28 Nov 2016 | Index in the Press
A group of data experts have attacked the provisions for data sharing in the UK digital economy bill ahead of its report stage and third reading in the House of Parliament today.
In a letter to The Telegraph on Friday experts warned of their concerns on information sharing. Read the full article
28 Nov 2016 | Index in the Press
Journalists are facing an “unprecedented” wave of attacks around the world with increased hostility to the media leading to assaults on individuals as well as press freedom, according to a new report.
A series of crackdowns on media workers and news outlets in Europe as well as elsewhere has confirmed 2016 as one of the most dangerous times to be a journalist, according to the latest figures compiled by Index on Censorship. Read the full article
28 Nov 2016 | Bahrain, Bahrain Letters, Campaigns, Campaigns -- Featured
On 29 November Faisal Hayyat was sentenced to 3 months in prison
To: Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
King of Bahrain
CC :
Hon. Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein
High Commissioner for Human Rights
Mr. John F. Kerry
United States Secretary of State
Frederica Mogherini
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
The Right Honorable Boris Johnson
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
King Hamad,
We, the undersigned, express our deep concern with the Government of Bahrain’s campaign targeting journalists and activists exercising their right to free expression. On 9 October 2016, the Public Prosecution charged Faisal Hayyat, a sports journalist and social media activist, with insulting a sect and a religious figure. The government’s repeated harassment of Faisal and other online activists demonstrate the ongoing criminalization of free expression in Bahrain.
Faisal Hayyat is a renowned journalist and has appeared on various sports channels and has written for local Bahraini newspapers, Alalam, Albilad, and Akhbar Al Khaleej. He directs and presents short video programs online that provide critical perspectives on local politics.
Bahraini officials previously arrested Faisal in April 2011 for his involvement in the 2011 pro-democracy protests. The Bahraini security forces detained him for 84 days. During his detainment, authorities subjected Faisal to physical and psychological torture, including sexual harassment and degrading treatment. He has been vocal about this and recently published a letter on social media to the Bahraini Minister of Interior detailing the torture to which the government had subjected him. Government authorities never provided compensation for the abuse and never held any officials accountable. In the letter Faisal mentions, “I write this and I know it may cost me my freedom.”
On 7 October, Faisal published tweets commenting on events from early Islamic history. Two days later, Faisal was arrested and charged with “insulting a sect.” The government is therefore treating Faisal Hayyat’s opinion on events of Islamic history as a criminal liability. The government’s decision to prosecute him infringes both his freedom of expression and religion.
The undersigned NGOs believe Faisal has been targeted as part of a silencing campaign against critical voices of the government. Recently, the Bahraini government has brought further criminal charges against human rights defender Nabeel Rajab for an open letter published in the New York Times, and against political opposition leader Ebrahim Sharif for an interview he gave with the Associated Press. Furthermore, the opposition politician Fedhel Abbas received three years in prison for tweets criticizing the war in Yemen.
We, therefore, call on the authorities to respect Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which mandates that “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression.” The Bahraini government must also respect Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which mandates that “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 frontier.”
As organisations concerned with the right to freedom of expression, we call on the Government of Bahrain to:
■ Immediately and unconditionally release Faisal Hayyat, Nabeel Rajab, and all internet users arrested and imprisoned for merely exercising their right to freedom of expression; and
■ Abide by international human rights standards, including the ICCPR and UDHR, by upholding the right to freedom of expression without any restrictions.
Signed,
Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain
Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Afghanistan Journalists Center
Africa Freedom of Information Centre
Albanian Media Institute
ARTICLE 19
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Bytes for All
Cambodian Center for Human Rights
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Center for Independent Journalism – Romania
Centre for Independent Journalism – Malaysia
Freedom Forum
Freedom House
Free Media Movement
Gulf Centre for Human Rights
Human Rights Network for Journalists – Uganda
Hungarian Civil Liberties Union
Independent Journalism Center – Moldova
Index on Censorship
Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety
Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of Information
International Federation of Journalists
International Press Centre
International Press Institute
Maharat Foundation
MARCH
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Media Institute of Southern Africa
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms – MADA
PEN American Center
PEN International
Reporters Without Borders
Social Media Exchange – SMEX
South East European Network for Professionalization of Media
Vigilance pour la Démocratie et l’État Civique
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters – AMARC
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers
Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
Bahrain Press Association (BPA)
Burundi Child Rights Coalition
English PEN
European – Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights (EBOHR)
European Center for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
Salam for Democracy and Human Rights
Union de Jeunes pour la Paix et le Developpement
25 Nov 2016 | Asia and Pacific, Malaysia
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Update: Since this article was published, Zunar has been arrested on charges of sedition.
Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, aka Zunar, a Malaysian political cartoonist, continues to face harassment from the government and its supporters due to his work.
His cartoons and books have previously been banned and confiscated for being allegedly “detrimental to public order”, he is to stand trial on nine charges of sedition in January, which carries a 34-year sentence if he is convicted, and he is currently banned from leaving the country.
Earlier today a mob of 30 people – who he called “pro-government thugs” – surrounded him at the opening of his new exhibition of satirical cartoons, threatened him and damaged some of his artwork.
“They were very hostile for the first 20 minutes because I was alone with friends,” Zunar told Index. “They pulled my shirt and threw a punch at me, but people came and rescued me.”
As the situation became more unmanageable, police were called in, followed by riot police, to contain the mob. No arrests were made.
“I was very scared but I stayed calm – I didn’t react,” Zunar added.
The exhibition had only been open for a few hours before being forced to close. Zunar has taken the decision to close the exhibition permanently due to safety concerns and told Index he will seek more secure locations for future exhibitions.
Such attacks are becoming more common in Malaysia, as being in opposition to the government becomes ever-more difficult. Last week a similar crowd interrupted a speech by the opposition MP on Khalid Samad on the grounds of the county’s Parliament.
Last Friday, on the eve of a massive Bersih protest in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, the activist Maria Chin Abdullah was arrested, prompting many thousands of people to take to the streets in yellow t-shirts to demand her release.
Protesters are also calling for free and fair elections and for the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak to resign.
“The Malaysian government is now a minority government, with the ruling party only receiving about 47% of the popular vote,” Zunar explained. “So the Malaysian government will now do anything they can to ensure they remain in power, including fostering and supporting this kind of chaos and attack pro-democracy activists.”
Talking about his upcoming trial – which was due to take place back in November 2015 – Zunar said: “I don’t put any hope in the system. I would like to highlight again that this is politically motivated. It’s not about the strength of the evidence against me, it’s not about how good the witnesses are, in Malysia it depends on the judges. And if we are lucky enough we will find one or two independent judges – that is the best we can hope for.”
Zunar is more than willing to stand trial, however, to highlight the abuses of freedom and democracy in Malaysia for all the world to see.
In the meantime, as ever, he will continue to draw.
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