16 Apr 20 | Awards, Fellowship, Fellowship 2020
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/CHeaC4lQRjI”][vc_column_text]OKO Press is the one of the first free investigative journalism and fact-checking websites in Poland.
They investigate and evaluate statements made by politicians, monitor public spending, and fight for access to public information. Their work also supports grassroots activism; crucial in an environment sliding further and further into authoritarianism and censorship.
OKO Press have paved the way for other news sources to follow suit. This has contributed to a safer and stronger public sphere, fighting for immunity from government propaganda.
The environment in which they work is becoming increasingly hostile. Political polarisation, lack of transparency, suspicion, threats and withholding of information are common. In the face of this, OKO Press shows resilience and determination.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are OKO.press. “Oko” means “eye” in Polish.
Since 2016, we keep an eye on what is happening in the EU and the world, but most importantly in Poland. Our country is going through a tough trial under the government of the populist right that invokes the worst nationalist traditions.
As journalists, we check whether those in power are not misleading us. We shine a light on the things they are trying to hide.
We are a participatory medium. We give a voice to all kinds of community initiatives. Which — like us — believe in the values of constitutional democracy, truth and transparency, human rights, including gender equality, the rights of LGBT+ people, as well as animal rights, environmentalism, and protecting the planet from climate change.
We are honoured to receive the award, but also humbled but the fact that other nominees, from Hong Kong, Venezuela of Burundi are acting in much harder circumstances. Friends, we admire your courage, determination and quality of work.
Kaczyński is no Maduro, Nkurunziza, Putin, or Erdogan, but apparently he takes his inspiration from them. We are not a dictatorship yet, though we are close to the so-called electoral authoritarianism, where all forms of public scrutiny, besides the elections, are being suppressed.
The prize is a great distinction for us, but also proof that the world is interested in what is happening in Poland. And justly so, because the virus in one EU country will spread further [until] there are no countries left free of infection. It is short-sighted and arrogant to think that Poland or Hungary are irrelevant because they are merely Eastern Europe.
Index on Censorship is the organisation which prevents us from silencing our consciences. In many places of the world we face political violence, laws being broken, and a wave of authoritarian right-wing populism.
Truth is the weapon of the civilised society. The pandemic has show that truth is ever more important, as the lack of the feeling of safety can lead to mass retreat from freedom. But catastrophes and crises also give rise to what is best and change the world. The Covid-9 crisis can come out for the better as well.
We promise to continue the fight against the anti-democratic virus which is taking over the world. We have one humble measure: the word. But as Vaclav Havel said, this is and always has been Power of the Powerless.
We believe the danger will wane, both epidemic and political. We will wake up in a healthier world.
Please help us to keep going. Read and support OKO.press.
Thank you for the award! “[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
24 Feb 20 | Awards, Fellowship 2020, News and features
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”112436″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Journalists are at the frontline of protecting freedom of speech around the world and we recognise these annually in Index on Censorship’s 2020 Freedom of Expression Awards.
Four individuals and media outlets have been shortlisted in the journalism category in the awards, which will be presented at The May Fair Hotel in London on 30 April. Journalism is one of the four categories that will be recognised at the awards, alongside campaigning, digital activism and the arts.
Meet this year’s nominees.
Hong Kong Free Press was founded in 2015 in the aftermath of the Umbrella Revolution, with the goal of becoming the most independent and credible English-language news source in the region. Since then it has published thousands of articles, many of them on the subject of censorship.
In 2018, HKFP worked with NGOs to create Free Expression Week, which provided space for controversial artists to exhibit their work. Badiucao, an artist critical of Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China, was scheduled to display some of his work at the event but was threatened by the Chinese government, forcing him to retract his work, a conflict documented in the film, China’s Artful Dissident.
The organisation’s journalists and employees have been injured during recent protests, have faced arrest and even received death threats. Despite being blocked in mainland China, they’ve gained international acclaim.
Marco Ruiz Silvera is a journalist and head of the National Press Workers’ Union in Venezuela, working to protect journalists and promote media freedom. Ruiz is a founding member of the National Commission for the Protection of Journalists and the Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Venezuela. In 2009 he was one of the 12 journalists attacked and injured in Caracas by pro-government supporters.
Venezuela ranked 148th out of 180 countries in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index 2019. In 2017, a Constituent National Assembly was elected to draft a new constitution, suspending the existing one which included commitments to protect freedom of expression.
For journalists in the country, especially those without access to a lawyer, Ruiz is the first port of call, and has helped to secure the release of dozens of individuals.
Poland’s OKO is an investigative journalism and fact-checking portal. It was originally set up in 2016 by the publishers of Polish liberal newspapers Gazeta Wyborcza and Polityka but is today supported by donations from thousands of its readers.
The award-winning team of writers and editors investigate and evaluate statements made by politicians, monitor public spending, and fight for access to public information. Their work also supports grassroots activism, crucial in an environment sliding further and further into authoritarianism and censorship.
SOS Médias Burundi is a 24/7 news media channel operating in Burundi. It was established in 2015 after an attempted coup resulted in the closure of independent media outlets in the country. The organisation says that nearly 80% of the country’s journalists have fled since then; many of those that remained now work with SOS Médias Burundi becoming “the voice of the voiceless”.
Their clandestine operations have allowed them to become one of the only reputable and functioning news sources in the country. Reporting is limited to social media but this hasn’t stopped SOS from reaching hundreds of thousands of people daily.
The 2019 award winner in this category was Cameroonian journalist Mimi Mefo.
The winner of the 2020 journalism award will be chosen by a panel of judges which includes award-winning Guardian journalist Amelia Gentleman, author of The Windrush Betrayal.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
28 Nov 19 | Belarus, Belarus Incident Reports
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Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.
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Court upholds local council’s decision to deny a journalist accreditation
17 October 2019 – The Economic Court of the Brest Region dismissed an appeal from independent regional newspaper Hantsavitski Chas against a court decision in September, which ruled to uphold Hantsavichy Local Council’s decision to deny accreditation to Hantsavitski Chas journalists.
Hantsavitski Chas’ editor-in-chief, Piotr Huzajeuski, said that he believed that the journalists are being deprived of their right to cover events held by the local council.
In March 2019, the editorial board of the newspaper Hantsavitski Chas sent a letter to the local council asking to accredit its journalists to cover the council’s activities. However, the leadership of the council denied them the accreditation, referring to the fact that a procedure for accrediting journalists by this institution had not been established.
Link:
https://baj.by/be/content/sud-adhiliu-apelyacyyu-gancavickaga-chasu-nakont-admovy-u-akredytacyi-zhurnalistau
https://baj.by/be/content/sud-abavyazau-savet-deputatau-raspracavac-palazhenne-ab-akredytacyi-zhurnalistau
http://www.ganc-chas.by/by/page/news/18156/
http://www.ganc-chas.by/by/page/news/17842/
Category: Blocked Access, Legal Measures
Source(s) of violation: Court/Juducial, Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
Journalist barred from attending a session of the election commission in Minsk
A billboard showing some of the candidates for November’s parliamentary election.
17 October 2019 – Journalist Volha Bykouskaya of the independent online newspaper Bdg.by was not allowed to attend the election commission in the Minsk district, where one of the candidates in attendance was Yury Hubarevich, chairman of the oppositional Movement for Freedom.
The commission demanded accreditation papers from her and told her to leave the room, ignoring her press card. The journalist appealed to the Central Election Commission, which responded that Belarusian journalists do not need any accreditation to attend such events.
Separately, the Belarusian Association of Journalists contacted the District Election Commission #107 for an explanation. The Commission’s representatives claimed that the journalist had been asked to show her press card, and failed to do so.
Link: https://baj.by/en/content/journalist-volha-bykouskaya-barred-meeting-election-commission-minsk
Category: Blocked Access
Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
Freelance journalist denied accreditation for the 11th time
17 October 2019 – Hrodna journalist Viktar Parfionenka has been denied accreditation by the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That was his eleventh attempt to get official permission to work as a reporter for the Belarusian Radio Racyja, which is headquartered in Poland.
Since 2009, Parfionenka has been trying to obtain accreditation to be able to legally contribute to Radio Racyja. Each year he compiled a set of documents necessary for accreditation, but has so far failed become accredited.
This year he was denied again, under paragraph 15.4 of the Regulations on Accreditation of Foreign Journalists: “To refuse accreditation to journalists of a foreign media outlet for 6 months after known facts of this outlet using the services of unaccredited journalists and (or) other persons without accreditation.”
Link: https://baj.by/en/content/radio-racyja-journalist-denied-accreditation-11th-time https://vitebskspring.org/vyasna/4157-mzs-bielarusi-nie-akredytavala-viktara-parfionienku-11y-raz
Category: Blocked Access, Legal Measures
Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
DDoS attack on Onliner.by news site
10 October 2019 – One of the most popular Belarusian websites, Onliner.by, appeared to have been the target of a significant DDoS attack. The website administrators reported difficulty loading the page and users reported having difficulty accessing the website. Suspicious activity was reported in users’ profiles.
Onliner.by, which is a news site that focuses mainly on digital technology, informed their audience about the incident and apologised for the inconvenience. An editorial letter suggested that website users improved their profiles’ security by changing their passwords and enabling two-step verification.
Link: https://tech.onliner.by/2019/10/10/ddos-4
https://baj.by/be/content/onliner-podvergaetsya-ddos-atake
Category: DDoS/Hacking/Doxing
Source(s) of violation: Unknown
YouTube blogger detained after covering opposition rally
5 October 2019 – Video blogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski, who is behind the popular YouTube channel Country for Life, was detained in central Minsk after he carried out a live broadcast of opposition politician Mikalai Statkevich’s pre-election rally.
Tsikhanouski said during the live broadcast that his car was surrounded by six traffic police cars, and that he was told that unpaid fines were registered to his car. Then the blogger was told to drive to the Leninski District Police Department. There he was informed that his car might have been stolen. After having filed a police report, he was released. He spent two hours at the police station.
UPDATE: 15 October 2019 – Tsikhanouski was fined 12.75 rubles for violating traffic rules. The blogger told Radio Liberty that he thought that it was unlikely that six traffic police cars were involved in his arrest only to give him a small fine. He said that he thought that the police wanted to confiscate the equipment, with which we were conducting the live broadcasting, or that they simply wanted to intimidate them. He said that because he let many people know that he was in the police department, people were calling him and going to the police department.
Link(s): https://belsat.eu/ru/news/avtora-kanala-strana-dlya-zhizni-zaderzhivali-shest-ekipazhej-gai/
https://www.svaboda.org/a/30201950.html
https://www.svaboda.org/a/30216368.html
Category: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation,
Source(s) of violation: Police
Blogger Andrei Pavuk subjected to attempts to frame him
4 October 2019 – Blogger Andrei Pavuk was contacted by a duty officer of the Aktsiabrski district police department, who stated that the police had received a phone call, allegedly from the blogger’s phone number. The police said that the man on the phone, who claimed to be Andrei Pavuk, said that he had “killed his wife Volha and her lover.” The male caller also provided the blogger’s home address. Pavuk’s wife, who was with him at the time of the police call, had to explain the officer that the call was a hoax. She then filed a police report, demanding that the perpetrator be found.
The attempts to frame Pavuk came as the court is considering his lawsuit against local police for compensation for non-pecuniary damages from the police for his unlawful detention and search in March 2019.
On 20 March, the Ministry of Emergency Situations received a hoax message about a mine at a local government building, allegedly sent from Pavuk’s email. The blogger was detained and searched, and his equipment was confiscated.
Link(s): https://udf.by/news/main_news/200208-ja-ubil-svoju-zhenu-i-ee-ljubovnika-neizvestnye-terrorizirujut-semju-izvestnogo-blogera.html
https://naviny.by/article/20191006/1570369644-blogeru-andreyu-pauku-pozvonili-iz-milicii-utochnit-ubival-li-svoyu
Category: Online Defamation/Discredit/Harassment/Verbal Abuse
Source(s) of violation: Unknown [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1574848372226-a9d8b457-3ad8-0″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
18 Sep 19 | Campaigns -- Featured, Media Freedom, Statements
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]To: Marija Pejčinović Burić
Secretary-General
Council of Europe
Dear Secretary-General,
On behalf of the undersigned organisations, we warmly congratulate you on your appointment as the new Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. We are motivated by our experience and understanding of the worsening of the environment for journalists and free expression across Europe to ask you to make sure that your commitment to democracy, the rule of law and human rights will be reflected in enhanced efforts for the effective protection of freedom of expression, press freedom and the safety of journalists, backed up by robust measures and strong and consistent statements and actions by yourself as Secretary-General.
Media freedom and media pluralism must be given a clear and consistent priority across the Council of Europe area, as they enable the public to make informed choices about their government and society, and are thus prerequisites for the full enjoyment of all other rights.
Renewed and determined efforts to achieve Member States’ compliance with the Council of Europe’s conventions, recommendations and other texts, as well as the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) are vital in these times of rising threats against journalists and press freedom throughout Europe. The environment for media freedom has worsened significantly, as was documented in the Annual Report published by the partner organisations of the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists. We see extremely worrying developments in Azerbaijan, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Turkey, Russia and elsewhere.
Regarding the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, we urge you to provide all necessary means and support available to ensure that Member States respond concretely to alerts, intensify the dialogue and follow-up moves to provide redress, and to do everything possible to gain the active cooperation of those Member States which have failed to reply to alerts that highlight shortcomings or abuses on the part of state authorities. We ask you to establish a monthly exchange at the level of the Committee of Ministers to allow for a meaningful discussion on the progress of Member States in dealing with the alerts and persistent and serious threats to media freedom and the safety of journalists and other media actors.
In view of the well-documented increase in attacks on the media and backsliding in some states’ fulfilment of their commitments, we request you to prioritise actions and policies to implement Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 of the Committee of Ministers on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors – including specific measures to comply with Council of Europe standards on Protection; Prevention of attacks; and Prosecution of crimes against journalists.
We hope that the concerns and recommendations outlined in the Platform partners’ latest report will be given priority by the Secretariat under your leadership, and through the projects and activities foreseen in the bi-annual Council of Europe programme and budget. To address these concerns, we request you to make available the resources and support needed to give it greater visibility, recognition and impact – both internally and externally to the Council of Europe.
We are convinced that strong and concerted political action from Member States and the Council of Europe is now essential. We request your energetic support against the ongoing impunity for attacks including murders of journalists within Europe, and against widespread attempts to adopt severely restrictive legislation on media regulation, defamation, anti-terrorism that are increasingly used to criminalise journalists.
Anti-media rhetoric is creating a toxic atmosphere for journalists amongst the general public and must be countered. The spread of online disinformation intensifies this effect. We welcome the recent PACE resolution on the rule of law in Malta, which points to the urgent need for effective actions against the politicisation of state institutions, media capture by political forces, and a climate of impunity related to attacks against members of the media.
We call on you to provide your full political support, and necessary resources, to ensure the successful implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4, as is specified in the 2018 Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) strategy 2018. It is especially important to us that robust and frank debate on the subject of implementation (including securing firm commitments to national action plans) takes place at the Conference of Ministers responsible for media and information society in Cyprus in May 2020, with the full participation of civil society to pave the way for meaningful actions to reverse the recent negative trends.
We call on you to use your influence on Member States to reform their domestic laws and practices so that they comply with their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and CM Recommendation (2016)4, and do everything in your power to improve the safety of journalists through the establishment of effective safeguards.
We thank Thorbjørn Jagland for his efforts in the past years and we are happy to continue to support the Council of Europe with our research and our international networks.
We request a meeting with you soon to discuss these matters in person and to share our knowledge and experience with you as you begin your term of office.
We look forward to your positive response.
Yours sincerely,
Lutz Kinkel, Managing Director, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Sarah Clarke, Head of Europe and Central Asia, ARTICLE 19
William Horsley, Special Representative for Media Freedom, Association of European Journalists (AEJ)
Gulnoza Said, Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Daniel Gorman, Director, English PEN
Ricardo Gutiérrez, General Secretary, European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Leon Willems, Director of Policy and Programmes, Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
Ralf Nestmeyer, Vice-President, German PEN
Bertrand Pecquerie, CEO, Global Editors Network (GEN)
Annie Game, Executive Director, IFEX
Joy Hyvarinen, Head of Advocacy, Index on Censorship
Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
Ravi R. Prasad, Director of Advocacy, International Press Institute (IPI)
Ides Debruyne, Managing Director, Journalismfund.eu vzw
Hege Newth, Secretary General, Norwegian PEN
Chiara Sighele, Programme Director, Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT/CCI)
Alberto Spampinato, Director, Ossigeno per l’informazione
Aaliya Ahmed, International Programmes Director, PEN International
Christophe Deloire, Secretary General, Reporters without Borders (RSF)
Oliver Vujovic, Secretary General, South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Clothilde Redfern, Director, The Rory Peck Trust
Andrew Heslop, Director, World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)[/vc_column_text][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1568796322393-650d0cd0-526d-5″ taxonomies=”6534″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
