IFEX Communiqué Vol. 20 No. 43 | 2 November 2011

Headlines
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Vol. 20 No. 43 | 2 November 2011

International: 23 unsolved murders in 23 days: Join the International Day to End Impunity campaign

International: Seventy-seven civil society organisations ask UN to link access to info and the environment

Turkey: Sign a petition to free prisoners of opinion

Indonesia: Soldiers kill Papuan independence demonstrators with military assault rifles

Brazil: New FOI law lauded by IFEX groups as boon to transparency and democracy

Argentina: "Dirty War" generals sentenced, multiple radio stations attacked

International: UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2012 seeks nominations

Free Expression Spotlight
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International: 23 Unsolved Murders In 23 Days: Join The International Day To End Impunity Campaign
Mohammad Ismail was in his last days before retirement as the head of a leading Pakistani press organisation when he left his home to go for an evening walk on 31 October 2006. He was found the next morning near his home, with his skull smashed in. Five years on, his killers have not been found. Read more>>

Regional news
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International: Seventy-Seven Civil Society Organisations Ask Un To Link Access To Info And The Environment
In an initiative led by ARTICLE 19, 77 civil society organisations which are members of IFEX and the Freedom of Information Advocates (FOIA) Network are calling on the United Nations to champion access to information laws, transparency and free media as key requirements to environmental and human sustainability. The UN is holding a summit of world leaders in Rio in June 2012 (Rio+20) to discuss the environment and sustainable development goals. Read more>>

Turkey: Sign A Petition To Free Prisoners Of Opinion
After Professor Busra Ersanli and publisher Ragip Zarakolu, a well-known human rights activist, and his son were arrested as part of a series of unjust arrests, IFEX members are asking supporters to put pressure on the Turkish government to release its political prisoners and stop its war on dissent and free speech. Read more>>

Indonesia: Soldiers Kill Papuan Independence Demonstrators With Military Assault Rifles
Indonesian soldiers violently broke up a peaceful gathering of approximately 1,000 pro-independence Papuans, killing at least three people, reports Human Rights Watch. Read more>>

Brazil: New Foi Law Lauded By Ifex Groups As Boon To Transparency And Democracy
It took eight years since its initial proposal but Brazil's Senate has passed a comprehensive Freedom of Information (FOI) Law that goes a long way to promoting government transparency and the democratic participation of citizens and the media, report the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI), ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Read more>>

Argentina: "Dirty War" Generals Sentenced, Multiple Radio Stations Attacked
Over the past two months, numerous radio stations have been violently attacked in separate incidents and through various means - from arson, to armed hold-ups, to vandalism - pointing to systematic efforts to censor the airwaves across Argentina, report the Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA), Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Meanwhile, FOPEA expresses "profound satisfaction" after the killers of a journalist in 1977 were finally brought to justice. Read more>>

Also in this issue
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International: Unesco/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2012 Seeks Nominations
Do you know an individual, organisation or institution that is defending press freedom? If so, send in your nomination for the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2012 by 15 February 2012. Read more>>

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The "IFEX Communiqué" is the weekly newsletter of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), a global network of 95 organisations working to defend and promote the right to free expression. The IFEX Clearing House is managed by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.

The views expressed in the "IFEX Communiqué" are the sole responsibility of the sources to which they are attributed.

The "IFEX Communiqué" grants permission for its material to be reproduced or republished provided it is credited as the source.

ENDS

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