IFEX headlines Jan 5

Vol. 20 No. 01 | 5 January 2011
Headlines

International: At least 44 journalists killed for their work in 2010, say IFEX members

Pakistan: Governor gunned down for opposing blasphemy law

Cambodia: New penal code used to trample on free expression

Indonesia: Editor found dead; journalists injured in office raid

Belarus: Journalists charged, police raids continue in post-election crackdown

International: IPI's top 10 press freedom stories of 2010

Events / Europe and Central Asia: UNESCO holds journalism ethics in Europe conference this month

Free Expression Spotlight

International: At least 44 journalists killed for their work in 2010, say IFEX members
Radio reporter and cable news presenter Henry Suazo was gunned down on 28 December in front of his home in La Masica, Honduras, for reasons not yet known, reports the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre). His murder - the 10th journalist to be killed in Honduras this year - confirms Honduras as one of 2010's deadliest countries for the press, alongside Pakistan, Mexico and Iraq. According to IFEX members, between 44 and 97 journalists and media workers were killed in 2010 in connection with their work or while on the job. Read more>>

Regional news

Pakistan: Governor gunned down for opposing blasphemy law
Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, was shot dead in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on 4 January by one of his own bodyguards who opposed reform of Pakistan's blasphemy law, report Freedom House and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Read more>>

Cambodia: New penal code used to trample on free expression
A Cambodian man who shared web articles with two of his colleagues was convicted on incitement charges and sentenced to six months in jail under a new penal code, reports Human Rights Watch, which called the use of the law "a huge step backward for free expression in Cambodia." Read more>>

Indonesia: Editor found dead; journalists injured in office raid
An editor on Kisar, one of the eastern Maluku Islands in Indonesia, was found dead with bruises on much of his body on 17 December, report local IFEX member the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In a separate incident, two journalists were injured when a group of members of the Kaili Youth Front (FPK) raided AJI's and Beritapalu.com's shared office in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on 30 December. Read more>>

Belarus: Journalists charged, police raids continue in post-election crackdown
Dozens of journalists arrested in a police crackdown on demonstrations that followed the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko last month remain in jail, some of whom could face 15 years in jail for organising public disorder, report IFEX members and the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ). Since the election, security forces have also raided the homes and offices of critical Belarusian journalists and confiscated equipment. Read more>>

Also in this issue

International: IPI's top 10 press freedom stories of 2010
The year 2010 ushered in a number of major setbacks for the media across the globe, says the International Press Institute (IPI), from the numerous journalists murdered in Pakistan and Honduras to the oppressive media laws passed in South Africa. But what did IPI consider to be the number one press freedom event of 2010? Read more>>

Events / Europe and Central Asia: UNESCO holds journalism ethics in Europe conference this month
To what extent is a newspaper editor responsible for information made available on the paper's website, such as videos, tweets or comments by readers? UNESCO is hosting a conference on "Journalism Ethics and Self-regulation in Europe: New Media, Old Dilemmas" on 27 January 2011 in Paris to answer this question and more. The challenges for media accountability in emerging democracies, and the opportunities and obstacles posed by the digital revolution, will also be on the agenda. Read more>>

The "IFEX Communiqué" is the weekly newsletter of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), a global network of 88 organisations working to defend and promote the right to free expression. The IFEX Clearing House is managed by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.
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