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Arrest of Ingush news website owner was ‘illegal’, says court

November 17th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted by Caoimh McCarthy in Journalism, Press freedom and ethics

A court in Nazran, the old capital of the Russian republic of Ingushetia, has declared the arrest of opposition website owner, Magomed Yevloyev, as illegal, according to the Yevloyev family lawyer Mussa Pliyev.

Yevloyev, the owner of Ingush Independent news website Ingushetiyra.ru, was shot dead in police custody on August 31 2008.

The court’s declaration was reported on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

“This is a first step towards recognising the political nature of the behaviour of the Ingush security forces in this case. We hope that a thorough and impartial investigation will soon be carried out into the exact circumstances of Yevloyev’s death,” said the RSF statement.

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RSF: Malaysian blogger finally released

November 10th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted by Judith Townend in Editors' pick
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is hailing the release of online journalist Raja Petra Kamaruddin, the founder and editor of the Malaysia Today. Also known as 'RPK,' Kamaruddin had been detained since September 12, under section 8 of the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows detention without trial for two years. Full story...

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RSF: Why Reporters Without Borders does not support the Global Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy for ICT companies

October 29th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Editors' pick
After participating in the discussions for almost two years, Reporters Without Borders withdrew from discussions on the Global Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy for ICT companies. Here they explain why. Full story...

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RSF: Reminder that Anna Politkovskaya’s ‘alleged killer and instigators of murder’ still at large

October 7th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Editors' pick
On the second anniversary of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, Reporters Without Borders call on the international community to launch 'a new call for justice.' Full story...

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RSF: Co-founder of Reporters Without Borders resigns from post

September 29th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Editors' pick
Robert Manard has stood down as secretary-general for Reporters Without Borders, and will be replaced by the organisation's head of research, Jean-Francois Julliard. Full story...

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RSF: Burmese journalist U Win Tin has been released after 19 years in prison

September 24th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Editors' pick
Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association are celebrating the release of the Burmese journalist U Win Tin after 19 years in detention. Full story...

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RSF is calling for EU ministers to further protect journalists in exile

September 8th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted by Judith Townend in Journalism, Press freedom and ethics

Today saw the start of the ‘Building a Europe of Asylum’ ministerial conference in Paris, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have used the opportunity to ask the 27 ministers responsible for asylum policy to do more to protect the dozens of journalists and free speech activists who are forced into exile each year.

“The current situation is dramatic and most journalists seeking asylum - who mainly come from Eritrea, Iran, Iraq or Sri Lanka - have difficulty finding refuge,” the letter says. “The long waits in the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the almost systematic refusal of western embassies to grant them visas force the great majority to risk their lives by resorting to illegal immigration methods.

“For this reason, there is an urgent need not only to recognise the refugee status of journalists in your country seeking asylum but also to facilitate procedures for protected entry and emergency resettlement.”

The two-day conference begins today.

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Malaysian court orders newspaper to reveal online commenters

August 15th, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted by Laura Oliver in Legal, Newspapers

A court in Kuala Lumpur has ordered the editor of Malaysian online newspaper Malaysia Today to reveal the identity of commenters, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has reported.

Editor Raja Petra Kamarudin has also been told to remove three articles after libel proceedings were brought against him by lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Abdullah is suing the editor over the articles and comments, which claimed he was responsible for ‘trumped up charges’ in a recent lawsuit against a politician in the country.

RSF has condemned the court order and has called for its withdrawal.

“The court order is invalid as it is only effective in Malaysia and Malaysia Today is hosted on a server in the United States. This should be taken up with a US court,” the organisation said.

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Video: ITV correspondent John Ray arrested covering Beijing Olympics

August 13th, 2008 | 5 Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Press freedom and ethics

ITV correspondent John Ray has been arrested by officials in Beijing, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports.

Ray was covering a pro-Tibet protest near the main Olympic site and was arrested despite identifying himself as a journalist.

The YouTube video below shows Ray in a police van reasoning with police officers before being driven away.

The camera still rolling, Ray repeatedly shouts ‘I’m a journalist’. “This is press freedom,” he says.

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Chinese officials told to influence online news coverage of games, says RSF

March 31st, 2008 | No Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Online Journalism

Chinese government officials have been told to ‘orientate online opinion’ in the build up to and during this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, press freedom campaign group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said.

According to RSF a confidential memo seen by the group ‘confirms that the authorities have an active policy towards online information content’.

In the memo, guidelines on how government officials should behave towards foreign media before and during the games are set out.

The instructions, which are intended for provincial officials in the country, asks recipients to “reinforce the work of commenting on the Internet and increase the level of opinion orientation on the Internet.”

“There is a need to reinforce management of news websites and to guarantee appropriate opinion behaviour as regards online news and information,” the memo states.

In a press statement, RSF said the plan contained some positive features, such as instructions on training officials and holding news conferences for foreign journalists, but contained ’serious obstructions to the free flow of news and information’.

“While introducing more flexible rules for foreign journalists in January 2007, the Chinese authorities also established a nationwide policy for supervising and influencing the international media,” said RSF.

“Parts of this classified memo show there is a real concern to provide better information to foreign journalists, but it also reveals that the authorities never abandoned their intention to censor the news.”

Full details of the memo can be viewed on the RSF Asia website.

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