13 Nov 2011 | News and features
MURDERED 13 NOVEMBER 2008
José Armando Rodríguez Carreón, Reporter, “El Diario de Ciudad Juárez” — Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
Join us in demanding justice for crime reporter José Armando Rodríguez Carreón, 40, who was shot at least eight times in a company-owned car parked inside his garage on 13 November 2008. His 8-year-old daughter, who was in the backseat, was uninjured. Rodríguez had recently written an article accusing the local prosecutor’s nephew of having links to drug traffickers. Earlier that year, as a result of threats to “tone it down,” Rodríguez was temporarily transferred to El Paso, Texas, for his safety. But on his return he insisted on resuming work without any special protection. He said, “The risks here are high and rising, and journalists are easy targets. But I can’t live in my house like a prisoner. I refuse to live in fear.”
In July 2009, the lead investigator on Rodriguez’s murder was shot to death. Less than a month later, his replacement was also murdered. Not one of the three cases has been solved. Drug-related violence has reportedly killed more than 35,000 in Mexico since the government launched an armed offensive against drug cartels five years ago. And as reported often by IFEX members, more journalists have been killed in Mexico than anywhere else in Latin America
International Day to End Impunity is on 23 November. Until that date, we will reveal a story each day of a journalist, writer or free expression advocate who was killed in the line of duty.
12 Nov 2011 | News and features
MURDERED 12 NOVEMBER 2004
Gene Boyd Lumawag Photo Editor, MindaNews news service — Jolo, Philippines
Join us in demanding justice for Gene Boyd Lumawag, shot in the head and killed instantly by an unidentified gunman in Jolo, Sulu, on 12 November 2004. Lumawag was preparing a story on good governance in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
The exact motive for Lumawag’s murder was unclear. Army investigators and the head of the local anti-terrorism unit said they suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic separatist group linked to al-Qaeda that has made headlines in recent years with high-profile kidnappings for ransom. In late 2004, charges were filed against members of Abu Sayyaf, but the case remains unsolved. Military officials claimed that the suspects were killed in one of their operations against Abu Sayyaf.
Take Action: Write a letter demanding justice for Gene Boyd Lumawag
International Day to End Impunity is on 23 November. Until that date, we will reveal a story each day of a journalist, writer or free expression advocate who was killed in the line of duty.
11 Nov 2011 | Uncategorized
A father of three from Nuneaton, UK, appeared in the High Court yesterday to face libel allegations over a book review he wrote on Amazon.
Vaughan Jones, 28, appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice yesterday for a hearing to defend himself against the libel suit from online entrepreneur Chris McGrath.
McGrath, author of “The Attempted Murder of God: Hidden Science You Really Need to Know,” undertook libel action against Jones, after he published a review of the book on Amazon, and comments regarding the book and Mr McGrath himself on Richard Dawkins’s website during September and October 2010. Jones also outed McGrath as the author of the book, which had been written under the pseudonym “Scrooby”.
McGrath is not only suing Jones for his allegedly defamatory comments, but Amazon, Richard Dawkins himself, and the Richard Dawkins Foundation.
Presided over by His Honour Judge Maloney QC, Jones was joined by legal representation for Amazon and the Richard Dawkins Foundation to ascertain if there is a case to answer.
Entrepreneur turned author McGrath believes that Amazon and the Richard Dawkins Foundation did not respond appropriately to the alleged defamatory statements on the respective websites, and thus they are also liable for a defamation suit.
John Kampfner, the Chief Executive of Index on Censorship, said: “That a family man from Nuneaton can face a potentially ruinous libel action for a book review on Amazon shows how archaic and expensive our libel law is.”
Kampfner added that the Libel Reform Campaign, which is underway with English Pen and Sense about Science, is hoping to commit to a bill in the next Queen’s speech to reform the chilling effect libel has on freedom of speech.
The hearing continues today
11 Nov 2011 | News and features
MURDERED 11th NOVEMBER 2001
Johanne Sutton, Reporter, Radio France International
Pierre Billaud, Journalist, Radio Television Luxembourg
Volker Handloik, Freelance Reporter, “Stern” magazine Taloqan, Afghanistan
Join us in demanding justice for Johanne Sutton, Pierre Billaud and Volker Handloik, the first media casualties claimed by the U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan on 11 November 2001. They were reporting on front-line fighting in northeastern Afghanistan when the Taliban fired upon their armoured personnel carrier.
In Afghanistan, journalists are sometimes caught in the crossfire. But ARTICLE 19 says that over the past five years, the leading cause of death among journalists in warzones has become murder, and that impunity is a primary concern. The Afghan organisation Nai says that 22 journalists have been killed (including six women) and another 23 kidnapped in the decade-long war. Around the world, domestic, regional or international jurisdiction, including the Geneva Conventions, has been largely ineffective in bringing justice or accountability to journalists – a situation leading ARTICLE 19 and many others to call for far greater implementation of a government’s responsibility to protect journalists.
International Day to End Impunity is on 23 November. Until that date, we will reveal a story each day of a journalist, writer or free expression advocate who was killed in the line of duty.
