The International Freedom Of Expres

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

Subject: The International Freedom Of Expression Exchange

Fex "Communique" # 7-48

            Africa News Service
            16-DEC-98

            Toronto (The International Freedom Of Expression
            Exchange=20, December 16, 1998) - The following
            document was released by the International Freedom of
            Expression eXchange Clearing House: 

            **INDEX** 1. 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF UN UNIVERSAL
            DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS MARKED
            WORLDWIDE REGIONAL NEWS: 2 KENYA:
            POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE DUE TO LACK OF
            INFORMATION UPDATES 3. UGANDAN AND DANISH
            JOURNALISTS WIN EC NATALI PRIZE ALERTS ISSUED
            BY THE CLEARING HOUSE DURING THE PAST WEEK 

            ** ** ** 

            50TH ANNIVERSARY OF UN UNIVERSAL DECLARATION
            OF HUMAN RIGHTS MARKED WORLDWIDE 

            On 10 December, people worldwide marked the 50th
            Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of
            Human Rights (UDHR), which was being touted under the
            theme of "All Human Rights for All". Some celebrated human
            rights success stories, while others commemorated past and
            present human rights violations. 

            Campaign Underway for Human Rights in Egypt 

            In some countries, the 50th Anniversary was used to
            highlight specific recent events restricting human rights.
In
            Egypt, for example, the Egyptian Organization for Human
            Rights (EOHR) issued a newsletter entitled "Solidarity" in
the
            face of pressure upon the organisation from the authorities,
            who detained EOHR Secretary General Hafez Abu Seada
            for five days earlier this month. "Solidarity" will
highlight the
            messages of solidarity received by the EOHR and "reaffirm
            its will to remain optimistic, a feeling that was nourished
by
            those expressions which, amidst the darkness of the crisis,
            revealed a light at the end of the tunnel in the struggle
            towards a better future." EOHR writes, "In Egypt, we are
            celebrating this solemn event amidst a climate in which one
            finds no reason for optimism. The human rights movement in
            general, and the EOHR in particular, are being exposed to a
            fierce and organized campaign of attacks that aim to silence
            the voices defending human rights. However, those working
            in the human rights field have to hold on to the will to be
            optimistic. Let the celebration of the 50th anniversary of
the
            Universal Declaration be an occasion for fostering the will
for
            optimism, cooperation and solidarity between all those
            concerned with human rights everywhere." 

            On 10 December, Human Rights Watch (HRW) also took the
            opportunity to launch a campaign to support human rights
            workers in Egypt, in the wake of accusations against Abu
            Seada, who is accused of "disseminating information abroad
            that harmed Egypt's national interests," after EOHR
            published a report in September 1998 describing the mass
            arrest and torture of residents of the village of Al Kosheh.
            HRW distributed internationally a briefing paper outlining
            "why the state's actions against EOHR represent a threat to
            the entire human rights community in Egypt," and describing
            the pattern of grave human rights abuses in Egypt. "It
            appears that the Egyptian government is trying to intimidate
            and silence the voices that continue to expose its grave
            human rights record," said Hanny Megally, executive director
            of HRW's Middle East and North Africa Division. The briefing
            paper was distributed at the Human Rights Defenders
            Summit, which was held in Paris, France from 8 to 11
            December, and is being distributed in Cairo during HRW's 10
            to 19 December mission to Egypt. 

            ARTICLE 19 Publishes Guide for Media Monitoring During
            Elections 

            To mark the 50th Anniversary of the UDHR and as the first
            elections are being held under Nigeria's transition
            programme, ARTICLE 19 has published a manual on media
            monitoring entitled "Election Reporting: a practical guide
to
            media monitoring." ARTICLE 19 says, "The publication sets
            out standards which should be adhered to and provides a
            hands-on tool for those planning practical projects to
survey
            broadcasting balance during elections." Frances D'Souza,
            Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, says the guide "can be
            used not only for training monitors and to educate people
            about their basic rights, but also to gather impartial and
            empirical evidence of governments straying from their duty
to
            guarantee editorial independence." For example, she says,
            "Such evidence, when publicised, led to a marked increase
            in broadcasting balance during elections in Kenya and
            Malawi." The new Guide also includes sections on Rights
            and the Electoral Process; the Media and Communications;
            and Civic Education. It was developed in collaboration with
            partner organisations monitoring elections in Cameroon,
            Zimbabwe, Kenya and Morocco. For copies of the manual,
            contact Ilana Cravitz at ARTICLE 19, 33 Islington High St.,
            London N19LH, United Kingdom, tel: +44 1 71 278 9292,
            fax: +44 1 71 713 1356, e-mail: article19@xxxxxxxxxx, Web
            site: http://www.gn.apc.org/article19/. 

            RSF Draws Up Press Freedom Blacklist 

            Reporters sans fronti=E8res (RSF) marked the Anniversary
            by drawing up a blacklist of the worst offenders against
            press freedom, according to "The RSF Newsletter"
            (December 1998 - No. 33). As of 1 December, RSF says,
            China had 14 journalists in its jails and Ethiopia held a
            record 15 journalists in prison. Burma (Myanmar), Cuba,
            Nigeria, Rwanda, Tunisia and Turkey are among the 23
            other countries holding at least 60 journalists in jail. RSF
            says that the most journalists have been tortured in jail in
            Syria and Turkey. Four journalists were murdered in
            Colombia in 1998, more than in any other country, says
            RSF, and other journalists have been murdered in Algeria,
            Mexico, Turkey, Russia, India and Cambodia this year. In
            addition, the state has a monopoly on television news in 75
            of the 190 UN member states and 45 state governments
            control access to the Internet. Finally, RSF reports, many
            countries have legislation on the books which criminalises
            "publishing false information" or "insulting the head of
state."
            Hence, RSF opines, there is not much reason to celebrate
            the anniversary of Article 19 and the other articles of the
            UDHR. RSF concludes that the Declaration "is only really
            respected in about 30 democracies with a total population of
            less than one billion. On the other hand, it is completely
            disregarded by authoritarian regimes in 30 or so other
            countries that are home to about two billion people." 

            AJI Calls for Free Expression in Indonesia 

            In Indonesia, the Alliance of Independent Journalists
(Aliansi
            Jurnalis Independen, AJI) marked 10 December by
            expressing regret that, under the current transitional
            government of B.J. Habibie, the country's "blossoming press
            freedom now appears to be under threat." Positive steps
            taken include overhauling the media licensing system, giving
            journalists the freedom to form independent journalistic
            organisations and giving the mass media "greater freedom to
            report on most issues." However, recent threats to freedom
            of expression include pressure on several media not to
            report on "the involvement of government officials in
various
            political intrigues," such as the censoring of a talk show
on
            the Indosiar television station in July. Several magazines
            have been censured or sued by government officials. In
            addition, there are fears of a concentration of media
            ownership in the hands of Habibie who bought the tabloid
            "Adil", and is trying to take over the TV station SCTV and
            "Ummat" magazine. The government has also issued
            decrees to ban demonstrations, including Law no 9/1998,
            which AJI says "has proven to be a tool to act against and
            prohibit freedom of expression, not regulate it," noting
that
            "recently dozens of student activists have been arrested for
            exercising their right to hold peaceful demonstrations." AJI
            calls on Habibie to respect the UDHR, particularly Article
19
            and stop pressuring the media. 

            No Cause to Celebrate in Vietnam 

            According to the Free Vietnam Alliance (FVA), there is no
            cause for celebration in Vietnam surrounding the 50th
            Anniversary of the UDHR, because "in Vietnam, human
            rights continue to be routinely and blatantly violated."
            Participants at the International Day for Human Rights in
            Vietnam at the European Parliament on 4 December noted
            that there has been no verification that 8,000 prisoners
have
            been released recently in Vietnam, as claimed by
authorities.
            According to the FVA, they say that "despite the guarantees
            of freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of the
            press in the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam,
            in reality, these fundamental rights are being forbidden or
            severely restricted by the government itself." For example,
            "all means of public communication and information are
            controlled by and ordered to serve the Vietnamese
            Communist Party. Independent press is forbidden and all
            forms of publication require State permission." Participants
            called for international support to pressure the Vietnamese
            government "to end its monopoly on the media, and to
            respect the freedom of the press and freedom of expression
            in Vietnam." 

            Call for Freedom for Chinese Scientists Who Used Internet 

            On 10 December, a coalition of 13 free speech and scientific
            organisations launched an e-mail campaign on behalf of two
            jailed Chinese scientists charged with "using the Internet
to
            promote democracy," reports Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties
            (UK), one of the groups. Lin Hai and Wang Youcai were both
            arrested and charged with "inciting the overthrow of state
            power." Lin, a Shanghai software engineer, was arrested in
            March after providing 30,000 Chinese e-mail addresses to
            "VIP Reference", a US-based Internet magazine that
            distributes reports on dissident activities, human rights,
and
            other issues to more than 250,000 e-mail addresses in
            China. Wang, a Chinese physicist, leader of the 1989
            pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square and
            co-founder of the opposition group China Democracy Party,
            was arrested in November after e-mailing documents to
            dissidents overseas. "The Internet is already proving to be
a
            very powerful tool for dissidents in China and around the
            globe," says Barry Steinhardt, executive director of the
            Electronic Frontier Foundation. "The Chinese government
            has recognized the threat that it poses to their dictatorial
            rules and has adopted the most repressive rules about
            Internet use in the world." To view an Action Alert calling
for
            Lin and Wang's release, visit:
            http://www.cyber-rights.org/linhai.htm. 

            ** ** ** REGIONAL NEWS 

            AFRICA 

            3. KENYA: POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE DUE TO LACK
            OF INFORMATION 

            Violence subsequent to the elections in Kenya early this
year
            was due in part to a lack of access to information and the
            suppression of free expression, says ARTICLE 19 in "Kenya:
            Post-election political violence." Violence which took place
in
            the Rift Valley in early 1998 following the Presidential
            elections on 29 December 1997 "caused a number of deaths
            and injuries, as well as displacing thousands and causing
            community rifts which may never heal," says ARTICLE 19.
            The Ethnic Clashes Inquiry, which started its investigations
            in July, is to present its results in December. Frances
            D'Souza, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19 says, "Whatever
            the initial spark which started the violence, the conditions
in
            Kenya which allowed it to escalate have not changed.
            Freedom of expression and information flows are still
limited,
            the government still controls broadcasting - the major
source
            of news for most Kenyans, and the culture of impunity
            remains. In other words, the ground is fertile for other
such
            events to occur." 

            Among factors cited, ARTICLE 19 says media ownership
            concentration leads to "media workers being denied
            information or access due to perceived or real ethnic or
            political allegiances," while the public broadcaster, the
            Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, "failed once again to
            provide impartial and accurate reporting." ARTICLE 19
            concludes, "The result is that Kenya's people cannot trust
            the information which they read in newspapers, see on
            television, or hear on the radio. This is bad enough under
            normal circumstances, but in Kenya in early 1998 it became
            a matter of life and death. It could easily do so again
unless
            the excessive government controls on the media are
            removed, media independence is guaranteed and the culture
            of impunity is ended. 

            3. UGANDAN AND DANISH JOURNALISTS WIN EC NATALI
            PRIZE 

            The European Commission's (EC) Lorenzo Natali Prize for
            Journalism 1997 has been awarded to Robert Mugagga of
            "The Monitor" in Uganda and to Ole Damkjaer of the Danish
            daily "Berlingske Tidende", reports the European Journalism
            Centre's (EJC) "EJC News" of 10 December 1998. The
            prize, dedicated to the memory of the EC's former
            vice-president, "honours journalists who have published
            articles treating democracy or respect for human rights as
an
            essential element for development." Mugagga was honoured
            for his article on the systematic torturing of prisoners in
            Uganda's prisons which resulted in immediate prison
            reforms. Damkjaer won the award for an article on the
            consequences of the crisis in Indonesia. The winners were
            chosen from among 90 candidates from 44 countries by an
            international jury of journalists. 

            ** ** ** 

            ACTION ALERTS ISSUED BY THE CLEARING HOUSE
            DURING THE PAST WEEK 

            07/12/98 EGYPT: EOHR secretary-general released
            (EOHR) - update PERU: Journalist Hildebrandt (m)
            terminates contract with Canal 13 (IPYS) - update SIERRA
            LEONE: CPJ warns SLAJ of dangers to press freedom in
            creation of media council (CPJ) - alert 

            08/12/98 LIBERIA: Journalists attacked, printing press
            vandalised, reporter (m) harassed (CPJ) - alert IRAN: WAN
            protests disappearances in Iran (WAN) - update PERU: Two
            journalists (m) of "La Rep=FAblica" daily attacked in Puno,
            other journalists also targeted (IPYS) - alert DEMOCRATIC
            REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Journalist (m) arrested in Matadi
            (RSF) - update FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA:
            Prosecution and censorship continue (AMARC) - press
            release 

            09/12/98 ISRAEL: Journalist (m) shot during demonstration
            (RSF) - alert PERU: Journalist (m) jailed for making
            statement supporting terrorism (IPYS) - alert SOUTH
            AFRICA: Poet Mzwakhe Mbuli (m) detained for over a year,
            may have been framed (WiPC) - alert FEDERAL REPUBLIC
            OF YUGOSLAVIA: Radio B92 and ANEM accused of being
            run by the British Embassy in Belgrade (AMARC) - press
            release EGYPT: EOHR lawyer Mustafa Zidan (m) released
            on bail (EOHR) - update SIERRA LEONE : Journalists (m)
            arrested; journalist (m) goes into hiding, more arrests
feared
            imminent (CPJ) - alert CHINA: CPJ appeals in Chinese
            Internet case (CPJ) - alert SIERRA LEONE: Journalist (m)
            arrested (CPJ) - alert/update PERU: Congressman's lawsuit
            against "El Correo de Piura" newspaper inadmissable (IPYS)
            - alert 

            10/12/98 PERU: Journalist (m) reports physical attack and
            closing of programmes (IPYS) - alert GREECE: IPI protests
            Greek libel legislation (IPI) - update SIERRA LEONE:
            Journalist (m) appears in court (CPJ) - update 

            11/12/98 TANZANIA: Journalist (m) barred from covering trial
            (MISA) - alert TANZANIA: Government bans Swahili tabloid
            (MISA) - update IRAN: RSF requests audience with
            President Khatami to discuss deteriorating press freedom
            situation (RSF) - update GABON: Radio Soleil programmes
            jammed (RSF) - alert CUBA: Journalist (m) detained for
            questioning (RSF) - alert ARGENTINA: Four military men
            who spied on journalists suspended (Periodistas) - update 

            ** ** ** 

            The IFEX "Communique" is published weekly in English,
            French and Spanish by the International Freedom of
            Expression eXchange (IFEX) Clearing House. The office is
            operated by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
            (CJFE) in partnership with the member organisations of
            IFEX. Contact the IFEX CH at 489 College St. #403,
            Toronto, Ontario M6G 1A5 Canada, tel: +1 416 515 9622,
            fax: +1 416 515 7879, general e-mail: ifex@xxxxxxxx,
            "Communique" e-mail: communique@xxxxxxxxx The
            "Communique" and the alerts can be viewed on the IFEX
            Internet Service at: www.ifex.org. "Communique" Editor:
            Kristina Stockwood. Subscriptions are available free or
            through voluntary donation by e-mail and surface mail. The
            views expressed in the "Communique" are the responsibility
            of the sources to which they are attributed. 

            Distributed via Africa News Online.