negative court ruling
Saturday 31.10.2020 Mozambique - Latest Developments -
Activists and journalists subjected to threats, offices independent weekly set on fire
Since the most recent Monitor update on Mozambique, the country held local elections on 10 October 2018 and general elections on 15 October 2019. Civil society actors monitoring the elections and journalists reporting on them were subjected to threats and arbitrary arrests. Read more
Thursday 29.10.2020 Guatemala - Latest Developments -
Judicial harassment of journalist and attacks against Indigenous rights defenders in Guatemala
On 11th September 2020, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemned the murders of and attacks against Indigenous and land rights defenders and their allies. Read more
Tuesday 6.10.2020 Tajikistan - Latest Developments -
Cover-up and downplay of COVID-19; massive restrictions on expression
On 30th April 2020, the Tajikistani authorities finally confirmed the first infections of the coronavirus but persisted in blaming the media for “spreading panic” among the population through its COVID-19 reporting. Since then, the number of officially confirmed deaths has been consistently lower than estimates from civil society. On 4th July 2020 President Rahmon signed into law new legislation regarding “false information” about the coronavirus, with serious implications for freedom of expression in Tajikistan. An initial consequence of the newly adopted law is that there are far fewer discussions about the pandemic situation in the media and on social media networks. There have been ongoing reports of physical attacks on journalists by unidentified individuals in Tajikistan. The authorities continue to crack down on political opponents. Read more
Saturday 3.10.2020 Nigeria - Latest Developments -
Journalists attacked while covering protests
On 1 October, Nigeria celebrated 60 years of independence. On the day of the country's anniversary, the Coalition for Revolution (CORE) organised protests across the country under the campaign #RevolutionNow. Demonstrators gathered to express discontent over issues of poor governance and increases in electricity and fuel prices. During the protests, police assaulted a photojournalist with Punch newspaper and arrested up to 60 demonstrators. Read more
Wednesday 9.9.2020 Yemen - Latest Developments -
Journalists under constant attack; four journalists sentenced to death after grossly unfair trial
The Specialised Criminal Court in Sana'a sentences four journalists (Akram Al-Walidi, Abdelkhaleq Amran, Hareth Hamid and Tawfiq Al-Mansouri) to death and six others to jail terms; Security forces in Marib Governorate released photojournalist Radwan Al-Hashedi, after he was arrested on 8th July 2020 upon arrival at Sayyun Airport; 30 people who were tried for expressing their opinions on issues of public interest and for their criticism of the de facto Houthi government sentenced to death while 6 are acquitted Read more
Tuesday 8.9.2020 Chad - Latest Developments -
Court suspends head of human rights organisation; access to WhatsApp blocked
On 12th August 2020, the president of the High Court of N'Djamena signed a court order suspending the secretary general of the human rights organisation Convention tchadienne de défense des droits de l’Homme (CTDDH; Chadian Convention for the Protection of Human Rights) Mahamat Nour Ibedou. Read more | Read in French
Monday 31.8.2020 Iran - Latest Developments -
Concerns about increased use of death penalty and judicial harassment to crack down on civic space
Human rights organisations raise concerns about the increasing use of the death penalty as a weapon of repression against protesters, and also identify a further emerging trend- the filing of additional charges against women human rights defenders already serving lengthy prison sentences in retaliation for their peaceful human rights activities
Read more
Monday 24.8.2020 Honduras - Latest Developments -
Honduran defenders at high risk: two defenders killed and five Garifuna leaders missing
On 10th July 2020, 22-year-old LGBTI+ rights defender Scarleth Cáceres was shot and killed in Tegucigalpa. Cáceres was a member of civil society organisation Asociación LGBT Arcoíris de Honduras, which defends sexual diversity rights. Read more | Read in Spanish
Monday 24.8.2020 Kazakhstan - Latest Developments -
Massive restrictions on expression during COVID-19; sudden banning of peaceful opposition
The reporting period was characterised by mass restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of association, specifically in relation to the banning of the popular unregistered “Street Party” movement by a court decision in May 2020 after it was labelled as extremist. The reporting period also saw important legislative developments, including changing slander from a criminal to an administrative offence and the corresponding reduction of penalties from prison sentences to fines. However, insult and insulting a government representative remain criminal offences. Read more
Wednesday 12.8.2020 Venezuela - Latest Developments -
Venezuela stifles dissent with political interference in opposition parties and detentions
At the 44th session of the Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, presented a new report on the situation in Venezuela between June 2019 and May 2020. Read more
