Friday, September 04, 2009
Reopening of Politkovskaya probe offers “degree of hope”, by Noémie Cournoyer
The Russian supreme court today ordered that the case against three alleged accomplices to journalist Anna Politkovskaya’s murder should be returned to the prosecutor’s office for further investigation, overturning a lower court ruling on 7 August blocking this possibility.
A representative of the prosecutor general said the investigation into the accomplices would be combined with the investigation into those who carried out Politkovskaya’s October 2006 murder and those who ordered it.
“Like Politkovskaya’s relatives, who appealed against the 7 August decision, we are relieved by the supreme court’s ruling,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Sending the case back for further investigation revives a degree of hope that the facts may yet emerge. We nonetheless fear that the security forces will block all attempts to solve this murder. More effort and more vigilance are needed if the truth is ever to be established.”
Link
Labels: Noémie Cournoyer, Reporters without borders, Russia
Reporters Without Borders - RSF is outraged by the notion of defamation of religions officially adopted by the UN, by Francis Chartrand
See United Nations - The Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution condemning the "defamation of religions". Only Islam is specifically mentioned. You will find such explanations on why the resolution adopted March 27 is so disturbing even if it is not binding.
This resolution also reflects a complete moral bankruptcy of the United Nations, which gives more importance to such abstractions as ideologies or religions as human beings.
The concept of defamation of religions officially adopted by the Council for Human Rights United Nations, Reporters Without Borders is outraged.
Reporters Without Borders condemns once again the inability of the Council on Human Rights UN to defend the values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
"The Council has just deal a severe blow to freedom of expression that is supposed to defend. In passing a resolution that seeks to stifle criticism of Islam, the UN rights body has just shown once again his inability to fight effectively in defense of human rights ", said Reporters Without Borders .
"This resolution is disgraceful. Under the pretext of fighting against discrimination, she blames the media 'are religious symbols and sacred persons'. Especially in the Muslim religion. Clearly, the UN asked the media not to criticize religions, including Islam in the name of the fight against incitement to hatred. It is unacceptable to all those who have at heart to defend freedom of expression and those who fight against discrimination", the organization added.
"The UN is on a dangerous slippery slope for free speech. All freedoms must be defended with equal strength. It is unacceptable that the UN take advantage of if outrageous way to freedom at the expense of another. This goes against all the fundamental principles of this organization", said Reporters Without Borders.
The Council for Human Rights UN meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, voted March 26, 2009, a resolution on the establishment of the agenda of the Durban conference on the fight against racism . The text, submitted by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Conference, was adopted by 23 votes to 11 against (the countries of the European Union, Canada, Chile) and 13 abstentions.
The text urges member states including the United Nations to take action against "hate crimes, discrimination and intimidation resulting from defamation of religions". The document "deplores the use of electronic media, audiovisual and printed matter, including the Internet, for (...) target religious symbols and sacred persons. The resolution also states that the Council of Human Rights is "alarmed by the inaction of some States to combat discriminatory practices and recalls the need for effectively combating defamation of all religions in general and Islam and Muslims in particular. "
Link
Labels: Francis Chartrand, Freedom of expression, Islam, Religion and fanaticism, Reporters without borders, UN
Friday, March 06, 2009
CIA destroyed 92 interrogation videos : "An investigation into the serious abuses of the ’War on Terror’ is imperative", by Francis Chartrand
Federal authorities confirmed on March 2nd that 92 videotapes detailing the interrogation of detainees at secret prisons were destroyed in 2005 by the CIA. Reporters Without Borders asks that the new Obama administration lead an investigation into this infringement upon the American people’s constitutional rights and punish those who are respsonsible.
"The sheer number of videotapes destroyed by the CIA confirms that the agency systematically tried to hide from the public the illegal interrogation techniques used by the previous administration. The public has the right to know what the government is doing and be confident that those in power are upholding the democratic values upon which this country is based," stated the press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders.
"We hope that the secrecy and lack of transparency that prevailed during the beginning of this decade will be replaced with freer access to information and a clear understanding of current governmental practices. The government must thoroughly investigate this blow to access to information and hold accountable those responsible. The American society cannot hold back as they investigate these grave violations committed under the prsidency of George W. Bush in the name of the ’war on terror.’ This investgation into the former adminstration’s actions will be debatted amongst the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 4. Hanging in the balance of their decision is the credibility of the United State’s stance on human rights," added the organization.
A letter from Acting US Attorney Lev Dassin confirmed on Monday that 92 controversial interrogation videotapes were destroyed by the agency. The letter, addressed to New York Judge Alvin Hellerstein who is hearing the case brought against the CIA by the American Civil Liberties Union, asked the court to give the CIA until Friday to prepare records on the tapes that were destroyed as well as a list of possible witnesses.
So far the CIA has not said what was on the tapes and has admitted to destroying only a few of the videos. According to the New York Times, the videos show harsh interrogations techniques used by the previous administration on Abu Zubaydah, a suspected al-Qaeda member, and Abdel Rahim al-Nashiri, believed to have been involved in the bombing of USS Cole off the coast of Yemen in 2000.
The existence of the tapes was disclosed in 2007, just before the December 31st announcement of the reform of the Freedom of Information Act, when then-CIA chief Michael Hayden said they had been destroyed to protect the identity of agency operatives. The criminal investigation into the destruction of the tapes was launched under the Bush administration by acting US Attorney John Durham and finished on Friday, February 28. The new Obama administration has since vowed that this administration will not resort to torture. From June 2002 to May 2008, Sudanese journalist Sami al-Haj, with the Qatar-based TV station Al Jazeera, was held in Guantanamo. Reporters Without Borders had advocated for his release. Detained without any charges being held against him, he had been submitted to more than 200 interrogations, some of them using "waterboarding" methods.
Link
Labels: Francis Chartrand, Reporters without borders, United States
Thursday, February 12, 2009
“Tunisia, the courage to inform the public”: Reporters Without Borders meets journalists living under high-level surveillance, by Francis Chartrand
One week after an appeal court upheld a six-year jail sentence against independent journalist Fahem Boukadous, Reporters Without Borders today releases a report showing how independent Tunisian media find it impossible to freely and peacefully do its job of informing the public.
The report, entitled “Tunisia, the courage to inform the public”, follows an on-the-spot investigation in November 2008 in which a delegation from the worldwide press freedom organisation met independent journalists who continue to work despite the relentless pressure from the Tunisian security forces.
Reporters Without Borders also examines the way in which the Tunisian president uses the opposition press as “an ornament” of a bogus pluralism. Journalist Fahem Boukadous’s coverage of social unrest in Gafsa amounted to a negation of this effort and a historic challenge to the authorities’ determination to impose a total blackout on news about the disturbances there. Faced with these problems, some voices continue, despite everything, to condemn the Tunisian regime’s security and totalitarian abuses, accepting the gamble of news-gathering and putting themselves at risk of loss of liberty or of a peaceful life.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Tunisia 143rd out of 173 countries in its world press freedom index for 2008.
Download the report “Tunisia, the courage to inform the public”:
Report
Link
Labels: Francis Chartrand, Reporters without borders, Tunisia
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Letter to information minister about South African journalist held overnight, by Francis Chartrand
Reporters Without Borders wrote to information and communications technology minister Joel Kaapanda on 5 December to call for the withdrawal of all charges against South African TV journalist Bonita Nuttall, who was arrested on 28 November for doing a report in Namibia after entering the country on a tourist visa.
Nuttall was freed on bail the next day after being held overnight and is due to be tried in February. The Reporters Without Borders letter also urged the government to ease Namibia’s relevant legislation, which imposes too many restrictions on foreign journalists wanting to work there.
“We deplore the fact that Ms. Nuttall had to spend the night in a holding cell and pay bail twice in order to be released,” the letter said. “Namibia is one of the African countries that most respect press freedom, but we think it was an abuse of authority to have placed Ms. Nuttall in detention. It was out of all proportion to her offence, counter-productive and damaging for Namibia’s image. This incident would not have occurred if Namibia’s legislation allowed the press more freedom to work.”
A presenter on the South African TV station M-Net’s investigative programme “Carte Blanche,” Nuttall was arrested at Windhoek international airport as she was about to depart on 28 November. After spending the night in a holding cell at the airport, she was released the next day on bail of 2,000 Namibian dollars (153 euros) pending an initial court appearance. On 3 December, a Windhoek court ordered her to pay additional bail of 8,000 Namibian dollars (615 euros) pending trial in February.
She was arrested for doing a report about the nomadic Himba ethnic group without first obtaining the temporary residence and work permits which Namibia requires for foreign journalists.
Namibian newspaper editors meanwhile called at the end of last month for the withdrawal of a clause from a communication bill that would allow the intelligence services to tap phones and monitor email without referring to a court. The Media Institute of Southern Africa is strongly opposed to the bill, which it says would represent a setback for free expression.
Namibia was ranked 23rd out of 173 countries in the world press freedom index which Reporters Without Borders released on 22 October
Link
Labels: Francis Chartrand, Namibia, Reporters without borders
The UN on the road to failure, by Francis Chartrand
Editorial - Reporters Without Borders
It really was an extraordinary and ambitious idea, to ask all the countries in unison, the assembled nations of the world, to sign a founding text, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One of its main architects, the French jurist René Cassin, had to fight in 1948 for the declaration to be “universal “and not just “international.” He was one of those who, like us, think that the suffering of victims is the same everywhere, and that an African or an Asian has as much right as a European not to be tortured.
But, 60 years later, this principle of universality is denied by many states. In Asia, for example, senior officials can often be heard extolling the merits of their “national” concept of human rights. They prefer, they say, to put the community’s well-being first whereas as we, in Europe, just think of the individual. And if a journalist, government opponent or trade unionist is imprisoned or beaten ? No, that is not a human rights violation. It is just a measure to safeguard public order and reassure decent citizens.
This way of thinking is hypocritical and unacceptable. Especially when you know that those who drafted the Universal Declaration included not only European jurists but also a Lebanese diplomat, a Chilean, and even a Chinese academic, Peng-chun Chang, the ambassador of a young nation embroiled in civil war.
It is in Geneva that the UN’s failure is most obvious. The UN system, which requires nations to be judges and judged at the same time, is schizophrenic. The UN Human Rights Commission became totally discredited in 2003 when it chose Libya’s representative to be its chairperson. It disbanded itself soon afterwards, amid the ensuing outcry, and was replaced by the UN Human Rights Council.
But the hopes placed in the UN’s new guard dog were quickly dashed. When the first council was elected in May 2006, its members included countries in which the death penalty, torture, impunity, arbitrary detention and denial of basic rights seem to be essential components of their societies. The UN put Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Cuba, Nigeria and Russia in charge of defending the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The machinery was still brand new but it was already beginning to squeak.
What has happened since then is just as heartening. In less than two years, the council has terminated the mandates of its independent experts - the only UN officials who escape the dictates of a government - in charge of monitoring the situation in Cuba, Belarus and even Democratic Republic of Congo, where the recent killings and flood of refugees in the east of the country indicate an impressive degree of respect for human dignity. The council also refused to appoint an expert for Turkmenistan, which - as everyone knows - is one of the world’s most open and welcoming countries.
China, Uzbekistan, Russia and others have meanwhile manoeuvred behind the scenes and struck deals to ensure that a majority of countries opposes any resolution criticising them. And the deals are effective. Votes are not cast according to the seriousness of the situation in a country but according to the possible advantages that the country or its allies can offer in return. China wins all the battles in this game. Using its enormous economic power, it ensures that it is systematically supported by countries on whom it lavishes loans, subsidies and other aid accords. Most of the countries in Africa and many of the Asian ones find out how they are going to vote in the Geneva office of the Middle Kingdom’s permanent representative.
Meant to defend the universality of values, the UN Human Rights Council has lost its way. It is used to serve the interests of governments that do not want to see themselves branded as the world’s worst human rights violators. The UN secretary-general needs to pull himself together and demand that measures be taken. The first of these measures could be to establish eligibility criteria for countries to be members of the council, criteria based on respect for human rights and support for the main international treaties and their implementation. This would not solve all the problems, but it would at least have the merit of keeping verbose autocrats away from the rostrum.
Jean-François Julliard Secretary general Reporters Without Borders International
&
François Bugingo President Reporters Without Borders Canada
Link
Labels: Francis Chartrand, Reporters without borders, UN
United Nations heading for failure on 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by Francis Chartrand
As the world marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December, in a report released today Reporters Without Borders looks at the record of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, the main UN body concerned with such matters.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3 ?id_article=29587
The UN Human Rights Council is doing little better than its predecessor, the now-abolished Commission on Human Rights, which was completely discredited over the years, especially when it named a Libyan as its president. The Council has the failings of all UN bodies, where member-states are both judges and judged. States with repressive governments are elected to the Council and thus tasked with ensuring respect in other countries for rights they themselves are abusing on a daily basis. Until this absurd situation is ended, the United Nations cannot be said to be fulfilling its goal of protecting human rights.
The use of human rights by countries for their own purposes will not end until the UN Security Council and the whole system of world governance is reformed and enlarged. This issue has been highlighted by the present economic and environmental crisis.
If the UN does not manage to end it, the Council will fail in its mission. The Universal Periodic Review, though a good step forward, will not make up for these weaknesses.
Reporters Without Borders looks at the battle between the interests of governments and recognition of victims of human rights violations.
Link
Labels: Francis Chartrand, Reporters without borders, UN
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Press Freedom Barometer 2008
Afghanistan: Canadian broadcaster’s two local employees freed, by Anne Humphreys
Reporters Without Borders welcomes today’s release of two local employees of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - brothers Shokoor Feroz, a fixer, and Qaem Feroz, a driver - who had been held by the National Directorate of Security, an intelligence agency, since CBC reporter Melissa Fung’s abduction on 12 October.
"We thank President Hamid Karzai and the many other Afghans and Canadians who interceded on behalf of the unjustly detained Feroz brothers," Reporters Without Borders said. "The protests by CBC’s journalists and management illustrated in an exemplary manner that the defence of the local employees of foreign media should be a priority. The Afghan authorities should compensate the two brothers for their six weeks in detention."
The Reporters Without Borders release of 21 November : http://www.rsf.org/article.php3 ?id_article=29368
Link
Labels: Afghanistan, Anne Humphreys, Reporters without borders
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Congo: FAZ correspondent released
The kidnapped FAZ correspondent Thomas Scheen is free again. That was report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) on Friday with. Since Friday is early diesel Scheen and his two Congolese staff in the care of the international Task Force of the United Nations MONUC. The three men would be good considering the circumstances, said the editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Berthold Kohler.
Scheen, a Belgian citizen, and his two Congolese staff were on November 4 in the crisis area in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo from May to May militia has been abducted. Scheen was during the reporting from the war zone between the fronts advised and been captured, the FAZ reported.
Link (in german)
Labels: Congo, Germany, Reporters without borders
Ingush news website owner’s arrest declared “illegal”, by Francis Chartrand
A court in the Ingush city of Nazran has ruled that the detention of Magomed Yevloyev, the owner of the Ingushetiya.ru news website, by interior ministry agents on 31 August - during which he was shot dead - was “illegal,” Yevloyev family lawyer Mussa Pliyev reported on 12 November.
“This is a first step towards recognising the political nature of the behaviour of the Ingush security forces in this case,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We hope that a thorough and impartial investigation will soon be carried out into the exact circumstances of Yevloyev’s death.”
An opponent of then Ingush President Murat Zyazikov, Yevloyev was arrested by interior ministry personnel in Magas, Ingushetia’s new capital, as he disembarked from the plane that had brought him from Moscow. During the flight, he had a violent argument with President Zyazikov, who happened to be aboard the same plane.
Yevloyev was fatally shot in the head after being forcibly driven away in a police car. The local authorities have blamed his death on “negligence.” This is rejected by the Ingush opposition and the Yevloyev family.
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev issued a decree on 30 October replacing Zyazikov as Ingush president by Yunus-Bek Yevkurov. A career military officer who was awarded the “Hero of Russia” title for his role in the fighting in neighbouring Chechnya, Zyazikov had been president of Ingushetia since 2002. His previous posts included that of deputy chief of military intelligence for the Ural-Volga region.
Link
Labels: Francis Chartrand, Reporters without borders, Russia
Well-known dissident blogger arrested for “inciting subversion”, by Francis Chartrand
Reporters Without Borders condemns today’s arrest of blogger Guo Quan at his home in Nanjing, the capital of the central province of Jiangsu, for posting blog entries deemed to be “too radical.” He is currently being held in a Nanjing police station on a charge of “inciting subversion of state authority.” The police took his computer when they arrested him.
“What the authorities regard as ‘too radical’ is open letters to the government calling for democratic change,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Guo’s arrest is further evidence, if any were needed, that the Chinese dictatorship systematically punishes those who express views different from the Party’s. We unfortunately fear that Guo could be jailed for a long time, like the 49 other cyber-dissidents currently held in China.”
Previously arrested on 18 May, Guo reported after being held for 10 days : “The authorities... tried to extract information from me. As I refused to name the dissidents I know, they kept me in custody for longer.” He said the Communist Party wanted to dismantle the network he created to help victims of the 12 May earthquake in the western province of Sichuan.
The Chinese New People’s Party, the pro-democracy party he founded at the end of last year, was meeting on a daily basis one week after the earthquake to collect blood and encourage acceptance of foreign humanitarian aid.
Guo had been under house arrest since February after calling for the creation of a Chinese Netizen Party to combat online censorship. He also announced on 4 February that he intended to sue the US company Google for ensuring - at the Chinese government’s request after he created the Chinese New People’s Party - that searches for his name on its Chinese-language search engine (http://www.google.cn) yielded no results.
Guo has been posting open letters on his blog calling for pro-democracy reforms ever since he was fired from his post as philosophy professor at Nanjing university.
Link
Labels: China, Francis Chartrand, Reporters without borders
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Beijing 2008, by Francis Chartrand
Well, let aside a few such events, as some demonstrations, which I supported myself somewhat, and spend the greatest dignities of Olympus. Anyway, it was 3 months to challenge the decision by the IOC on July 13, 2001. Beijing had 56 votes, Toronto 22 votes, Paris 18 votes and 9 votes for Istanbul. And what did we do? We were all sitting on our butt!
Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International, they were always there from the beginning. Them, they can yell! They were sceptical about the issue of human rights. For myself, I was surprised at the time because I was believing to see Paris or Toronto winning in the third round of voting, and I knew that China had a hard truncheon. I've paid my scepticism about the rights issue, I have my t-shirt Beijing 2008 RSF with handcuffs instead of the Olympic rings.
We can condemn what the Chinese government repression face as its population, and it should be done, but too late to withdraw our athletes, if he had to be done after Athens 2004.
Now, we go to the best Olympic moments (bishop of the Olympics that I am) on showing you some pictures I found. I'll comment on the politico later this weekend. 
Canadian Donovan Bailey explodes with joy by winning the 100m gold in men in a record time of 9.84 sec. aux Jeux Olympiques d'été à Atlanta en 1996. the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996. Saturday, July 27, 1996. (credit: AP Photo / Denis Paquin)
The American Florence Griffith Joyner, celebrates his victory after establishing a new Olympic record of 10.54 sec. the 100m for women and wins at the same time the gold medal in the Olympic Games in Seoul. On 25 September 1988. (credit: Photo RON KUNTZ / AFP / Getty Images) 
Morocco's Said Aouita begins to greet the crowd before crossing the finish line and won the 5000 metres final at the 1984 Olympics at the Coliseum Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA. Aouita won the gold medal and sets a new Olympic record of 13:26.44 minutes. (credit: Photo David Cannon / Allsport) 
The Romanian Gabriela Szabo celebrates after winning gold in the 5000m final at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 at Olympic Stadium. Szabo sets new Olympic record of 14'40 "79. (Credit: Photo Darren England / REUTERS) 
During the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, American Bob Beamon won the gold medal in long jump by effecting a break 8m90 and is part of the Olympic record books. (credit: Photo Tony Duffy / Allsport) 
The Russian Yelena Isinbayeva celebrates his victory after performing a pole vault at 4.91 meters and establishes a new Olympic record on August 24, 2004 at Olympic Stadium in Athens. (credit: Photo AXEL SCHMIDT / AFP / Getty Images)
Labels: Francis Chartrand, Reporters without borders, Sports
Monday, May 12, 2008
How to advocate "Made in China"
By Jeremiah Carvalro
"Let us act quickly, Tibet is dying" scandent they say. Advocacy has become a real way since the beginning of the trail of the "torch" Olympic. Even the organization Reporters Without Borders has gone from denouncing passive activism. All these banners, flags and banners have been in the shadow of the struggle of human rights much more than they have sustained.
This is the ridiculous 100% cotton "Made in China" this mode which is sinking the credibility of this cause. The citizen who fate in the streets full of good intentions, inflated by media coverage and slogans that are raining everywhere should realize that even if brandished posters "Free Tibet" or the Tibetan flag, his clothes bear probably oppressor country to which he must oppose.
Advocacy becomes a naive opposition, which can not be taken seriously and which retains only the clumsiness and misbehaviour of a major speech yet. It is still not an easy task to be aware when we faced the silence of our big men policy. If these details elude us, the economy is largely taken into account in such political contradictions.
This is what I affectionately hypocrisy market, shouted by a silence political than ever before. It will be used to criticize and punish the Russian government, African, or all of these bloody regimes such as Zimbabwe, but face the economic power of the People's Republic of China, major politicians seem to forget human rights, freedom expression and these values which they both boast of being the defence.
When one takes into account the heavy past Olympics, it is ridiculous that some claim loud and clear that sport should not be politicized. Stop lying to you, it always has been. The best example is the Games of Moscow that a fifty countries had boycotted to denounce the invasion of Afghanistan. But South Africa is the economic boycott which was less grand, or our political beliefs of the time who were stronger?
This silence political replongera Games in the dark days of the Games of 1936. Do you remember? The nations were paraded one after the other to cover prestigious Berlin and the now famous Adolf Hitler.
Nicolas Sarkozy is the only head of state to consider a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Games. Its participation will depend on the attitude of the Chinese government faces a dialogue with the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Yet the primary issue was freedom of expression and human rights in China that the organization Reporters Without Borders denounced the past few years. But the Tibetan cause, rather than become a symbol, has rather overshadowed. No wonder that Western society, plunged into materialism up to the neck, taken in an existential vacuum in search of a god feel more concerned by the repression that live the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people. Meanwhile, the Chinese live the same repression but are not entitled to the same cries nor the same banners.
If not able to reverse the repression, we should first be honest. It's been seven years since we know the choice of the International Olympic Committee to name China as the host of 2008 Olympic Games. It's been decades that we know the repressive system that prevails on the People's Republic, but it is at midnight least one that we insurgeons as if it were a new one. But it's too little too late. Assume it, we are the oppressor!
Labels: China, Jérémie Carvalro, Reporters without borders, Sports
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