People take part in a rally for women’s rights and protection, after a young woman kidnapped for marriage was found dead, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 8 April 2021, VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP via Getty Images April 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.
April reminded us that “strongmen” are the wrong men if you want a free press and vibrant civil society. The month saw sweeping powers handed to the president in Kyrgyzstan, independent journalists threatened by legislation in Belarus and Kazakhstan, and civil society and the press targeted in Russia. But April also saw writer Ahmet Altan released in Turkey.
3 May is World Press Freedom Day. This is part of a series of IPS features and opinion editorials focused on media freedom globally.
NEW DELHI, India, Apr 30 2021 (IPS) - Every time a woman journalist receives threats of physical and sexual violence, cyber attacks and surveillence, doxxing, public humiliation, damage to her professional & personal credibility, the driving forces behind these intents are deeply rooted misogyny, sexism and abuse of power.
These online offenses are often organized, coordinated or orchestrated, which could include State-sponsored ‘sock puppet networks’, acts of patriotic trolling, networked gaslighting or involves mobs who seed hate campaigns.
According to a report published by The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and UNESCO, vicious online violence seeks to silence women journalists and discredit their reporting has become a growing problem. “Because of their race, sexual orientation and religion, some women face even more frequent
Repressive Laws Trigger Massive Press Freedom Decline for Malaysia
Voice of America
01 May 2021, 07:05 GMT+10
For the past few years Malaysia had been making great strides in press freedom. Under its first democratically elected government for decades, repressive laws were repealed, giving the country s media more space to do their job.
But the unexpected resignation by Prime Minister Mathathir Mohamad last year triggered the collapse of the coalition government, and the king named a new prime minister, without holding elections.
Since the new leader, Muhyiddin Yassin, was sworn in on March 1, 2020, press freedom has come under attack, with the government relying on pre-existing laws, and a new anti-fake news decree targeting journalists, media experts say.
WITH World Press Freedom Day around the corner, we are offered with, if nothing else, a delicious excuse to delve into the recent past and make some sort of an assessment, however vague, of where we truly stand are the gatekeepers of our information free and independent and pluralistic, or are they controlled and gagged, and thus, perpetually afraid of what they may say, of the unspoken yet vivid lines they may cross, so much so, that rather than declaring the truth, as is their right and duty, they are compelled to whisper it, in riddles and rhymes.
A very useful point of reference is the EU Election Observer Mission’s final report on the 2018 general election, which noted that although our media appeared both “vibrant” and “free”, its “editorial policies were carefully calibrated to downplay issues relating to the army, state security structures and the judiciary”. In addition, it detected “concerted efforts to stifle the reporting environment”, and concluded t
Repressive Laws Trigger Massive Press Freedom Decline for Malaysia pakistantelegraph.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pakistantelegraph.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.