Journalists Asad Kharal and Gul Bukhari attacked on the same day in Lahore

Pakistan Press Foundation Asad Kharal, a Pakistani investigative journalist was assaulted by unknown persons in Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province on the night between 5 and 6 June 2018. He received multiple injuries and was rushed to a hospital. In his tweet Kharal said: "I have been attacked by some person wearing masks, I am in hospital." Kharal, who is also an anchorperson at BOL TV, is known for his stories about corruption in Pakistan. Superintendent of Police (SP) Cantonment Lahore Bilal Zafar said they have received a complaint that some…Read more

Lesotho Constitutional Court applauded for declaring criminal defamation unconstitutional

  • Posted on June 12, 2018
  • /Under Legal
On 21 May the Lesotho High Court, sitting as the Constitutional Court, declared criminal defamation as unconstitutional. The decision has been lauded across the globe by advocates campaigning against criminal defamation, insult, false news and sedition laws across the African continent. Kicking off on home ground, MISA Lesotho applauded the landmark judgement for its "contribution to an enabling environment for media operations." “We commend the Lesotho Constitutional Court bench for its brave decision, which makes a significant contribution to freedom of expression jurisprudence in the region”, said Anneke Meerkotter, litigation director of the…Read more

Pakistani authorities disrupt distribution of Dawn newspaper

Pakistani authorities should immediately halt any restrictions on the distribution of Dawn newspaper in Pakistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Distribution of the newspaper has been disrupted in many parts of the country in recent weeks, Dawn editor Zaffar Abbas told CPJ. Pakistan Today reported May 17 that distributors in Balochistan province were told not to distribute the newspaper because it ran an interview with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif earlier in May in which he made a controversial statement. According to a source who asked to remain anonymous for fear of…Read more

Acquittal of “Fiji Times” sedition case hailed as victory for press freedom in Oceania

  • Posted on May 30, 2018
  • /Under Legal
The Fiji Times, its three executives, and an opinion columnist were cleared of the sedition charges filed by the Fiji government after a High Court judge concurred with the 'not guilty' ruling of the court's three assessors. On April 27, 2016, weekly indigenous-language newspaper Nai Lalakai published a letter by Josaia Waqabaca which tackled the need for a national reconciliation between the country's indigenous population and Muslim minority groups. Nai Lalakai is part of Fiji Times Ltd. Two months later, charges of inciting communal hatred were filed by the Fiji government against Waqabaca,…Read more

Pakistan authorities block distribution of oldest newspaper

Distribution of the English-language daily Dawn, Pakistan’s oldest newspaper, is being disrupted in much of the country since it published an interview with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns this latest attack on media freedom. The interview, which reportedly displeased the Pakistani military, appeared in the 12 May (Saturday) issue and the blocking began on 15 May. According to RSF’s information, distribution is being disrupted in most of Baluchistan province, in many cities in Sindh province and in all military cantonments. The Press Council of Pakistan has notified Dawn’s…Read more

Kenya’s journalists can now get ten years in prison for defamation

  • Posted on May 21, 2018
  • /Under Legal
Online defamation and fake news are punishable by long jail terms under Kenya’s new Computer and Cybercrimes Act, which President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law on 16 May. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns its disproportionate penalties as a threat to press freedom. If journalists are convicted of online defamation under the new law, they could be sentenced to up to ten years in prison and fined the equivalent of 42,000 euros, while the intentional publication of false information that “constitutes hate speech” or “negatively affect reputations of others” is punishable by up to…Read more

UK Commons defeat of Lords amendments ‘common sense’

The UK Society of Editors has welcomed the decision by the House ofCommons to vote down a Lords amendment to carry out part 2 of the Leveson Inquiry. The amendment, which was passed by the House of Lords on Monday, was voted down by 301 votes to 289. Ian Murray, Executive Director of the Society of Editors welcomed the decision which comes a week after the House voted down similar amendments tabled by Ed Miliband MP. He said: “It’s unfortunate that it’s taken so long for common sense to prevail. Too many of…Read more

RSF Publishes 2018 World Press Freedom Index

The 2018 World Press Freedom Index  which has been published by RSF indicates growing animosity towards journalists. Hostility towards the media, openly encouraged by political leaders, and the efforts of authoritarian regimes to export their vision of journalism pose a threat to democracies. The highest ranking Commonwealth country is Jamaica at number 6 and the lowest ranking is Rwanda at 156 out of 170 countries.  Read more

A Gettysburg moment for CHOGM

Four score and seven years ago, the 1931 Statute of Westminster formally loosed Britain's Dominions from the bonds of Empire as sovereign states. It was, if not the birth of the Commonwealth, a new birth of freedom: enshrining democracy, essential rights and the rule of law. Today, the Commonwealth Charter offers 2.4 billion people – a third of humanity – a panoramic vision of liberty. Freedom of expression is at its core. Rightly, it is defined to include 'a free and responsible media.' Shamefully, by that test, this shining vision is a cruel…Read more

The Astor Award 2018 – The Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust Honours the Memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia

The Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust has awarded the 2018 Astor Award, posthumously, to Daphne Caruana Galizia. The Astor Award, established in 1970 and one of the oldest press freedom awards in the world, is made to an individual or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence of press freedom within the Commonwealth. The citation for the Award is as follows: "On 16th October 2017, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta's crusading scourge of official corruption, cronynism and incompetence, died for her journalism - the victim of an assassin's car bomb.  She…Read more