freedom of expression

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Press Release – IPC Condemns Continous Attack on Journalists by Security in Kogi House

The International Press Centre, Lagos-Nigeria condemns the continuous attack on journalists by security men at the Kogi state government house. According to reports from Punch Newspaper, “For the second time in one month, the Kogi state government house security men on Wednesday, 11th October allegedly brutalized Mr. Wale Odunsi, an editor with Daily Post (online publication) in an effort to honour the invitation of the online media team of the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, which is headed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, James Minister.” The Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade in a statement described the assault on journalists by security men attached to the Kogi state government house as a great concern to the press and all its stakeholders.   “Only three weeks ago, Mr. Segun Salami of Channels Television was reportedly beaten up, dragged on the floor and locked up in the government house cell. This calls for serious concern and attention by all concerned parties,” Arogundade said. IPC is therefore urging the Kogi state Governor and the State Commissioner of Police to immediately probe this growing trend of attack on journalists within the premises of the State house and take necessary actions against the erring security personnel, in order to forestall a re-occurrence. SGD: Melody Akinjiyan Program Assistant/Safety Desk Officer IPC melodyakinjiyan@ipcng.org +2348162206470

end impunity, Media News, News, Press Release

Celebrating IFEX at 25!

What happened at IFEX at 25?   Marking our 25th anniversary defending freedom of expression and information, we gathered in Montreal for the 2017 IFEX Strategy Conference. The focus was on our version of the ‘3 Rs’ – Rights, Resistance and Resilience. In other words, what our members fight for, the way they fight and how they endure the often relentless attacks on their work and organisations promoting our rights. But the conference was also about networks: the internet, collaborative working and friendship. More than 150 delegates from over 60 countries attended. Alongside IFEX members, there were representatives from civil society organisations, funding agencies, government and the media. All came to explore new ways that we can take on the complex, ever-evolving challenges to our right to free expression. Kicking off the conference, IFEX Executive Director Annie Game described the worsening situation for rights globally; she noted new trends in repression and spoke about dearly-missed IFEX members who had been prevented – by detention or travel ban – from attending our conference: “IFEX members who came to our meeting in Trinidad, who should be in this room with us today, are not here. We are witnessing increases in travel bans, the blocking of foreign funding, criminalization of dissent, online harassment, arrests, detainments and draconian legislation aimed at paralyzing civil society groups… and it is working. Some of our colleagues are in prison… some awaiting trial or living in exile and… others still, whose organisations are just hanging on by a thread. We know this because we campaign on their behalf, challenge laws that would infringe the right to freedom of expression and information and confront those who would violate these rights.” One of those missing IFEX members was the Bahraini human rights defender, Nabeel Rajab. The one-year anniversary of his detention coincided with our conference and, via video, his son Adam spoke movingly about IFEX’s campaign for his father. Other speakers included: fellow Bahraini human rights defender Nedal Al-Salman, who talked about her travel ban; Turkish-French journalist Erol Önderoğlu, who thanked IFEX for our support during his ongoing trial; and human rights defender Omar Rábago Vital, who focused our minds on the murdered journalists of Mexico. We also listened to inspiring speeches from rights activists about the fundamental importance of protest: Black Lives Matter’s DeRay Mckesson defined street demonstrations as “telling the truth in public”; Acción Ecológica’s Alexandra Almeida told us how her organisation used creativity and humour to resist the government of Ecuador’s “distorted narratives”; and indigenous activist Erica Violet Lee identified an old truth at the very centre of protest: “What will save us is our disobedience.” Our keynote speaker, the historian and free expression advocate Timothy Garton Ash, highlighted the double-edged nature of our growing digital inter-connectedness. Although a “fantastic gain for free speech,” he said, the internet had facilitated a new kind of threat to our right to free expression – a threat coming not just from governments, but from the “private superpowers of the net.” It was inevitable, then, that among the many dynamic workshops offered to members the role of the internet would play a huge part. So, alongside sessions on impunity, gender, fundraising and how to best use international mechanisms, there was also a series of vigorous group sessions in which we wrestled with issues such as surveillance, privacy, online smears, digital security, media literacy and, of course, the ubiquitous ‘fake news.’ These meetings were an opportunity for members to analyse current challenges to freedom of expression, debate strategies for confronting them and explore ideas for potential future collaborative work across the network. And we also made sure that our hardworking members had space and time to relax and unwind, talk to their colleagues and just have fun – as so many did at our Resist-Dance! By the end of our time together, the seeds of new, potential collaborations and friendships had been sown and 17 new organisations had been added to the IFEX network. In her closing remarks, Annie Game looked to the future, summing up who we are and why we do what we do: “In a way IFEX is the antithesis of the current global trend toward populism, racism, isolationism – our network is growing, diverse, respectful and connected as a global community of free expression advocates… who see the benefit of collaboration and the power of conviction. As I have taken to saying to the doubters… we work on rights… because we are right.” Rights. Resistance. Resilience. IFEX would like to thank the following donors for their generous support of our work:

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AFEX Calls for Immediate End to Impunity for Crimes against Journalists in Africa

July 5, 2017 The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), a network of African freedom of expression groups, has expressed serious concerns about the increased incidents of attacks against journalists, media practitioners and free expression advocates on the continent, and urged governments in the region to step up efforts to safeguard free speech online and offline. Members of AFEX lamented the deteriorating freedom of expression situation in Africa at the network’s 5th Annual General Meeting which was held in Montreal, Canada, on June 16, 2017, on the sidelines of the IFEX Strategy Conference and General Meeting. . AFEX deplored the increasing incidents of killings, physical attacks, arbitrary arrests and detentions, threats and harassment of journalists, media professionals and activists in Africa as a threat towards the enjoyment of free expression and the ultimate development of the continent. In particular, it condemned the abuse of public power and legal provisions by highly connected state and non-state actors to muzzle freedom of expression and stifle critical journalism for narrow personal and political gains. The Network noted that sadly, most of these violations perpetrated against journalists and activists are left unpunished due to the deep-seated culture of impunity and entitlement in the continent. In the past three years, several journalists have been killed with total impunity, a development which has had a chilling effect on the enjoyment of freedom of expression rights by African citizens. The killing of journalists is the surest way of silencing dissent or even intimidating journalists into self-censorship, thus further emboldening perpetrators of these heinous crimes to recommit such violent acts. It re-stated its “strong condemnation of all acts of violence meted to journalists and freedom of expression advocates in the region” and called on “governments in Africa to commit to ensuring that journalists carry out their legitimate duties freely without any intimidation whatsoever.” AFEX also condemned the use of “spurious charges” against journalists by state or non-state actors to counter dissent, which undermines and weakens democracy. The Network therefore called for the abolition of all criminal defamation laws and the decriminalization of press offenses by African countries that are yet to do so. It also expressed alarm over the increasing threats to freedom of expression online, including the practice of content filtering, restrictive cybercrime laws and even internet shutdowns. Accordingly, AFEX called on governments in Africa to respect their citizens’ right to share and access information through the Internet. On efforts being made at both regional and international level to promote freedom of expression rights both offline and online, AFEX welcomed the joint commitment by the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) – at the 12th African Union (AU) – European Union (EU) Human Rights Dialogue that took place on January 10, 2017 – to promote and protect freedom of expression and the right of access to information in the digital age. It also applauded the fact that both EU and AU have welcomed the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR’s) Resolution on the Right to Freedom of Information and Expression on the Internet in Africa, while emphasizing that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online. AFEX urged governments in countries that are heading to the polls in 2017 and beyond, to ensure that journalists are free to cover the electoral process freely, adding that “attacks on journalists and suppression of freedom of expression rights during elections undermine the democratic tenets of any country.” It gave its full support to the ongoing efforts by the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, Advocate Pansy Tlakula, to develop Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa, under the auspices of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, with a view to guaranteeing free and fair elections on the continent and the overall strengthening of democratic governance in Africa. At the end of their meeting, AFEX members paid tribute to media personnel, civil society activists and human rights defenders who have been put behind bars unjustly or even killed for standing for cherished democratic values and fundamental human rights. Regarding the growth of the network, AFEX welcomed the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) based in South Africa as a new member increasing AFEX membership from 12 to 13. The meeting congratulated a member of the AFEX Steering Committee, Mr Gilbert Sendwugwa, Executive Director of the African Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC), on his election to serve on the IFEX Council for the next two years during the IFEX General Meeting. — AFEX is a continental network of some of the leading freedom of expression organizations across East, West, Central and Southern Africa that are members of the Toronto-based global network IFEX. For more information about AFEX, please contact Felicia Anthonio info@africafex.org, or visit the AFEX website at www.africafex.org. Read more at: http://www.africafex.org/access-to-information/afex-calls-for-immediate-end-to-impunity-for-crimes-against-journalists-in-africa

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Media NGOs Call on the Nigerian Government to Ensure Enabling Environment for Media Practice

LAGOS, May 3, 2017: On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day 2017, a coalition of media advocacy organizations in Nigeria under the aegis of the Partnership for Media and Democracy in Nigeria (PAMED) is calling on the Federal Government to create an enabling environment for media practice in the country. PAMED, made up of the Institute for Media and Society (IMS), the International Press Centre (IPC), and Media Rights Agenda (MRA), noted that the legal and policy environment for the practice of journalism in Nigeria was not conducive, adding  that there is an urgent need to address the issue to ensure that journalists do not become  endangered species in Nigeria. Saying that it is worried at the abysmal state of media freedom in Nigeria, PAMED noted that Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans Frontières RSF), the Paris, France based freedom of expression organization  ranked Nigeria 122 out of 180 countries in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index released on April 16, 2017. PAMED described the situation as appalling, noting that the government’s nonchalant attitude to investigating attacks on journalists and bringing perpetrators to justice has fueled impunity by perpetrators since they are invariably never brought to justice. PAMED said from the murder of Dele Giwa on October 19, 1986 till date, no perpetrator in all the cases of journalists murdered in Nigeria has been apprehended, tried or brought to book as virtually all of them have gone free. Observing that the shooting to death at his residence of Mr. Famous Giobaro, a Desk Editor with the Bayelsa State owned Glory FM 97.1in the early hours of April 16, 2017 by unidentified gunmen, was the latest in a series of such incidents, it said that it was tragic that the perpetrators of this heinous act may also never be found or brought to justice. PAMED called on the government to make a public commitment to fully implement the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity to stem the ugly tide. It also called on the government to take decisive measures to combat impunity for crimes against journalists, including by strengthening UN mechanisms; cooperating with member States; partnering with other organizations and institutions; raising awareness; sensitizing and training security and law enforcement agencies to investigate cases; and fostering safety initiatives. For further information, please contact; Ayode Longe ayode@mediarightsagenda.org Signed: Dr. AkinAkingbulu Executive Director, Institute for Media and Society (IMS)   Lanre Arogundade Director, International Press Centre (IPC)   Edetaen Ojo Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda  

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IPC Calls For Halt to Harassment of Premium Times; Calls for Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Media Freedom

The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria has described the invasion of the premises of Premium Times in Abuja and the subsequent arrest of its Publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi and the judiciary correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu by armed police men on the night of January 19, 2017, as an unacceptable assault on freedom of the Press. Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said in a statement today (January 20, 2017), that the attack on Premium Times as well as the harassment of other journalistsin recent times are completely antithetical to democratic values and norms at the core of which are the rights to free speech and media freedom. “Any government that makes the Press its enemy, will invariably turn to be the enemy of the people as was recently the case in The Gambia where Yaya Jammeh was rejected by the people due to his constant attacks on the Press among other human rights violations”, the IPC Director warned. According to the IPC Director, the Police should not allow itself to be used to settle scores by vested interests, in this case the Army authorities,which have already made public its disagreement with Premium Times over certain publications by the media outlet pertaining to the office of the Chief of Army Staff. “The Police should however make public its reasons for the raid of Premium Times and the arrest of Olorunyomi and Okakwu if they believe that it is not connected with the dispute with the Army authorities”, he said further. Mr. Arogundade advised the Army authorities to seek legal redress or make use of the instrumentality of the media regulatory agencies, should they be convinced that there had been professional misconduct on the part of Premium Times and its editors. The IPC Director, said however that the organization welcomes the fact that the Police authorities promptly released the arrested Publisher and Reporter following public outcry. The IPC Director, also said that recent developments have made it imperative to have a national stakeholders’ dialogue involving media institutions, the security and law enforcement agencies, the media regulatory agencies etc, to discuss measures for safeguarding press freedom and the sustenance of democratic values. SGD: Melody Akinjiyan Safety Alert Desk Officer, IPC House 11, Dideolu Court, 2nd gate b/stop, Ogba Lagos Tel: +2348162206470  

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