June 2021 in Africa: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Reyhana Masters, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Behind the eSwatini protests
The protests and violence rocking the kingdom of eSwatini reflect the years of frustration and pent-up anger of citizens, weary of King Mswati III and his government’s total disregard for their concerns. The government’s disproportionate clampdown — under the shadow of an internet shutdown — with dozens killed and many others tortured, detained, or abducted, as reported by Amnesty International, is par for the course. As is the non-appearance of the King.
June 2021 in the Middle East and North Africa: A free expression roundup produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Naseem Tarawnah, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Egypt’s judiciary becomes a tool of state repression, Palestinian protesters targeted by ‘thugs’ and teargas, Iran’s new President signifies country’s impunity crisis, and the human rights community pays tribute to Emirati human rights defender Alaa Al-Siddiq:
Egypt: Judicial persecutions and weaponized terrorism laws
Attacks on independent media and civil society organizations continue unabated. Founding executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and prominent human rights defender Hossam Bahgat faces a third case being brought…
June 2021 in the Americas: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Paula Martins, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Justice in sight
21 years ago, Alex Silveira was taking photographs for his newspaper at a demonstration in the main avenue of the megalopolis of Sao Paulo, in Brazil. It was a large protest of teachers and civil servants asking for salary increases and better working conditions. As in so many other demonstrations in Brazil, protesters were peacefully marching down the business centre of the city, when the military police arrived to disperse them. Police brutality…
June 2021 in Asia-Pacific: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s regional editor Mong Palatino, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
The closure of a pro-democracy newspaper after it was raided by the police signals the demise of press freedom in Hong Kong. Pakistani media are alarmed over attacks targeting journalists. Several investigative journalists and Twitter were charged by Indian authorities over a viral video:
Raids, arrests, and a newspaper closure in Hong Kong
The month of June started with Hong Kong authorities banning any activity commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, and it ended with news about the closure of independent newspaper Apple Daily.
June 2021 in Europe and Central Asia: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Cathal Sheerin, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
June saw the Belarusian authorities crank up the pressure on independent journalists, Istanbul police attack LGBTQI+ people and journalists at a Pride march, and Hungary adopt legislation reminiscent of Russia’s so-called ‘gay propaganda’ law. But the month also saw important progress in the battle against impunity in Slovakia:
A black hole for media freedom
In Belarus, the month began with detained blogger and NEXTA editor Raman Pratasevich making two further apparently forced ‘confessions’, this time on state…
May 2021 in the Middle East and North Africa: A free expression roundup produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Naseem Tarawnah, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Israel and social media platforms censor Palestinian voices, impunity for killings spark outrage in Iraq, and campaigns of repression in Egypt and Saudi Arabia continue unabated:
Silencing Palestinian voices
Front line journalists and activists throughout the occupied territories faced attacks and arbitrary detentions by Israeli forces while covering Palestinian demonstrations in recent weeks. Thousands of Palestinian protesters living in the occupied territories and in Israeli towns and villages have also been met with…
May 2021 in Africa: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Reyhana Masters, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
On 3 May, the release of 30 balloons into Windhoek’s night sky by Gwen Lister — Namibia’s national champion of the 2021 UNESCO World Press Freedom Day conference — and Zoe Titus of the Namibia Media Trust, marked the unofficial finale of the global conference.
It also marked the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration in 1991, which paved the way for promotion of freedom of expression, envisioning a free, independent…
May 2021 in the Americas: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Paula Martins, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
A month of protests in the streets of Colombia
At least 42 people have died, according to the Public Defender’s Office. Thousands have been injured. Hundreds have been missing for days. The country has witnessed — live — repeated episodes of police brutality.
The protests in Colombia were triggered by a tax reform, but deeper structural problems seem to be driving the demonstrations. …
Be Safe, Not Silent. IFEX adopted this phrase in 2020 as a kind of touchstone, to help guide our work through the pandemic. It signals that we are doing all we can to stay safe, while pursuing our mission of upholding, defending, and exercising the right to freedom of expression. The In Our Own Words project is an example of this approach.
“How can we capture and leverage what we’ve learned so far? By documenting our experiences during COVID-19, and the activities of our respective civil society organizations, and looking at our own personal experiences, and sharing them.”
Malcolm Joseph…
May 2021 in Europe and Central Asia: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Cathal Sheerin, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Belarus dominated the news once again in May with high-profile raids on media outlets, mass arrests of journalists and the utterly outrageous state-hijacking of a commercial airliner. The month also saw Turkish authorities impose further restrictions on journalists reporting on police activities. In Russia, we saw further moves to squeeze civic space, but also partial justice for persecuted journalist Ivan Golunov:
“Criminal hijacking”
Even those of us who are used to reading about…
IFEX
IFEX is a global network of organisations that defend and promote the right to freedom of expression and information. Email: info@ifex.org
