Egypt: Concerns with Draft Broadcast Law

Egypt: Concerns with Draft Broadcast Law

ARTICLE 19 and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information have serious concerns with the draft Broadcast Law released by the Egyptian authorities.

A detailed analysis of the draft Law conducted by ARTICLE 19 highlights these concerns, including the fact that the oversight body, the National Audiovisual Broadcasting Regulation Authority, would be controlled by government rather than being independent, as required under international law.
The draft Broadcast Law was released in July 2008 and we understand that the Egyptian government plans to present it to the People’s Assembly in due course.

ARTICLE 19 and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information’s key concerns with the draft Law, in addition to the lack of independence of the Authority, are as follows:
It requires not only broadcasters, but also companies which deal in broadcast equipment, to be licensed.
It allocates broadcasting licences on the basis of the highest bidder, as opposed to public interest approach and fails to recognise community broadcasting as a third type of broadcaster.
It provides for excessive restrictions on broadcasting content.
It fails to set out a framework of rules for regulating ownership concentration and for ensuring competition in the broadcasting sector.
It provides only for heavy penalties, instead of putting in place a graduated system of sanctions for breach of the law, and fails to place appropriate conditions on the imposition of heavy penalties.

ARTICLE 19 and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information call on the Egyptian authorities to amend the draft Law before putting it to the People’s Assembly so as to rectify these problems and to bring it into line with international standards in this area.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• The Submission is available in English at: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/memorandum-on-the-draft-egyptian-broadcast-law.pdf and in Arabic at: http://www.anhri.net/press/2009/pr0216.shtml

• For more information, please contact Toby Mendel, Senior Legal Counsel, ARTICLE 19, a19law@hfx.eastlink.ca, +1 902 431-3688, or Gamal Eid, Executive Director, Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, gamaleid@anhri.net, 0101936884.• Arabic Network for Human Rights Information is a non for profit institution works on promoting the human rights in Arab World and defending opinion makers and free expression activists in the region.

Russia: double murder another blow for human rights

20 January 2009
STATEMENT

Russia: double murder another blow for human rights
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7838328.stm
The shocking murders of the lawyer Stanislav Markelov and the young journalist Anastasia Barburova on Monday brings Russia’s human rights record to a new low. The crime is compounded by the knowledge that Russia has a culture where impunity reigns and murderers are rarely brought to justice. Even in the case of a journalist as famous as Anna Politkovskaya, after a rare two-year murder investigation it is the alleged accomplices who are on trial – while the murderer remains at large.

Stanislav Markelov was well known for his work as a human rights lawyer, particularly in Chechnya. Markelov represented the family of 18-year-old Kheda Kungayeva, who was murdered by Yuri Budanov - the first senior officer to be convicted of human rights abuse during the Chechen campaigns. Markelov had announced that he would be challenging Budanov’s early release last week.Those who are brave enough to expose human rights abuses in Russia risk their lives. Over the past few months, victims have included Umar Israilov, a Chechen who claimed that he had been tortured by President Ramzan Kadyrov and had filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. He was shot dead in Vienna last week. Last November, Mikhail Beketov, a local newspaper editor, was assaulted in the Moscow suburb of Khimki and left in a coma. Beketov had been a fearless critic of the local administration. Last summer, Magomed Yevloyev, who owned the website Ingushetia.ru and also bravely exposed abuses, was shot dead in a police car as he was being taken away for questioning. All these cases represent a striking and widespread level of lawlessness. We would like to remind the Russian authorities that as a State Party to the European Convention on Human Rights, Russia has agreed to secure the human rights of all within its jurisdiction, including the right to life and to freedom of expression.ARTICLE 19, English PEN and Index on Censorship call on the Russian authorities to do everything in their power to bring those responsible for the murders of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Barburova to justice – and to demonstrate the will to address the continuing culture of impunity.

FURTHER INFORMATION:
• For more information: please contact Anoush Begoyan, ARTICLE 19 Europe Programme Officer at anoushb@article19.org or +44 20 7278 9292 or Jo Glanville, Editor: Index on Censorship at mailto : jo@indexoncensorship.org or +44 20 7278 2313 / +44 771 302 0971.

Gaza : The grave violations of human rights

Gaza: ARTICLE 19 Condemns the Israeli Military's Continued Targeting of
Media Personnel in Gaza and Supports International Calls for a UN
investigation into the Attacks

ARTICLE 19 strongly condemns Israel’s continued unlawful attacks on Gaza, including the shelling on January 15 of a United Nations compound containing essential aid supplies and the targeting of a building hosting several media offices, resulting in the injury of two media professionals. In an escalation of Israeli attacks on media professionals, a missile or shell hit a Gaza tower block home to Reuters and other international media organizations on January
15.
The 13th floor of al-Shurouq Tower struck the offices of Abu Dhabi television injuring one of its journalists and a Reuters cameraman.

ARTICLE 19 also strongly condemns Israel’s detention of two Palestinian journalists working for the Iranian Al-Alam television station in Ramallah on January 5, 2009.
Hadir Shaheen 34, and Mohammed Sarhan, 26 were arrested in Jerusalem on charges of broadcasting information on the deployment of Israeli soldiers into Gaza which was subject to ‘military censorship.’

More than 1000 Palestinians have so far been killed and more than 5000 are injured. Among the killed, more than 300 are children and hundreds more are wounded.

The continuous ban of foreign media entering the Gaza strip and the severe attacks on media personnel in Gaza is evidence of the Israeli authorities’ determined attempts to control and manage the news coming out of Gaza.
“The denial of access to Gaza for journalists prevents the important circulation of essential information on the plight of those most in need” said Dr. Agnes Callamard, ARTICLE 19’s Executive Director.
“History and experience have stressed the importance of protecting a free flow of information about conflict situations so as to expose any abuses that may occur and create a climate in which the conflicts may be resolved. Media freedom must be respected, not restricted, if peace is to be won” added Dr. Callamard.

Media workers benefit from the full protection granted by international humanitarian law to civilians, in both international and non-international armed conflicts. Journalists are considered civilians under Article 79 of Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, provided they do not do anything or behave in any way that might compromise this status. Any deliberate attack on a journalist that causes death or serious physical injury is a major breach of this Protocol and deemed a war crime.

This protection under the Geneva Convention was reiterated by Security Council

ARTICLE 19, 6-8 Amwell Street, London EC1R 1UQ
Tel: (+44) 20 7278 9292 / Fax: (+44) 20 7278 7660
Web: http://www.article19.org/ / Email: info@article19.org
Resolution 1738 concerning the protection of journalists and media personnel in conflict zones.
ARTICLE 19 supports urgent international calling for a UN-led investigation into a range of attacks in which civilians were killed or injured, and civilian buildings were destroyed.

ARTICLE 19 in particular calls for the international investigation to include the targeting of media professionals in Gaza and the shelling of media buildings. A19 calls on the international community to implement UN Human Rights Council resolution (A/HRC/S-9/L.2) adopted on January 12, 2009, which, among other matters calls for “Free access of media to areas of conflict through media corridors” into Gaza

· For more information: please contact Hoda Rouhana, Programme Officer for Middle East and North Africa, hoda@article19.org, +44 20 7278 9292

· The 47-member United National Human Rights Council adopted the resolution, with 33 voting in favour, 1 against and 13 abstentions, as it concluded its ninth special session which discussed “the grave violations of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including the recent aggression in the occupied Gaza Strip”. The resolution called for an “immediate cessation of Israeli military attacks throughout the Palestinian Occupied Territory, in particularly in the Occupied Gaza Strip that have resulted, thus far, in the killing of more than 1000 and the injury to more than 4000 Palestinians, including a large number of women and children. It also called for an “end to the launching of the crude rockets against Israeli civilians that resulted in the loss of 4 civilian lives and some injuries.”

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/docs/S-9resolution12jan08.pdf

· The Security Council resolution adopted on Thursday January 8th 2009, by a vote of 14-0, with the U.S. abstaining, "stresses the urgency of and calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected cease-fire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.”

· The Security Council adopted resolution on 1737 on 23 December 2006. Full text:
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8929.doc.htm

· ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works around the world to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech.