17 July 2017: Joint Reaction – Poland

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and European Magazine Media Association (EMMA), European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Freedom house, Global Editors Network (GEN), Index on Censorship, International Press Institute (IPI), South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) have written to Polish defence minister Antoni Macierewicz urging him to withdraw his criminal complaint against Tomasz Piatek, the author of a new book about the minister’s alleged network of questionable Russian contacts.

An investigative reporter for the independent newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, Piatek is facing a possible two to three-year jail sentence in a case that is being prepared by military prosecutors and could be heard by a military court.

The military bureau of the Polish prosecutor-general’s office announced on 11 July that it had received a complaint from Macierewicz accusing Piatek of “using force or threats against a public official” and “public insults or humiliation of a constitutional body” in connection with the book, published in late June.

In a joint open letter to the defence minister on 18 July 2017, RSF and other organisations call on him to immediately withdraw these proceedings against Piatek.

The result of 18 months of research, the book, entitled Macierewicz and His Secrets , describes the minister’s alleged political and financial ties with persons close to the Kremlin, to the Russian intelligence services and to Russian criminal organizations.

The minister’s complaint is based on three criminal code provisions: article 244, under which “using force or threats against a public official” is punishable by up to three years in prison; article 226, under which “public insults or humiliation of a constitutional body” is punishable by up to two years in prison; and article 231, under which public officials are protected in connection with both their official functions and their private affairs.

In a Gazeta Wyborcza article, Piatek has rejected all of the charges made in the complaint, pointing out that the minister has not accused him of lies or defamation and has not denied any of the book’s claims. He also said that it would be absurd to subject a civilian to military justice.

“Subjecting a civilian to military justice and threatening him with a prison sentence is a form of intimidation that constitutes a grave threat to media freedom and to all those who criticize the authorities”, said Pauline Adès-Mével, the head of RSF’s European Union and Balkans desk. “We call on European institutions to unreservedly condemn these proceedings against a journalist and to ask the minister to withdraw them.”

“The Defence Ministry’s request to open this case marks an intensification of the hostile approach to the media this government has taken since it won elections in October 2015, said Nate Schenkkan, Nations in Transit Project Director at Freedom House. The government consistently shows hostility to the media’s rightful role in acquiring and disseminating information of public interest.”

RSF has been condemning violations of media freedom and pluralism in Poland ever since the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party was elected nearly two years ago and embarked on a series of very controversial reforms.

Poland is ranked 54th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2017 World Press Freedom Index, seven places lower than in the 2016 index, in which it suffered a spectacular 29-place fall.

https://seemo.org/pdf/open_letter_0.pdf

13 March 2018: Stop Kyrgyzstan’s descent into media repression

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

While Kyrgyzstan has generally been a rare positive example in a region where autocracy has been the rule, recent developments threaten to send the country down a similarly repressive path.

TO:

The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Legislation, State System, Rule of Law and Human Rights

The Parliamentary Committee on Social Issues, Education, Science, Culture and Health

The undersigned members of IFEX, the global network of organisations working to promote and defend freedom of expression and information worldwide, write to you to express our concern over recent developments regarding the climate for media freedom in Kyrgyzstan.

In particular, we are alarmed at the use of defamation lawsuits to levy disproportionate fines, travel bans and other harsh penalties against journalists and media outlets accused of insulting the President under the ‘Law On Guarantees for Activity of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic‘. As obligated by the Law, the General Prosecutor has pursued several lawsuits against individual journalists and media entities on behalf of both the sitting and ex-President, using the far-reaching powers granted him to take legal action against anyone deemed to have “discredited” the “honour and reputation” of the President or former president(s). In addition, a proposed law titled, ‘Amending the Civil Code of the Kyrgyz Republic‘ that was recently approved by the Parliamentary Committee on Social Affairs, Education, Science, Culture, and Health, could create further justification for punishing journalists and others on broad and legally ambiguous grounds for exercising their right to free expression.

In a worrying example of the existing Law’s application, in April 2017 a case was brought on behalf of ex-President Almazbek Atambayev against the founders of the popular news site Zanoza.kg, the website itself, and several other affiliated defendants after the publication of an article criticising the arrest of the opposition leader, Omurbek Tekebaev. The attendant proceedings were marred by significant procedural irregularities, circumvention of the pretrial dispute mechanism, and infringement of the defendants’ rights to an adversarial defense. The website and its founders have since been fined 27 million Kyrgyz soms (equivalent to about US$338,000) and face potential prison time for failure to pay within a month. In addition, some of their assets have been frozen and they have been barred from leaving the country. The outrageously large fines, the small window granted to them for payment, along with the irregular trial proceedings make it clear that this is a politically motivated attempt to silence critical reporting through legislative harassment.

Such harassment of journalists and the media has continued into 2018. On 22 February, the Supreme Court upheld a sentence requiring journalist Kabai Karabekov to pay 5 million soms for “offending” the new president, Sooronbay Jeenbekov. Freelance journalist Elnura Alkanova has been charged with “seeking and disclosing confidential commercial information” and also faces a travel ban for an investigative report on the allegedly corrupt sale of government property. The blocking of Fergana News’ website and closure of Sentyabr, a news channel aligned with the opposition, along with both voluntary and forced expulsions of local and foreign journalists alike, including Ulugek Babulakov, Russian journalist Grigoriy Mikhailov and Agence France-Presse’s Chris Rickleton, mark other low points for media freedom in Kyrgyzstan.

Under these circumstances, a new bill that would amend the civil code to establish mandatory compensation for offending the “honour, dignity and business reputation” of all citizens across a broad range of mediums, threatens to create a society-wide threat to free expression.

Such laws contradict internationally recognized standards around defamation and libel laws, which are intended to protect persons from false statements of fact, not feelings or interests. Furthermore, concerning the application of these laws to public officials, The UN Human Rights Committee’s General Comment 34 makes clear that, “[I]n circumstances of public debate concerning public figures in the political domain and public institutions, the value placed by the Covenant upon uninhibited expression is particularly high. Thus, the mere fact that forms of expression are considered to be insulting to a public figure is not sufficient to justify the imposition of penalties…”

While Kyrgyzstan has generally been a rare positive example in a region where autocracy has been the rule, recent developments threaten to send the country down a similarly repressive path. When small media outlets are forced to shut down due to lawsuits by government officials, this significantly damages freedom of speech in the long term, increases self-censorship in the media, weakens their role in communicating socially significant information to citizens, and can play a role in the overall decline of socioeconomic and political conditions.

Rules and regulations can either enable or hinder the growth of media and restrict or promote particular kinds of content. An empowering legal regime will allow media to cover hard-hitting investigative reports and fulfill their function as a democratic watchdog without fear of legal sanction, making governments more accountable.

For this reason, the undersigned organisations call on the government of Kyrgyzstan to withdraw punitive lawsuits and other restrictions against local journalists and media outlets and review and amend the ‘Law On Guarantees for Activity of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic’ to bring it in line with international standards. We also call on Parliament to reject the legislative amendments contained in the draft law on ‘Amending the Civil Code of the Kyrgyz Republic’, due to its similar incompatibility with established standards on legal limits to free expression.

Sincerely,

Signatories
Media Policy Institute
Public Association “Journalists”
Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC)
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
ARTICLE 19
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Center for Independent Journalism – Romania
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Foro de Periodismo Argentino
Freedom Forum
Globe International Center
Independent Journalism Center (IJC)
Index on Censorship
International Press Centre (IPC)
Mediacentar Sarajevo
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Media Watch
PEN Norway
Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)
Pakistan Press Foundation
PEN America
PEN International
South East Europe Media Organisation
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers

https://ifex.org/stop-kyrgyzstans-descent-into-media-repression/

3 April 2018: International Cybercrime Convention’s second protocol requires civil society’s input

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

Nearly 100 rights groups asked the Council of Europe to engage civil society in their negotiation of a second cybercrime convention protocol, which is aimed at setting the terms for data access by law enforcement to servers outside their geographic authority.

Re: Cybercrime negotiations and transparency

Dear Secretary-General Jagland,

The Council of Europe has a very strong and exemplary history of transparency. Your Committees are open to observers from civil society, an openness which is frequently availed of, to the benefit of the Council itself and the benefit of the human rights of people both in Europe and globally.

Convention 185 of the Council of Europe (the “Cybercrime Convention”) has also been remarkably successful in terms of signatories – having been ratified not only by a large number of CoE Member States, but also by large and small states from around the globe.

In the context of the need to build on these successes, the current negotiation of a second “additional protocol” to the Cybercrime Convention raises multiple challenges for transparency, participation, inclusion and accountability. This is firstly due to the far broader geographic range of the countries likely to be impacted by the final agreement and, secondly, by the current arrangements for access to documents and consultation. Accountability, transparency, participation, and inclusion represent vital embodiments of the Council of Europe’s work.

As an example of the important documents that have not been released, we are concerned that we, the public, do not have access to Document T-CY(2017)19, the initial inventory of provisions to be prepared. All documents should be published, by default, and this should be insisted upon by the Council of Europe, to uphold its exemplary tradition of transparency and inclusion. Exceptions should be individually justified and internally reviewed.

We welcome the intention of the Council of Europe, as described in Document T-CY(2017)20 for “close interaction with civil society”. We do not see the need, however, to restrict this to the Octopus Conferences. Transparency and opportunities for input are needed continuously throughout the process. This ensures that civil society can listen to Member States, and provide targeted advice to the specific discussions taking place. Our opinions can build upon the richness of the discussion among States and experts, a discussion that civil society will miss if we are not invited to participate throughout the process. States and civil society need to fully engage with each other to achieve meaningful and mutually beneficial transparency and accountability in governance. This cannot exist without civil society participation from the initial steps of the process.

As a result, we call upon the Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Committee (T-CY) to develop a detailed plan for online debriefing sessions after each drafting meeting, both plenary and drafting, and to invite civil society as experts in the meetings, as is customary in all other Council of Europe Committee sessions. With a diligent approach to making all possible documents public and proactively engaging with global civil society, the Council of Europe can both build on its exemplary approach to transparency and ensure that the outcome of this process is of the highest quality and achieves the widest possible support.

With best regards,

European Digital Rights (EDRi)
Access Now
Apertura Radical
Asociación para una ciudadanía participativa (ACI-Participa)
Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Association for Technology and Internet (ApTI)
Asuntos del Sur
Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT)
Chaos Computer Club (CCC)
Coding Rights
Columbia Global Freedom of Expession
Cooperativa Sulá Batsú R.L.
Datysoc
Derechos.Online
Digital Rights Watch
Digitalcourage
East European Development Institute
Electronic Frontiers Australia
Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
Enjambre Digital
Eticas Foundation
FAImaison
Foundation for Media Alternatives
Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)
Frënn vun der Ënn (FVDE)
Fundación Acceso
Fundación Datos Protegidos
Fundacion Huaira
Fundación Vía Libre
Hermes Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights
Hiperderecho
Horizontal
Human Rights Online
Ilico
ILOTH
International Modern Media Institute (IMMI)
Internet Society, Philippines Chapter
Intervozes
IPANDETEC
IP Justice
IT-Political Association of Denmark (IT-Pol Denmark)
Jonction
La Quadrature du Net (LQDN)
MediaWatch
Open Net Korea
Panoptykon Foundation
Progetto Winston Smith
Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Interent Policy & Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC)
SHARE Foundation
SocialTIC
SonTusDatos (Artículo 12, A.C.)
South East European Media Organization (SEEMO)
Sursiendo, Comunicación y Cultura Digital
Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales (R3D)
Rézine
TEDIC NGO
The Gambia YMCAs Computer Training Centre and Digital Studio
Unwanted Witness
Usuarios Digitales
Vrijschrift
7amleh – Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC)
Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC)
Albanian Media Institute
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
ARTICLE 19
Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC)
Bytes for All (B4A)
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Center for Independent Journalism – Romania
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)
Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Derechos Digitales
Digital Rights Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Free Media Movement
Fundación Karisma
Hungarian Civil Liberties Union
International Press Centre (IPC)
Maharat Foundation
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Media Watch
Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión – OLA
OpenMedia
Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)
Pakistan Press Foundation
Privacy International
SFLC.in
Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Trinidad & Tobago Publishers & Broadcasters Association
Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State

https://ifex.org/international-cybercrime-conventions-second-protocol-requires-civil-societys-input/

26 April 2018: International groups condemn “Cumhuriyet” verdict

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

The fourteen defendants’ right to fair trial was consistently violated. Each were given heavy jail terms.

This statement was originally published on ipi.media on 26 April 2018.

We, the undersigned freedom of expression and human rights organizations, strongly condemn last night’s guilty verdicts for staff and journalists of Cumhuriyet newspaper and note the harsh sentences for the defendants. The verdict further demonstrates that Turkey’s justice system and the rule of law is failing: this was a trial where the “crime” was journalism and the only “evidence” was journalistic activities.

While three Cumhuriyet staff were acquitted, all the remaining journalists and executives were handed sentences of between two years, six months and eight years, one month. Time already served in pretrial detention will likely be taken into consideration, however all will still have jail terms to serve, and those with the harshest sentences would still have to serve approximately five years. Travel bans have been placed on all defendants, barring the three that were acquitted, in a further attempt to silence them in the international arena.

Several of our organizations have been present to monitor and record the proceedings since the first hearing in July 2017. The political nature of the trial was clear from the outset and continued throughout the trial. The initial indictment charged the defendants with a mixture of terrorism and employment-related offenses. However, the evidence presented did not stand the test of proof beyond reasonable doubt of internationally recognizable crimes. The prosecution presented alleged changes to the editorial policy of the paper and the content of articles as “evidence” of support for armed terrorist groups. Furthermore, despite 17 months of proceedings, no credible evidence was produced by the prosecution during the trial.

The indictment, the pre-trial detention and the trial proceedings violated the human rights of the defendants, including the right to freedom of expression, the right to liberty and security and the right to a fair trial. Furthermore, the symbolic nature of this trial against Turkey’s most prominent opposition newspaper undoubtedly has a chilling effect on the right to free expression much more broadly in Turkey and restricts the rights of the population to access information and diverse views.

“We observed violations of the right to a fair trial throughout the hearings. Despite the defence lawyers’ arguing that the basic requirements for a fair trial, such as an evidence-based indictment, were lacking, these arbitrary sentences were handed down in order to attempt to intimidate one of the last remaining bastions of the independent press in Turkey”, International Press Institute (IPI) Turkey Advocacy Coordinator Caroline Stockford said.

The defence team repeatedly relied on the rights enshrined in the Turkish Constitution, as well as the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, demonstrating the importance of European human rights law to Turkey’s domestic legal system.

“‘Journalism is not a crime’ was declared again and again by the defendants and their lawyers and yet, despite the accusations containing no element of crime, the defendants served a collective total of 9.5 years in pretrial detention, and were found guilty at the end of an unfair trial”, Jennifer Clement, president of PEN International, said.

Speedy rulings on legal cases of Turkish journalists, which include those of Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu and of staff journalist Ahmet Şık cases, pending before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) are crucial. This is not only to redress the rights violations of the many journalists still languishing in detention, but also to defend the independence and impartiality of the judiciary itself in Turkey. The Cumhuriyet case and other prominent trials against journalists clearly demonstrate that the rule of law is totally compromised in Turkey and that there is little hope for fair or speedy domestic judicial recourse for any defendant.

“The short three hours of deliberation by the judicial panel did not give the impression that the case was taken seriously. The 17 months during which there have been seven hearings of this utterly groundless trial have damaged independent journalism in Turkey at a time when over 90 percent of the media is under the sway of the administration”, Nora Wehofsits, advocacy officer with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), said.

The guilty verdicts against the Cumhuriyet journalists and executives must be overturned and the persecution of all other journalists and others facing criminal charges merely for doing their job and peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression must be stopped. The authorities must immediately lift the state of emergency and return to the rule of law. The independence of the Turkish courts must be reinstated, enabling it to act as a check on the government, and hold it accountable for the serious human rights violations it has committed and continues to commit.

In light of the apparent breakdown of the rule of law and the fact that Turkish courts are evidently unable to deliver justice, we also call on the ECtHR to fulfil its role as the ultimate guardian of human rights in Europe, and to rule swiftly on the free expression cases currently pending before it and provide an effective remedy for the severe human rights violations taking place in Turkey.

Furthermore, we call on the institutions of the Council of Europe and its member states to remind Turkey of its international obligation to respect and protect human rights, in particular the right to freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial, and to give appropriate priority to these issues in their relations with Turkey, both in bilateral and multilateral forums. In addition, the Council of Europe’s member states should provide adequate support to the ECtHR.

We also call on the European and International media to continue to support their Turkish colleagues and to give space to dissenting voices who are repressed in Turkey.

ARTICLE 19
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Freedom House
Index on Censorship
Initiative for Freedom of Expression – Turkey
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
International Press Institute (IPI)
PEN Norway
P24 Platform for Independent Journalism
PEN America
PEN Canada
PEN International
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers
Amnesty International
Articolo 21
Association of European Journalists (AEJ)
English PEN
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Global Editors Network
Italian Press Federation
PEN Belgium-Flanders
PEN Centre Germany
PEN Netherlands
Research Institute on Turkey

https://ifex.org/international-groups-condemn-cumhuriyet-verdict/

18 May 2018: “False information” laws must not be used to silence the media in Kazakhstan

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

IFEX members call on officials in Kazakhstan to review the law on ‘dissemination of deliberately false information’ as well as the disproportionate and legally questionable actions recently taken against critical media.

TO:

Mr. Kozhamzharov K., General Prosecutor of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Mr. Asanov Zh., Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Mr. Nigmatulin N., Chairman of the Mazhilis of Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Mr. Abayev D., Minister of Information and Communication of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The undersigned members of the IFEX network write to express our concern over recent civil and criminal cases brought against members of the Kazakh media, as well as irregularities surrounding the court and police proceedings. We ask that you use your authority to protect the constitutional right of citizens to freely receive and disseminate information by investigating the conduct of the law enforcement and judicial representatives in question, and taking action to rectify violations where necessary. We also ask that you review Kazakhstan’s laws that levy disproportionate penalties against journalists and media outlets, due to the threat they pose to critical reporting, to ensure they meet international standards for reasonable scope and proportional punishment.

On 31 March, a judge granted a request by state prosecutors to block the online publication Ratel.kz and prohibit its editor-in-chief, Marat Asipov, from publishing content under this title. Neither the media nor the general public were initially made aware of the grounds for this action. Regardless, the domain ratel.kz and affiliated websites, balborsyk.kz and wildratel.com were instantly blocked. It was later revealed that the site had been taken down for violation of the “Rules for the Registration, Use and Distribution of Domain Names on Kazakhstan’s Internet”, including publication on the domain name after the death of its original registrant Gennady Benditsky, and for publishing content in Kazakh and English, while its certificate of registration lists only Russian.

On 2 April, in violation of normal procedural rules, police searched and seized documents and equipment from the offices of Ratel.kz and Forbes.kz. Several staff were detained for interrogation and forced to sign non-disclosure agreements. In addition, police reportedly refused to produce a warrant when requested.

These actions followed a claim filed by businessman and former finance minister Zeinulla Kakimzhanov against journalists working for Ratel.kz and Forbes.kz for a series of stories alleging misconduct in his business dealings – a claim that has since been upgraded to a criminal suit accusing the journalists of ‘dissemination of deliberately false information’ under Article 274 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

We are concerned that the growing pattern of disproportionate, and in some cases, illegal actions taken by the prosecutor’s office and the judiciary against Ratel.kz and a number of other media suggests misuse of Kazakhstan’s legal system to silence normal criticism crucial to the functioning of a well-ordered democracy. We observe that these actions aimed at censoring media criticism are in flagrant violation of free expression protections under Article 20 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan, as well as Kazakhstan’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Failure to abide by the provisions of these documents would give Ratel.kz strong grounds for submitting a complaint to the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, claiming misconduct in the decisions of judicial bodies in the civil dispute between Mr. Kakimzhanov and journalists of Ratel.kz and Forbes.kz.

We further remind you that Article 274, which formed the basis for Mr. Kakimzhanov’s accusation, has itself been criticized by national and international experts alike. For example, following the consideration of Kazakhstan’s second periodic review in 2016, the UN Human Rights Committee expressed its concern about legislation and practices “…that violate freedom of opinion and expression,” including through “…broad application of the provisions of the criminal laws including … dissemination of knowingly false information to persons exercising their right to freedom of expression.”

The application of this article of law, introduced into the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan in 2015, has had severe consequences in the past. On 5 July 2016, Tair Kaldybaev, an Almaty businessman who was sentenced to 4.5 years imprisonment for the dissemination of deliberately false information about Kazkommertsbank, was found hanged in his prison cell on the eve of his appeal date. Kaldybaev had been convicted along with a Kazakh journalist, Guzyal Baidalinova, whose sentence was eventually suspended.

Given the above, we call on your offices to:

– Review the recent activities of the judiciary and police around Ratel.kz and affiliates and ensure that any violations of Kazakhstan’s laws and international standards are investigated and appropriately addressed.

– Revisit Kazakhstan’s legislation around dissemination of false information with consideration to the recommendations of the UN Human Rights Committee and other experts. We request you to ensure that Article 274 be narrowly defined, so as not to unduly interfere with the normal exercise of freedom of expression rights, including the right to report controversial facts and strongly criticize government and powerful social actors.

Signatories:
Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Albanian Media Institute
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Foro de Periodismo Argentino
Independent Journalism Center (IJC)
Index on Censorship
International Press Institute (IPI)
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Media Watch
PEN Norway
Pakistan Press Foundation
PEN America
PEN Canada
PEN International
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)
National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ)

https://ifex.org/false-information-laws-must-not-be-used-to-silence-the-media-in-kazakhstan/

28 May 2018: Turkey: government urged to dismiss charges against filmmakers of documentary “Bakur”

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

Nearly 50 civil society groups are urging Turkey not to make the country’s first conviction of filmmakers under its terrorist propaganda laws.

Numan Kurtulmuş
Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey
İsmet İnönü Bulvarı No:32 06100
Emek Ankara, Turkey

Abdulhamit Gül
Minister of Justice
Kızılay Mahallesi, Milli Müdafa Cd., 06420
Çankaya/Ankara, Turkey

Cc: Turkish National Commission for UNESCO

Dear Prof. Dr. Numan Kurtulmuş and Minister Abdulhamit Gül,

We, the undersigned cultural and human rights organizations, call upon the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Batman to drop charges immediately against filmmakers Çayan Demirel and Ertuğrul Mavioğlu and to cease efforts to criminalize the film and its makers. We also urge the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey and the General Directorate of Cinema to support both filmmakers and to advocate for charges against them to be dropped. The upcoming court proceeding against Demirel and Mavioğlu comes at a time when artists, academics and journalists in Turkey are being criminalized in alarming numbers for the peaceful exercise of their free speech.

On May 29, Demirel and Mavioğlu will appear in front of the Batman 2nd Assize Court. Both filmmakers stand charged with disseminating propaganda in favor of a terrorist organization under Article 7/2 of Law no. 3713 on Counter-Terrorism for their documentary film Bakur and face up to five years of imprisonment if found guilty. The feature length documentary, shot in the summer and fall months of 2013, shows the daily life of PKK members in three different camps in southeast Turkey. The timing of both the filming and production of Bakur coincided with the peace talks between the Turkish government and the PKK to end a 40-year conflict during which a ceasefire was in place.

As the peace talks unraveled, Bakur was scheduled to premiere at the 34th Istanbul Film Festival on May 5, 2015, but on that day, the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) cancelled the screening. The film was subsequently shown in numerous other international and national festivals, but two years later, on December 20, 2017, the filmmakers were accused of disseminating terrorist propaganda and giving “legitimacy to the terrorist organization PKK/KCK’s methods of using force, violence or threats.” If found guilty, this would be the first time that filmmakers in Turkey would face a prison sentence due to a film, a dangerous precedent for the status of freedom of expression. However, as an attack on peaceful exercise of the right to free expression in Turkey, Bakur is not an isolated case. Numerous journalists, scholars, writers and artists are currently facing similar criminal prosecutions.

The right to freedom of expression, whether in a film, newspaper, painting, or peaceful protest is an essential part of a functioning democratic society and the development of vibrant cultures. Artistic expression can play a productive role in addressing conflicts, reconciling former enemies, and can contribute to developing trust between individuals and groups that have experienced protracted conflicts. Turkey has affirmed this and made international commitments to uphold these freedoms, having ratified, both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The right to freedom of expression is also protected in the Turkish Constitution (Article 26), which states that, “Everyone has the right to express and disseminate his/her thoughts and opinions by speech, in writing or in pictures or through other media, individually or collectively.” Based on these commitments, Turkey can only exclude controversial works from the protections granted to free speech in exceptional and strictly defined circumstances where national security is under threat because the work would constitutes “an incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence” as expressed in the article 20 of the ICCPR. Further, based on the Principle 6 of the Johannesburg Principles, the expression may only be punished as a threat to national security if a government can demonstrate that it is intended or likely to incite violence.

Bakur does not incite discrimination, hostility or violence, but rather documents an attempt to reach a peace agreement after a decades-long conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government. Its purpose, as stated in the film’s own trailer, is “to invite its viewers to reflect on a war that has been continuing for decades and give an insightful look on its main subject, the PKK.” Such creative work is clearly and unequivocally protected in accordance with Turkey’s domestic and international commitments. Turkey must uphold its domestic and international commitments to protect freedom of expression and ensure that artists are free to create without fear.

Signatories
Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Albanian Media Institute
Asociación Mundial de Radios Comunitarias América Latina y el Caribe (AMARC ALC)
Association of Caribbean Media Workers
Bytes for All (B4A)
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Freedom Forum
Index on Censorship
International Press Institute (IPI)
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Mediacentar Sarajevo
PEN Norway
OpenMedia
P24 Platform for Independent Journalism
Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)
PEN America
PEN Canada
PEN International
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM)
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
AG DOK
Arterial Network
Articolo 21
Committee for Relevant Art (CORA)
City of Asylum – Pittsburgh
Danish PEN
Documentarist İstanbul Belgesel Günleri
English PEN
European Documentary Network (EDN)
European Grassroots Antiracist Movement -EGAM
Federation of European Film and TV Directors (FERA)
Freemuse
International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR)
Safe+Secure (DocSociety)
Sundance Institute
Tamizdat
The Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)
The International Exile Film Festival –Sweden
VdÜ e.V. –Die Literaturübersetzer
VS –Verband Deutscher Schriftstellerinnen und Schriftsteller

https://ifex.org/turkey-government-urged-to-dismiss-charges-against-filmmakers-of-documentary-bakur/

31 May 2018: NGOs to Mayor Andy Burnham: Join our call to free Ahmed Mansoor

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

Over 30 NGOs have asked Manchester’s mayor to support calls for the release of Ahmed Mansoor, by naming a local street after the jailed human rights defender.

Dear Mayor Burnham,

The undersigned organisations are writing to you to request your support for the release of the award-winning Emirati human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, sentenced this week to ten years in prison for his human rights activism. We believe that this will be facilitated by raising awareness of his case by naming a street after him in Manchester.

Ahmed Mansoor is a pro-democracy and human rights campaigner who has publicly expressed criticism of serious human rights violations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Mansoor was sentenced to ten years in prison by the State Security Court in Abu Dhabi on 29 May 2018 for “insulting the status and prestige of the UAE and its symbols”, including its leaders, as well as of “seeking to damage the relationship of the UAE with its neighbours by publishing false reports and information on social media.”

Mansoor is the 2015 Laureate of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, and a member of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) Advisory Board and Human Rights Watch’s Middle East Advisory Committee. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression, who should be immediately and unconditionally released. There are concerns that Mansoor has been tortured in pre-trial detention that lasted more than one year.

On 20 March, 2017, about a dozen Emirati security officers arrested him at his home in Ajman in the early hours of the morning. The UAE’s official news agency, WAM, claimed that Mansoor had been arrested on the orders of the Public Prosecution for Cybercrimes, detained pending further investigation and that he was accused of using social media websites to: “publish false information and rumours;” “promote [a] sectarian and hate-incited agenda;” and “publish false and misleading information that harms national unity and social harmony and damages the country’s reputation.”

Human rights groups are banned in the UAE and people in the UAE who speak out about human rights abuses are at serious risk of arbitrary detention, imprisonment, and torture and other ill-treatment. Many such people are serving long prison terms or have felt they have no choice but to leave the country.

Before his arrest, Mansoor was the last remaining human rights defender in the UAE who had been in a position to criticise the authorities’ human rights record publicly.

As you are aware, Manchester City Council has developed close commercial links with senior figures in the UAE government, via its stake in the Manchester Life Development Company (MLDC), a joint venture ultimately controlled by the Abu Dhabi United Group for Investment and Development (ADUG). ADUG is owned and controlled by the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority, whose chair is Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the de facto ruler of the UAE. In addition, Manchester City FC is owned by the deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

While Abu Dhabi’s investments may have brought financial benefits to Manchester, this should not preclude criticism of human rights violations in UAE — violations which are starkly at odds with the values and principles that Greater Manchester celebrates as part of its heritage. In recent years, Senior members of Manchester City Council have celebrated Manchester’s long history of standing up for a range of rights-related causes, including the anti-slavery movement, votes for women, and pro-democracy demonstrations in Manchester in 1819. But they have apparently shied away from criticising human rights violations by the UAE and Abu Dhabi authorities with whom their commercial partners are linked.

We support the local residents who are part of the “Ahmed Mansoor Street” campaign, who argued it would be “a fitting honour to bestow upon an individual who embodies so many of the qualities that the city and the wider region celebrates as a key part of its history.”

As the first directly-elected Mayor of Greater Manchester you are in a unique position to show leadership on this issue. In your manifesto for the Mayoralty you referred to Greater Manchester as “the home of radical forward thinking” and expressed your desire to make it “a beacon of social justice for the country.” Your public support for a street named after Ahmed Mansoor, and calling for his immediate and unconditional release, would demonstrate your commitment to this heritage and these ideals.

Join us! Email your message or Tweet using the hashtag #FreeAhmed to the following:

UAE Authorities:

Vice-President and Prime Minister HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, info@pmo.gov.ae / @HHShkMohd

Minister of Interior Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, moi@moi.gov.ae

Signatories:
Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)
Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
Bytes for All (B4A)
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Freedom Forum
Free Media Movement
Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
Human Rights Watch
Index on Censorship
International Press Centre (IPC)
Maharat Foundation
MARCH
Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
PEN Canada
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)
Amnesty International
Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
CIVICUS
English PEN
European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)
FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Front Line Defenders
International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
Martin Ennals Foundation
National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

https://ifex.org/ngos-to-mayor-andy-burnham-join-our-call-to-free-ahmed-mansoor/

18 June 2018: Political speech is not a crime: Urgent appeal to stop the trial of Sheikh Ali Salman

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

NGOs call on Bahraini authorities to stop the trial of Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of Bahrain’s largest opposition society, al-Wefaq National Islamic Society. He is facing a potential death sentence on politically motivated charges.

We the undersigned call on Bahraini authorities to drop all charges and ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of Bahrain’s largest political opposition society, al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, who has been serving a four-year prison sentence for charges in response to political speeches he delivered in 2014, and who is now facing a potential death sentence in a groundless new trial on politically motivated charges.

Since his incarceration in 2014, several international bodies have spoken out against the imprisonment of Sheikh Ali Salman. On 30 December 2014, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) spokesperson urged Bahrain to immediately release Sheikh Ali Salman as well as all other persons convicted or detained for “merely exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly.” In addition, the European Union expressed concern about the sentence issued against Sheikh Ali Salman, and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations called the sentence against Sheikh Ali Salman a blow to freedom of expression.

However, despite the growing concern over the silencing of Sheikh Ali Salman and the subsequent 2017 dissolution of the political opposition society al-Wefaq, Bahraini authorities announced on 27 November 2017 the start of a new trial against him on charges of spying for Qatar.

The latest trial against Sheikh Ali Salman reinforces the closing of democratic space in the country; as the 2018 elections for Bahrain’s lower house of parliament approach, the government has forcibly dissolved Wa’ad, the largest secular leftist society, and indefinitely suspended Bahrain’s only independent newspaper Al-Wasat, in addition to upholding its arbitrary decision in 2017 to dissolve the political opposition society al-Wefaq.

On 24 April 2018, the High Criminal Court adjourned the new trial against Sheikh Ali Salman until 21 June, when it is expected to issue a verdict in the case. The Public Prosecution Office has called on the High Criminal Court to hand down the “maximum penalty” – which in this case could be a death sentence.

NGOs have decried this use of the judiciary to punish opposition activists for publicly expressing views that oppose the Bahraini government. The trial is in violation of Sheikh Ali Salman’s rights to liberty, fair trial, free expression, and free association.

We, the undersigned, call on Bahraini authorities to:

1. Drop all charges and ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh Ali Salman and the cancellation of the sentence issued against him in the previous case;

2. Stop prosecution of political dissidents and human rights activists for reasons related to freedom of expression;

3. Stop the arbitrary use of domestic legislation, including some articles of the Penal Code and the Law on the Protection of Society from Terrorist Acts, to criminalize the peaceful practice of freedom of opinion and expression;

4. Release all detainees who have been arrested for reasons related to exercising their fundamental rights to expression, organisation and peaceful assembly guaranteed by international laws.

Signatories:

Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC)
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Bytes for All (B4A)
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Center for Media Studies & Peace Building (CEMESP)
Freedom Forum
Independent Journalism Center (IJC)
Index on Censorship
Initiative for Freedom of Expression – Turkey
Maharat Foundation
MARCH
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Media Watch
PEN Norway
Pakistan Press Foundation
PEN America
PEN Canada
Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)
Bahrain Interfaith
Danish Pen
Global Human Rights Geneva
MENA Monitoring Group
No Peace Without Justice
Salam for Democracy and Human Rights
Vivarta Limited

https://ifex.org/political-speech-is-not-a-crime-urgent-appeal-to-stop-the-trial-of-sheikh-ali-salman/

26 July 2018: 8 years for a Facebook video: Egypt must immediately release Mona el-Mazbouh

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

Over 25 organizations call on the Egyptian government to immediately release imprisoned Lebanese tourist Mona el-Mazbouh, yet another episode in President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s continued crackdown on rights and freedoms.

The below signatories express grave concern for the status of free speech and expression in Egypt. The authorities continue to openly silence anyone who is critical of the Egyptian government and of the state of affairs in Egypt. The arrest of Lebanese tourist Mona el-Mazbouh last month is yet another episode in President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s continued crackdown on rights and freedoms. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mona el-Mazbouh, who was sentenced to eight years in prison earlier this month.

Background

Lebanese Mona el-Mazbouh, 24, posted a 10-minute video to her Facebook account in May after she was allegedly sexually harassed, a lived reality that is experienced on a daily basis by most women in Egypt. The video included profanity against Egypt and Egyptians. Mona was stopped and arrested on 31 May at Cairo airport before leaving Egypt, after her video went viral on social media. Egyptian lawyer Amr Abdelsalam had filed a report against her with the general prosecution, accusing her of insulting the Egyptian people and the president. Abdelsalam has asked that she be added to the scores of Egyptians barred from leaving the country while her case remains open and until her sentence is completed, and to later permanently prevent her from entering the country.

The Egyptian attorney general ordered the immediate referral of Mona to an expedited criminal trial on 3 June for insulting the Egyptian people on social media. The prosecution accused Mona of “spreading false rumors that aim to harm society and defame religions, as well as creating inappropriate content and displaying it through her Facebook page”.

A Cairo misdemeanours court sentenced Mona to eight years in prison on 7 July for publishing a video with indecent content, defaming religion, insulting the Egyptian people and insulting the president. She was also fined EGP10,700 (around $598 USD).

Egypt continues to draft and approve laws that significantly curtail freedom of expression online.

Draconian laws that curtail free expression in Egypt

Accusations such as insulting the Egyptian people or the president are a serious transgression of the right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed and protected by the Egyptian constitution and international human rights law. Over the past two years there have been rapid and disturbing developments concerning the closure of physical and digital public spaces in Egypt, and an increasing surveillance of social media and digital content.

A few weeks before Mona’s arrest, on 11 May, Egyptian activist Amal Fathy was arrested two days after she posted a video on Facebook condemning sexual harassment and disapproving of the government’s negligence on the issue. Fathy was charged with “disseminating a video on social media to publicly incite overthrowing the government”, “publishing a video that includes false news that could harm public peace”, and “misusing telecommunication tools”.

In addition, the Egyptian government continues to draft and approve laws that significantly curtail freedom of expression online, while heightening surveillance and censorship of social media users. On 5 June, Parliament approved the final draft of the new Cybercrime Law, titled “the Law on Combating Cybercrimes” that legalizes broad censorship of the internet and facilitates comprehensive surveillance of communications.

Most recently, Parliament also approved a final reading a bill allowing authorities to monitor social media users and combat “fake news”, whereby individuals whose social media accounts have more than 5,000 followers could be placed under the supervision of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulations.

These developments reinforce the troubling and ongoing trend in Egypt of silencing public discourse and shrinking civic space that has now led to Mona’s arrest and detention.

Mona awaits her appeal date set for 29 July.

Urgent action required

Before her arrest, Mona published a second video addressing the public response she received for the first. In her second video, Mona apologized for the content of the first, and clarified that she was not making a political statement and did not mention the Egyptian President at all in her initial video.

She was initially sentenced to 11 years in prison, however, her sentence was reduced to eight years after her lawyer provided the court with evidence that she “underwent a surgery in 2006 to remove a blood clot from her brain, which has impaired her ability to control anger”. Mona awaits her appeal date set for 29 July.

The below signatories believe that Mona el-Mazbouh’s arrest is a violation of her basic rights and freedoms, and connotes an even bigger threat to the general state of free expression in Egypt. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Mona el-Mazbouh, and request that all charges be dropped allowing Mona to leave and enter Egypt freely.

Signatories:
7amleh – Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC)
ARTICLE 19
Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
Association of Caribbean Media Workers
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Freedom Forum
Human Rights Network for Journalists – Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda)
I’lam Arab Center for Media Freedom Development and Research
Independent Journalism Center (IJC)
Index on Censorship
Maharat Foundation
MARCH
Mediacentar Sarajevo
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)
PEN America
PEN Canada
Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
Visualizing Impact (VI)

https://ifex.org/8-years-for-a-facebook-video-egypt-must-immediately-release-mona-el-mazbouh/

8 August 2018: Over 100 groups call on G20 leaders to place human rights at the centre of our digital future

January 5, 2021 • • disabled comments

In advance of their meeting in Argentina, civil society organizations from around the world are calling on the leaders of G20 countries to commit to building a digital ecosystem that centres human rights.

Let us bring people to the centre of the digital future

G20 countries have both the opportunity and the responsibility to lead efforts to reinstate trust in the digital age. G20 members can inspire hope and embrace the goal that no country, no community, and no individual will be left behind and that their rights will be respected. G20 countries can set a digital agenda that places people at the centre.

The Internet is estimated to contribute nearly $7 trillion USD every year to the G20 economies. By 2020, it is estimated that more than 1 billion users will be added in the G20 countries alone and there will be an estimated 30-50 billion additional connected devices across the world.

Today, G20 economies are digital, interconnected, and interdependent, however, coordinated policy commitments have not kept the pace with this reality.

For the digital society to be open, safe, and empowering for everyone, policies for the digital age must be trusted and trustworthy – putting the interests of people and their rights first. Governments should intensify efforts to assure that the Internet is not fragmented and that people and their rights are at its centre.

As the G20 Host, Argentine President Mauricio Macri has promised to “address the global challenges of the 21st century …(and) to put the needs of people first.” We urge all G20 countries to work collaboratively with leaders from all stakeholder groups to adopt commitments that live up to not just the promise, but also their responsibility to ensure the evolving digital society supports a healthy web ecosystem and puts people first, including:

Meaningful access: We urge G20 members to invest significantly in expanding affordable Internet access for everyone -including through community networks- to boost economies and digital literacy programmes, thus empowering all individuals to reap the benefits of the digital age.

Privacy and data protection rights: We urge the G20 members to adopt, apply and enforce a comprehensive approach to privacy that protects all users’ privacy and personal data, whether citizens or not. People must be given more control and agency over their data.

Freedom of expression: We urge G20 members to promote freedom of expression online by adopting positions and policies that are consistent with maintaining an open internet for everyone.

Cybersecurity: We urge the G20 members to develop cybersecurity approaches in close collaboration with all stakeholders that protect human rights and values, and preserve the Internet as a global public resource. Promoting strong encryption is essential to both these aims.

Increased competition: We urge G20 members to ensure that competition in the digital economy is sustainable, that the market encourages new entrants and the interoperability of new services, and that consumers are protected from unfair practices.

Citizens and consumers have a right to be placed at the centre of decisions around the digital society.

Accelerate Her
Access Now
Afchix: Women in Technology
Algorithm Watch
Amnesty International
Association for Progressive Communications
Alliance for Affordable Internet
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication
Center for Media Research – Nepal
Centro Latinamericano de Investigaciones Sobre Internet
CIPESA
Consumer International
Creática
Datos Protegidos
Digital Empowerment Foundation
Digital Grassroots
Digital Opportunity Trust
doteveryone
eco: association of the internet industry
Elektronisk Forpost Norge
Embajadores de Internet
EuroISPA
Fourth Estate
Free Press Unlimited
Fundación Vía Libre
Global Digital Week
Faro Digital
Global Freedom of Expression Programme at Columbia University
Global Innovation Gathering
Global Partners Digital
Greenhost
ICT Watch!
i4Policy
IEEE Standards Association
Instituto Beta
Internet Sans Frontières
Internet Society
Internet Society – Chapitre Haiti
Internet Society – Philippines Chapter
Internet Society – Women SIG
Internet Yetu
Kirat Communications
lacnic
Launchgarage
Mozilla
MutabiT
Netblocks
Observacom
Open Knowledge International
Open Knowledge Foundation
Paradigm Initiative
Poder
Asociación Protección Consumidores del Mercado Común del Sur
Public Knowledge
Ray News
R3D: Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales
researchICTafrica.net
Science Camp
social digital innovation
Soko Tech
SonTusDatos.org
TEDIC
Suma Veritas
Things
Trabajo Educacion Ambiente
Turkey Blocks
Unwanted Witness
Usarios Digitales
Weiba Fundación
Wikimedia Foundation
Women of Uganda Network
World Wide Web Foundation
YMCA of the Gambia
Yodet
Youth Observatory
Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC)
7amleh – Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC)
Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC)
Albanian Media Institute
Asociación Mundial de Radios Comunitarias América Latina y el Caribe (AMARC ALC)
Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)
Derechos Digitales
Freedom Forum
Fundación Karisma
Globe International Center
Index on Censorship
Instituto de Prensa y Libertad de Expresión – IPLEX
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
Latin American Observatory of Regulation, Media and Convergence – OBSERVACOM
Mediacentar Sarajevo
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Media Watch
Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión – OLA
OpenMedia
PEN Canada
Privacy International
SFLC.in
Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)

https://ifex.org/over-100-groups-call-on-g20-leaders-to-place-human-rights-at-the-centre-of-our-digital-future/