante, prostituée économique" tombait
enceinte d'un chef d'État et se battait pour la reconnaissance de son
enfant.
Les cinq hommes doivent comparaître le 26 juin devant le tribunal
correctionnel de première instance de Bamako 3.
Pour tout renseignement complémentaire, veuillez contacter Léonard Vincent,
RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tél: +33 1 44 83 84 84,
téléc: +33 1 45 23 11 51, courrier électronique: afrique@rsf.org, Internet:
http://www.rsf.org
RSF est responsable de toute information contenue dans cette mise à jour.
En citant cette information, prière de bien vouloir l'attribuer à RSF.
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ALERT - TURKEY
21 June 2007
Sociologist, magazine owner and editor face possible imprisonment over
article; writer escapes charge despite army's complaint
SOURCE: IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), Istanbul
(BIANET/IFEX) - Sociologist Ismail Besikci, known in Turkey for his
enduring academic interest in the Kurds and for facing both an end to his
academic career and imprisonment over his books, is on trial under Article
216 of the Turkish Penal Code.
Besikci had written an article entitled "We did not talk, we had it
printed", which was published in the monthly magazine, "Popüler Kürtür
Esmer" (Popular Kürture Dark). The magazine's owner, Ferzende Kaya, and
managing editor, Mehmet Ali Izmir, are also on trial.
Prosecutor Remzi Yasar Kizilhan is demanding four to six years'
imprisonment for the three defendants.
The Directorate of Criminal Offences of the Ministry of Justice launched an
investigation into the article by Besikci, published on 19 January 2006,
following a "secret" complaint by the Armed Forces' General Staff.
Because the head office of the magazine is in Istanbul, the Ankara Chief
Prosecutor's Office passed the case to the Bakirköy Office in Istanbul.
The prosecution's expert, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Artuk of the Law Faculty of
Marmara University, Istanbul, had argued that there was no case for the
application of Article 301, but that "some expressions could be interpreted
as 'incitement to hatred and hostility'", thus leading to the trial of
Besikci and the magazine representatives under Article 216.
There has been some disagreement as to which court is in charge of the
proceedings, and the penal court in Bakirköy has asked the Istanbul Chief
Public Prosecutor's Office whether samples of the magazine have been
delivered. The case will be continued on 10 December.
Besikci was already facing trial over another case, with prosecutors
demanding for more than 100 years' imprisonment over his books (published
by Yurt Publishers) and his articles concerning the Kurdish issue, which
had appeared in the pro-Kurdish "Özgür Gündem" newspaper. He has spent
years in prison, and some of his books are still banned (see IFEX alert of
21 September 1999). He was released from prison on 12 July 1997 under the
Conditional Amnesty Law No. 4304, which allows for the postponement of
sentences for previous offences provided that they are not repeated in the
next five years.
In another case, the Armed Forces' General Staff had also secretly
complained about an article entitled "Ghost" by Ahmet Kahraman (published
in the "Popüler Kürtür Esmer" magazine in December 2005).
Called again as the prosecution's expert, Prof. Artuk concluded that "the
rights to inform and criticise were made use of, there was no degradation
of Turkishness or the armed forces, there was no harsh criticism of the
army in general, just of (Chief of General Staff) Yasar Büyükanit, and
there was no crime committed under Article 301". There was thus no case
opened against Kahraman.
For further information contact Nadire Mater at BIANET, Faikpasa Yokusu,
No. 41, Antikhane, Kat: 3, D.8-9, Cukurcuma, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey,
tel: +90 212 251 1503, fax: +90 212 251 1609, e-mail: bia@bianet.org,
Internet: http://www.bianet.org
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of
BIANET. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
BIANET.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
555 Richmond St. West, # 1101, PO Box 407
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3B1
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________
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UPDATE - CANADA
21 June 2007
Government appeals court decision quashing search warrant to uncover
whistleblower; tribunal refuses to force journalist to reveal sources
SOURCE: Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), Toronto
**Updates IFEX alert on the Gagnon case of 19 June 2007; updates alert on
the "National Post" case of 7 October 2002; for further information on the
Dunphy case, see alert of 25 January 2006; on the Peters case, see alerts
of 8 December and 25 November 2004**
(CJFE/IFEX) - The following is a 20 June 2007 CJFE press release:
CJFE Celebrates Quebec Decision in Favour of Protection Sources
(Toronto, June 20, 2007) Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE)
commends the Quebec Labour Relations Board's decision to refuse to force
Quebec journalist Karine Gagnon to reveal confidential sources in a hearing
yesterday.
Last November, Gagnon, of Le Journal de Québec, wrote a report about the
potential health threat of asbestos in government buildings. Immediately
after it was published, a source whom she had cited in the report was fired
from the Société immobilière du Québec (SIQ). He is challenging his
dismissal at the administrative tribunal. Gagnon found herself drawn into
the legal battle when lawyers for the SIQ demanded that she hand over all
of her research materials for the report, including notes and recordings,
as well as reveal the identities of all confidential interviewees.
"This is great news for journalists," said CJFE President Arnold Amber. "It
is a further example of how Canadian society and adjudication tribunals are
ruling in favour of reporters' rights to keep their confidential sources,
confidential. This is the first time that this has occurred at a Canadian
Labour Board, but it sets a good precedent which only adds to similar
rulings in other courts."
Last year, journalist Bill Dunphy of The Hamilton Spectator was served with
a production order to hand over his interviews with the head of a crime
family, but also succeeded in having it quashed in court. The court ruled
that police had not proven that Dunphy's material would provide any fresh
evidence for their investigation and they had not made all reasonable
efforts to obtain information from the subject himself. In essence, the
needs of the investigation and value of the evidence did not outweigh the
infringement on the special role of the media.
On the other side of the debate are lawyers for the Crown who are currently
appealing the January 2004 decision by Superior Court Justice Mary Lou
Benotto in the National Post case. Her decision quashed an RCMP search
warrant and "assistance order" used to try to find out who leaked material
to the National Post in April 2001. CJFE will be monitoring this case
closely. If the Crown wins it would be a large step backwards for
journalists in this area of the law.
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is an association of more
than 300 journalists, editors, publishers, producers, students and others
who work to promote and defend free expression and press freedom in Canada
and around the world.
For further information, contact Julie Payne, CJFE Manager, tel: +1 416
515-9622 (x226), or the CJFE, 555 Richmond Street West, Suite 1101, P.O.B.
407, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3B1 Canada, tel: +1 416 515 9622, fax: +1 416 515
7879, e-mail: cjfe@cjfe.org, Internet: http://www.cjfe.org
The information contained in this update is the sole responsibility of
CJFE. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
CJFE.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
555 Richmond St. West, # 1101, PO Box 407
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3B1
tel: +1 416 515 9622, fax: +1 416 515 7879 alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org
general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org, Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________
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UPDATE - TURKEY
21 June 2007
ECHR condemns three rulings against journalists, accepts a fourth
SOURCE: IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), Istanbul
**New cases and update to the IFEX alert on the Seyman case of 6 October
2000**
(BIANET/IFEX) - On 14 June 2007, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
decreed that freedom of expression was not curtailed in the case of Hünkar
Demirel, the manager of the weekly newspaper "Yedinci Gündem", who appealed
to the ECHR after he was convicted of "aiding and abetting a terrorist
organisation by spreading propaganda".
Demirel was put to trial over an article published in the newspaper in July
2001, in which he analysed "reasons for joining the organisation" (the
PKK). In June 2002, he was sentenced to a prison term of three years and
nine months, later converted into a fine.
Demirel appealed to the ECHR, arguing that he had not had a fair trial. He
claimed that his freedom of expression had been curtailed and his right to
property violated. The ECHR agreed unanimously that there were doubts about
a fair trial under the State Security Court (DGM). However, it also argued
that the article represented an incitement to violence, quoting sentences
such as "If someone wanted to kill you, you would use legitimate
self-defence" and "If the world is uniting against us, we will use our
right to self-defence". According to the ECHR, the article was an attempt
at "legitimising the PKK rebellion"; the article also apologised for the
violent and random acts of the organisation. The ECHR decreed that in the
light of the agenda of the article, the received sentence was not
excessive.
It ruled that the government is to pay Demirel 1,000 euros in legal costs.
On the same day, the ECHR demanded a total of 5,250 euros from the
government as compensation payments for violating Article 10 in three
separate cases:
- Mehmet Colak, the managing editor of the pro-Kurdish "Yeniden Özgür
Gündem" newspaper, had appealed to the ECHR because the government forbade
distribution and sale of the newspaper in the eastern provinces under
emergency law in September 2002 without an audit by the judiciary.
- Mehmet Selim Okcuoglu had appealed to the ECHR after receiving a one-year
prison sentence and a fine for "separatist propaganda" and "incitement to
hatred and hostility" from the DGM in September 1998. He had written an
article in the Kurdish-interest People's Democracy Party (HADEP)
newsletter, entitled "About the Court Case Against Our Leaders".
- Tuncay Seyman, editor-in-chief of the "Yeni Evrensel" newspaper, and
Fevzi Saygili, the owner, were punished by the DGM in February 2000 for
"inciting hatred and hostility" with their article entitled "The Kurdish
Problem and the Struggle for Equal Rights". They, too, won their appeal to
the ECHR.
For further information contact Nadire Mater at BIANET, Faikpasa Yokusu,
No. 41, Antikhane, Kat: 3, D.8-9, Cukurcuma, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey,
tel: +90 212 251 1503, fax: +90 212 251 1609, e-mail: bia@bianet.org,
Internet: http://www.bianet.org
The information contained in this update is the sole responsibility of
BIANET. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
BIANET.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
555 Richmond St. West, # 1101, PO Box 407
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3B1
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________
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ALERT - CROATIA
21 June 2007
Independent newspaper closes, alleging bias after government refuses to
write off debt; a "massive blow to media pluralism", says EFJ
SOURCE: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Brussels
(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 June 2007 media release of the European
Federation of Journalists (EFJ), an IFJ regional group:
Journalists Condemn Closure of Croatia's Pioneering Feral Tribune as
"Massive Blow"
The European Federation of Journalists has deplored the closure of
Croatia's weekly Feral Tribune calling it a "massive blow to media
pluralism."
"The closure of a paper that has for years been a flagship for press
freedom in the region is a massive blow to media pluralism", said EFJ Chair
Arne König. "In a time of increasing financial pressure, punitive taxation
policies can have a devastating impact. For years Feral Tribune has been a
symbol of the challenging and independent journalism upon which democracy
relies. We call on the Croatian authorities to do more to safeguard
pluralism in this hostile commercial environment."
Feral Tribune distinguished itself as the Croatian paper with an abundance
of awards. Its journalists challenged the political giants of the region
when the war and chaos overwhelmed the Balkans in the 1990s. Its biting
journalism exposed the actions of the regime of Slobodan Milošević in
Serbia and tested the patience of Croatian leader Franjo Tudjman at home.
Its reporting, whether in war or in peace time, was always challenging,
said the EFJ, and often at high risk.
"The battles fought by Feral Tribune were all about democracy and
fundamental rights," said Arne König. "Even now we appeal for action to try
to save and nurture the journalism it pioneered."
The Croatian government recently blocked the paper's bank account to
collect a VAT debt of €68,200 and another move was announced to collect a
further debt of €136.426. This proved to be a fatal blow to the finances of
the paper where journalists have not received salaries for months. The
paper's management accused the authorities of double standards because in
the past the Croatian government has written off VAT debts to some
state-owned media. The paper also accused large advertisers of
discriminating against them.
The EFJ affiliate, the Croatian Journalists' Association, called on the
authorities to help keep Feral Tribune's alive. "Even those who do not
agree with Feral Tribune editorial policy should defend Feral's right to
survive," said Dragutin Lučić Luce, CJA President.
The editorial board of Feral Tribune said that "Feral's disappearance from
the newsstands will be, whether one likes it or not, a symptom of the
future in which journalism will be accorded the miserable role of
servitude."
The EFJ represents over 260,000 journalists in more than 30 countries.
For further information, contact the EFJ, tel: +322 235 2200, or the IFJ,
International Press Centre, Residence Palace, Block C, 155 Rue de la Loi,
B-1040 Brussels, Belgium, tel: +322 235 2200 or +322 235 2207, fax: +322
235 2219, e-mail: rachel.cohen@ifj.org, Internet: http://www.ifj.org/
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of IFJ.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit IFJ.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
555 Richmond St. West, # 1101, PO Box 407
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3B1
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________
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IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________
ALERT - CROATIA/INTERNATIONAL
21 June 2007
Proceedings against journalists covering international tribunal set
disturbing precedent, says RSF
SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about a decision
by one of the trial chambers of the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to order prosecutors to find out how a document
classified as confidential by the court was leaked to several Croat media.
The order could lead to the media being prosecuted.
Journalists have until now only been prosecuted by international courts for
allegedly revealing the identity of nationally protected witnesses ( see
http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/rapport_fr.pdf ).
This order poses a new kind of threat to journalists covering the ICTY and
could constitute a disturbing violation of press freedom and the right to
critical and independent coverage of international tribunals.
The order was issued by the chamber that is trying three former Croat
generals, Ante Gotovina, Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac. The chamber told
the prosecutor's office on 1 June 2007 to investigate the origin of the
leak four days earlier of a confidential annex that had been submitted by
the prosecutor's office.
No international tribunal has ever brought a prosecution of this nature
against news media that cover its proceedings. Until now, the only
prosecutions were based on the claim that journalists had, potentially at
least, jeopardised the safety of witnesses who had been beneficiaries of
protection orders issued by the tribunal. In 2006, Reporters Without
Borders voiced concern about the grounds and circumstances of such
prosecutions by the ICTY and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
(ICTR). Some of these prosecutions resulted in severe sentences.
"The investigation ordered by ICTY judges on 1 June and the statements by
the tribunal's spokesperson at a press briefing on 31 May are even more
disturbing," Reporters Without Borders said. "If the ICTY prosecutes
journalists for divulging legal documents simply because it had declared
them to be confidential, this would be a serious abuse of authority and a
retrograde step in press freedom."
The organisation added: "The threat of such prosecutions would undermine
the ability of journalists to cover international courts in an independent
fashion. It would inevitably be used by other courts, including
international ones, against journalist considered overly critical. We
reiterate our concern about the precedents being set by this UN tribunal
and we voice concern about the threats to press freedom that these latest
developments represent."
The leaked document, submitted to the chamber on 17 May, contained the
names of seven senior Croat officials identified by the prosecutor's office
as being party to the criminal enterprise for which the three generals are
being tried. The prosecutor's office produced the document in response to a
request from the chamber's judges for more details about the alleged
criminal enterprise and its participants. The list consists of three former
ministers or junior ministers, a former gendarmerie chief and three former
military commanders (two of whom have been publicly charged by the ICTY and
have been transferred for trial in Croatia).
The prosecutor said the document would have to be confidential because, in
certain countries, the names of accomplices not formally included in an
indictment are not normally supposed to appear in public court documents.
But at the same time, he acknowledged that the ICTY and other international
tribunals do not observe this restriction. He also acknowledged that, even
if there was no new indictment, the names of the seven persons would almost
certainly be mentioned during the trial.
According to the news agency Sense, which permanently covers the ICTY, the
document's contents were revealed by Croat TV station HRT on 28 May, and
were then picked up by other local media outlets, including Jutarnji List,
Vecernji List and the news agency Hina.
As a result of the leak, one of the defence teams asked the chamber to
declassify the document and the court complied on 31 May. Since then, it
has officially been in the public domain.
Nonetheless, according to the ICTY website's account of a press briefing on
31 May, ICTY registry and chambers spokesman Refik Hodzic said: "If there
was a confidential document that was leaked in the media, this would be a
breach of the document's confidentiality, and it could cause consequences
for those responsible." It could "constitute contempt of court", he said.
Hodzic then went on to say: "There was a very strange interpretation in the
media that it would be a fair game to publish a document filed
confidentially before the trial chamber ruled to lift its confidentiality.
Publishing a document filed confidentially constitutes a breach of
tribunal's rules and there are no two ways about it [ICTY Weekly Press
Briefing, 31 May 2007]."
It was the day after the press briefing that judges ordered the
investigation that could result in contempt of court proceedings being
brought against HRT at least, if not the other media outlets involved, as
well.
For further information, contact Elsa Vidal at RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy Marie,
Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 67, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: europe@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of RSF.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
555 Richmond St. West, # 1101, PO Box 407
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3B1
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________
IFEX - Nouvelles de la communauté internationale de défense de la liberté
d'expression
_________________________________________________________________
ALERTE - CROATIE/INTERNATIONAL
Le 21 juin 2007
Poursuites contre les journalistes couvrant les tribunaux internationaux:
un précédent inquiétant, selon RSF
SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
(RSF/IFEX) - Le 1er juin 2007, une chambre de première instance du Tribunal
pénal international pour l'ex-Yougoslavie (TPIY) a ordonné au bureau du
procureur une enquête qui menace de poursuites plusieurs médias croates
pour avoir divulgué un document classé confidentiel par le Tribunal.
Jusqu'ici, les seules poursuites engagées par les tribunaux internationaux
contre des journalistes avaient concerné la divulgation alléguée de
l'identité de témoins dits protégés ( voir le document
http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/rapport_fr.pdf ).
La menace que fait désormais peser le TPIY sur les journalistes couvrant
ses activités est d'une autre nature et pourrait constituer une inquiétante
atteinte à la liberté de la presse et au droit à la couverture critique et
indépendante des juridictions internationales.
Le 1er juin 2007, la chambre de première instance en charge du procès des
trois anciens généraux croates Ante Gotovina, Ivan Cermak et Mladen Markac
a ordonné au procureur du TPIY de mener une enquête sur l'origine d'une
fuite ayant conduit à la divulgation, quatre jours plus tôt, par plusieurs
médias croates, d'un document classé confidentiel par le Tribunal.
Jamais poursuite sur de tels faits n'a été enclenchée par un tribunal
international contre des médias couvrant ses activités. Les seules
poursuites menées contre des journalistes à ce jour par de telles
institutions judiciaires reposaient sur l'allégation selon laquelle ces
journalistes avaient, au moins potentiellement, mis en danger la sécurité
de témoins qui faisaient l'objet d'une ordonnance de protection délivrée
par le Tribunal. Reporters sans frontières s'est déjà inquiétée, en 2006,
du fondement de ces poursuites et du contexte dans lequel elles ont été
menées devant le TPIY ou le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda
(TPIR). Dans certains cas, ces poursuites ont abouti à de lourdes
condamnations.
"L'enquête ordonnée le 1er juin par les magistrats du TPIY, ainsi que les
déclarations du porte-parole du Tribunal lors de son point de presse du 31
mai, sont plus inquiétantes encore. Si le TPIY devait poursuivre des
reporters pour avoir divulgué des documents judiciaires pour la seule
raison que le Tribunal les a déclarés confidentiels, cela constituerait une
grave dérive et une régression en matière de liberté de la presse. La
menace de telles poursuites entamerait la capacité même des journalistes de
couvrir en toute indépendance les travaux de ces tribunaux internationaux.
Elle ne manquerait pas d'être utilisée devant d'autres tribunaux, y compris
internationaux, à l'encontre de reporters jugés trop critiques. Reporters
sans frontières réitère son inquiétude devant la jurisprudence récente
établie par ce tribunal des Nations unies et exprime ses craintes quant aux
menaces sur la liberté de la presse que font peser ces derniers
développements", a déclaré l'organisation.
Le document en question était une annexe à l'acte d'accusation dressé par
le bureau du procureur contre ces trois officiers. Il avait été déposé
devant la chambre le 17 mai et contenait notamment les noms de sept hauts
responsables croates désignés par le parquet comme ayant fait partie de la
même entreprise criminelle que les trois accusés. A travers ce document, le
procureur répondait à la demande des juges que soit précisé et élargi le
cercle des personnes présumées avoir participé à cette entreprise
criminelle commune. Les sept personnes nommées par le procureur comprennent
trois anciens ministres ou secrétaire d'Etat, un ancien chef de la
gendarmerie et trois anciens commandants militaires (dont deux,
publiquement inculpés par le TPIY, ont été transférés pour être jugés en
Croatie).
La raison donnée dans ce document par le procureur pour justifier sa mise
sous scellés se fonde sur le fait que, dans certains pays, les noms de
complices non formellement mis en accusation ne doivent pas, en général,
figurer dans un acte d'accusation public. Le procureur note bien que cette
pratique n'a jamais prévalu devant le TPIY et devant les autres tribunaux
internationaux. En outre, il indique que, même s'il n'y aura plus de
nouvelle mise en accusation par le TPIY, les noms de ces sept personnes
seront sans doute évoqués au cours du procès.
Le 28 mai, le contenu de ce document a été révélé par la chaîne de
télévision croate HRT, avant que l'information ne soit reprise par d'autres
médias locaux, dont Jutarnji list, Vecernji list et l'agence de presse
Hina, selon des informations rapportées par l'agence Sense qui couvre en
permanence les travaux du TPIY.
A la suite de cette "fuite", l'une des équipes de défense a demandé à la
chambre de première instance de lever la mesure de confidentialité touchant
ce document. Le 31 mai, la chambre a accédé à cette demande. Ce document
est donc désormais officiellement dans le domaine public.
Mais le 31 mai, lors d'une conférence de presse, le porte-parole des
chambres et du greffe du TPIY, Refik Hodzic, a déclaré, selon le résumé
officiel publié sur le site du Tribunal, que "si un document confidentiel
avait été divulgué dans les médias, cela constituerait une violation de la
confidentialité du document et pourrait avoir des conséquences pour ses
responsables". Il a précisé que cela pourrait constituer "un outrage au
Tribunal". Puis, le communiqué officiel précise: "Il y a eu une très
étrange interprétation au sein des médias selon laquelle il serait de bonne
guerre de publier un document déposé confidentiellement avant qu'une
chambre de première instance n'ait décidé de lever le secret. Publier un
document sous scellés constitue une violation du règlement du Tribunal et
il n'y a pas deux façons de voir cela", a déclaré Hodzic. Le lendemain, les
juges ont ordonné l'ouverture d'une enquête qui fait ainsi peser la menace
de poursuites pour "outrage au tribunal" contre au moins la télévision HRT.
Pour tout renseignement complémentaire, veuillez contacter Elsa Vidal, RSF,
5, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tél: +33 1 44 83 84 67, téléc:
+33 1 45 23 11 51, courrier électronique: europe@rsf.org, Internet:
http://www.rsf.org
RSF est responsable de toute information contenue dans cette alerte. En
citant cette information, prière de bien vouloir l'attribuer à RSF.
_______________________________________________________________
DIFFUSÉ(E) PAR LE SECRÉTARIAT DU RÉSEAU IFEX,
L'ÉCHANGE INTERNATIONAL DE LA LIBERTÉ D'EXPRESSION
555, rue Richmond Ouest, Bureau 1101, B.P. 407
Toronto (Ontario) M5V 3B1 Canada
tél: +1 416 515 9622 téléc: +1 416 515 7879
courrier électronique: alerts@ifex.org boîte générale: ifex@ifex.org
site Internet: http://www.ifex.org/
_______________________________________________________________
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ALERT - SRI LANKA
21 June 2007
Government orders local Internet service providers to block "Tamilnet" news
website
SOURCE: Free Media Movement (FMM), Colombo
**For further information on the Dharmaratnam case, see IFEX alerts of 28
April 2006, 17 June, 13 May, 29 and 28 April 2005**
(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 20 June 2007 FMM press release:
Clamping down on the Internet: The ban on "Tamilnet" in Sri Lanka
20 June 2007, Colombo, Sri Lanka - The FMM is deeply disturbed to learn
that "Tamilnet" - http://www.tamilnet.com - a Tamil news website, is now
being blocked by all major Internet service providers (ISPs) in Sri Lanka
on orders of the government.
This is a significant turn in the erosion of media freedom in Sri Lanka and
clearly demonstrates the extent to which media is censored and the free
flow of information curtailed, without any accountability, transparency or
judicial oversight.
"Tamilnet" is one of most widely visited and well-known news websites in
Sri Lanka. Hosted abroad, the website is frequented by journalists from all
ethnicities, civil society and the donor and diplomatic communities as well
as the diaspora for situation updates, analyses and feature articles. It
was popularised from relative obscurity by the late Tamil journalist
Sivaram Dharmaratnam who, up until his murder in April 2005, was its
editor. Though widely considered to be biased towards the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), "Tamilnet" offers alternative perspectives, insight
and information not often featured on other websites and in mainstream
print and electronic media in Sri Lanka.
The ban on "Tamilnet" is the first instance of what the FMM believes may
soon be a slippery slope of Internet censorship in Sri Lanka. It is also a
regrettable yet revealing extension of this Government's threats against,
and coercion of, print and electronic media in Sri Lanka since assuming
office in late 2005. The ban damningly occurs at a time when ****the [vs:
an]**** International Mission on Press Freedom and the Freedom of
Expression is in Sri Lanka to ascertain and alert stakeholders to the
chilling decline in media freedom, violence against journalists and an
unbridled culture of impunity.
The FMM stresses that the danger of censoring the Internet is that it gives
a government and state agencies with no demonstrable track record of
protecting and strengthening human rights and media freedom flimsy grounds
to violate privacy, curtail the free flow of information and restrict
freedom of expression - thus adding a heavy price in terms of diminished
civil liberties to the high toll exacted by terrorism itself. The action by
the Sri Lankan Government also contravenes established best practices in
the free flow of information on the Internet and internationally recognised
principles of freedom of expression on the web. In particular, the ban goes
against the declaration by Reporters Without Borders and the OSCE on
freedom of the media in 2005, that states, inter alia:
"2. In a democratic and open society it is up to the citizens to decide
what they wish to access and view on the Internet. Filtering or rating of
online content by governments is unacceptable . . . Any policy of
filtering, be it at a national or local level, conflicts with the principle
of free flow of information.
"4. . . . A decision on whether a website is legal or illegal can only be
taken by a judge, not by a service provider. Such proceedings should
guarantee transparency, accountability and the right to appeal."
Blocking access to media and restricting information are characteristic of
the reprehensible strategies adopted by terrorists. The FMM is gravely
concerned that the Sri Lankan government, in adopting the same tactics and
strategies, severely undermines media freedom and freedom of expression,
and calls upon it and relevant state authorities to immediately rescind the
orders to block the access to "Tamilnet".
For further information, contact S. Sivakumar, spokesperson, tel: +94 777
315 665, or the Free Media Movement, 237/22, Wijeya Kumaratunga Road,
Colombo 05, Sri Lanka, tel: +94 777 312 457, +94 11 257 3439, fax: +94 11
471 4460, e-mail: fmm@sltnet.lk, Internet: http://www.freemediasrilanka.org
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of FMM.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit FMM.
_________________________________________________________________
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