Honoring defenders of freedom of expression

News

January 27, 2023

Honoring defenders of freedom of expression

On April 17, Russian journalist and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison. His crime? Criticizing the Russian government’s brutal war against Ukraine.

Journalists in Iran, many of them women, have been arrested simply for covering demonstrations involving many parts of Iranian society — from teachers and workers’ unions to lawyers and students.

Recent arrests in Russia and Iran highlight authoritarian regimes’ continuing crackdown on freedom of expression. Freedom of expression has declined globally for 17 consecutive years, according to the Washington-based advocacy group Freedom House’s 2023 Freedom in the World report.

“While free expression does not guarantee democracy, its absence enables authoritarianism,” Freedom House’s Yana Gorokhovskaia said, announcing the report’s release March 9. “But criminal prosecution of journalists, extrajudicial violence, censorship, and laws that limit the independence of media are increasing all over the world.”

The United Nations celebrates World Press Freedom Day May 3 to remind governments to respect freedom of expression, which the U.N. calls “a driver for all other human rights.”

Freedom House will honor Kara-Murza and the women of Iran during a May 9 award ceremony for champions of democracy. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will speak at the event.

Russian authorities arrested Kara-Murza in April 2022, not long after he’d given speeches and interviews in Russia and abroad denouncing the Russian government’s war against Ukraine.

“The Kremlin’s preposterous charges against Vladimir Kara-Murza — ‘disseminating false information’ about the brutal war in Ukraine — is yet another cynical attempt to silence those who speak the truth,” Blinken said, calling for Kara-Murza’s release in April 2022.

Blinken has praised the courage of the people of Iran, who launched widespread protests in September 2022 after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini in police custody. Amini had been arrested for allegedly not adhering to mandatory veiling laws.

Niloofar Hamedi and fellow journalist Elaheh Mohammadi, two of the journalists who first reported Amini’s death, were later arrested in the government’s crackdown on demonstrations. “Security forces have deliberately gone after women journalists and jailed them at a rapidly increasing rate,” Britt Gronemeyer of the Washington-based Atlantic Council said in an April op-ed.

Since the Iranian regime began its brutal crackdown on protests in September of last year, the United States has sanctioned numerous government officials responsible for human rights violations. The sanctions have been imposed in close coordination with partners including the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union and Australia.

In its Freedom in the World report, issued annually since 1973, Freedom House says the desire for freedom is universal and people will continue to challenge authoritarian regimes.

“Recent events in Iran are another reminder that millions of people are willing to call for democracy and defend their rights even at great personal risk,” the 2023 report says.

Source: ShareAmerica

OSCE Media Freedom Representative condemns Russia’s decision to outlaw independent news outlet Meduza

News

January 27, 2023

OSCE Media Freedom Representative condemns Russia's decision to outlaw independent news outlet Meduza

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, denounced today the Russian authoritiesu2019 decision to outlaw one of the most popular Russian-language news portals, Meduza.

On 26 January, the Prosecutor Generalu2019s Office in Russia outlawed Meduza after declaring the media outlet an u201cundesirable organizationu201d based on claims that the outletu2019s activities pose a threat to the foundations of Russiau2019s constitutional order and security.

Under Russian legislation, an u2018undesirable organizationu2019 is effectively banned from operating in Russian territory under threat of criminal and administrative prosecution. The legislation also broadly extends to alleged affiliation with and providing support to such an organization.

u201cThe outlawing of Meduza shows yet again that the Russian authorities disregard international principles and the OSCEu2019s media freedom commitments, as well as continue to isolate Russian citizens from independent information. I call on the authorities to repeal this decision and stop intimidation and harassment of media,u201d Ribeiro said.

Moreover, Ribeiro expressed concern about Russiau2019s earlier, similar outlawing of investigative media portals u2014 Proekt, Istories, The Insider and Bellingcat u2014 as well as the continued mass designation of media outlets and journalists as u201cforeign agentsu201d.

As early as 2015, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media warned about Russiau2019s legislation related to u2018undesirable organizationsu2019 and its negative effects on freedom of expression, media freedom and pluralism of opinions.

 

Source: OSCE

Russia’s Leading Dissident Is Serving 25 Years in Prison. Now, His Wife Is Taking Up the Fight

News

May 3, 2023

Russia Drops to Bottom 20 of World Press Freedom Index

Russia has continued to see a precipitous decline in press freedom as the countryu2019s military campaign in Ukraine entered its second year, according to the annual press freedom rankingsu00a0publishedu00a0by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) onu00a0Wednesday.

Russia placed 164th out of the 180 countries surveyed in the ranking, a nine-point drop from last year amid what RSF called a u201cfinal purgeu201d of the media landscape enabled by the war in Ukraine.u00a0

u201cSystemic censorship and the forced exodus of independent Russian and foreign media outlets have freed up space for the dissemination of coordinated propaganda by pro-government media,u201d RSF said.

Russiau2019s propaganda apparatus was swiftly imposed on the Ukrainian territories seized by Russian forces in the invasion, RSF said, adding that in doing so Ukrainian media had been replaced, independent TV channels had been jammed and local journalists had been hunted down.

The Paris-based nonprofit highlighted the u201crecord timeu201d in which Russia managed to establish its media arsenal in occupied Ukraine while banning, blocking, or labeling domestic independent media as u201cforeign agents.u201d

RSF compiles its annual press freedom rankings based on how easy it is to disseminate information independently without the threat of violence.

u00a0

Source: The Moscow Times

Top US newspapers call for Evan Gershkovich’s release in Russia

News

January 27, 2023

Top US newspapers call for Evan Gershkovich’s release in Russia

The New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have released a joint letter calling for the release of Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia since late March, stressing that he is being detained solely for doing his job as a reporter.

The letter, which appeared in three major newspapers on Thursday and was signed by the top editors and executives of the publications, is the latest show of support from fellow journalists to Gershkovich who was arrested on spying charges while reporting for the Wall Street Journal.

“As editors and publishers of some of America’s largest news organizations, we are united in calling for his immediate release. Reporting is not a crime,” the letter reads.

“Over the past month, we have watched our industry not only rally around Evan but stand up for journalism and the importance of a free press. We also encourage support from the US government, including President [Joe] Biden and the White House.”

Earlier this month, the Department of State formally designated Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained”, and the Biden administration had dismissed the charges against him as “ridiculous” early on.

Russia’s foreign ministry announced on Thursday that it rejected a US request for a consular visit to Gershkovich in retaliation to Washington’s denying visa requests for Russian journalists who had planned to accompany Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on a trip to the United Nations.

“The US Embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to US citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on May 11 was declined,” the ministry statement said. “Other possible retaliatory measures, about which the US side will be duly notified, are being considered.”

Washington previously accused Moscow of violating international law by denying US officials access to the Wall Street Journal journalist.

On April 17, US Ambassador Lynne Tracy visited Gershkovich for the first time and said he was “in good health and remains strong”.

Last week, a Russian court rejected Gershkovich’s detention appeal and denied him bail.

Advocates have said Gershkovich’s arrest is part of Russia’s broader crackdown on media outlets as it pushes forward with the invasion of Ukraine.

“Evan’s case is the latest in a disturbing trend where journalists are harassed, arrested or worse for reporting the news,” the three US newspapers said in their letter on Thursday.

“Evan is a distinguished journalist whose coverage has provided an important window into one of the world’s most isolated countries; his detention is a loss not just for our individual publications but for the people of Russia and society at large.”

Still, Russian officials claim that Gershkovich was “caught red-handed and violated the laws of the Russian Federation”. They have not presented evidence to back the charges.

Earlier this month, Biden described Gershkovich’s detention as “totally illegal” and phoned his family.

The reporter is now one of two US citizens who Washington says are “wrongfully detained” by Moscow. Paul Whelan, a US Marine veteran, was previously sentenced to 16 years in 2020 on espionage charges that Washington has said are false.

Late last year, Russia released US basketball player Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap that did not include Whelan. Griner was detained on drug charges days before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Washington has vowed to continue to push for the release of both Whelan and Gershkovich from Russia.

On Thursday, the State Department announced sanctions against Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO) for what it said was involvement in the wrongful detention of American citizens.

“Russia’s and Iran’s continued pattern of wrongfully detaining US nationals is unacceptable,” the State Department said in a statement. “The United States will never stop working to secure the release of U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage and reunite them with their loved ones.”

 

Source: Al Jazeera