Press Freedom

Attack on French Magazine a “Black Day” for Press Freedom

By A. D. McKenzie
“They are cowards who react to satire by going for their Kalashnikovs.” That was how renowned French cartoonist Plantu described the killers of 10 media workers and two policemen in Paris Wednesday.

OPINION: Political Islam and U.S. Policy in 2015

By Emile Nakhleh
This year, Arab political Islam will be greatly influenced by U.S. regional policy, as it has been since the Obama administration came into office six years ago. Indeed, as the U.S. standing in the region rose with Obama’s presidency beginning in January 2009, so did the fortunes of Arab political Islam.

OPINION: We Have So Much to Learn From Cuba

By Robert F. Kennedy Jr
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba after more than five decades of a misguided policy which my uncle, John F. Kennedy, and my father, Robert F. Kennedy, had been responsible for enforcing after the U.S. embargo against the country was first implemented in October 1960 by the Eisenhower administration.

Uzbekistan Gears Up to Vote for Rubberstamp Parliament

By Joanna Lillis
Uzbekistan's parliamentary elections on Dec. 21 will offer voters a choice, but no hope for change.

Leading Investigative Reporter Detained in Azerbaijan

By Justin Burke
Authorities in Azerbaijan took steps Dec. 5 to muzzle Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist who is the country’s most vocal government critic. A Baku court granted a motion to hold Ismayilova in jail pending a criminal trial, while her Facebook page mysteriously went dark.

Mubarak Acquitted as Egypt’s Counterrevolution Thrives

By Emile Nakhleh
The acquittal of former Egyptian President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak is not a legal or political surprise. Yet it carries serious ramifications for Arab autocrats who are leading the counterrevolutionary charge, as well as the United States.

Kyrgyzstan Debates Russian-Style “Foreign Agents” Law

By David Trilling
Kyrgyzstan must protect itself from Arab Islamists and gay-loving Americans; so say supporters of a sweeping draft law that could shutter many non-governmental organisations and, like a Russian bill adopted in 2012, label foreign-funded activists as “foreign agents.”

Civil Society Freedoms Merit Role in Post-2015 Development Agenda

By Mandeep S.Tiwana
Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, an advocacy NGO, is facing criminal charges for sending a tweet that said: “many Bahrain men who joined terrorism and ISIS have come from the security institutions and those institutions were the first ideological incubator”.

Azerbaijan’s Rights Activists on the Brink

By Vugar Gojayev
When Azerbaijan served as chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, it scoffed at the spirit and purpose of the organisation and moved vigorously to squash all forms of free speech at home.

Fighting the Islamic State On the Air

By Karlos Zurutuza
There is daily news broadcasting at 9 in the evening and a live programme every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. For the time being, that is what Mosul´s only TV channel has to offer from its headquarters in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Pushing the Voice of Syrian Women For a New Future

By Shelly Kittleson
For most Syrian women, the war has been a disaster. For some, it has also been liberating.

When Is a Corporate Media Group Too Powerful?

By Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero
A multi-million-dollar grant from a major media conglomerate to a communications school here has been hailed by some as a shining example of corporate philanthropy working to improve the quality of journalism.

Journalists Silenced as Killers Walk Free

By Lyndal Rowlands
A new report published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) shows that nine out of 10 cases of journalist killings go unpunished.

OPINION: Contras and Drugs, Three Decades Later

By Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero
In late 1986, Washington was rocked by revelations that the Ronald Reagan administration had illegally aided a stateless army known as the contras in Central America.

Cash-Strapped Human Rights Office at Breaking Point, Says New Chief

By Thalif Deen
After six weeks in office, the new U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein of Jordan launched a blistering attack on member states for insufficient funding, thereby forcing operations in his office to the breaking point "in a world that seems to be lurching from crisis to ever-more dangerous crisis."

Half a Century of Struggle Against Underdevelopment

By Pablo Piacentini
The idea of creating Inter Press Service (IPS) arose in the early 1960s in response to awareness that a vacuum existed in the world of journalism, which had two basic aspects.

OPINION: This Flower Is Right Here

By Ernest Corea
Where have all the flowers gone? Yes, of course, those are the opening words of a beautiful song made famous by such illustrious singers as Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, Vera Lynn and the Kingston Trio, among others. It was a great number made greater by the different styles in which singers of different musical temperaments belted it out.

OPINION: International Relations, the U.N. and Inter Press Service

By Roberto Savio
In 1979, I had a debate at the United Nations with the late Stan Swinton, then the very powerful and brilliant director of Associated Press (AP). At one point, I furnished the following figures (which had been slow to change), as an example of Western bias in the media:

Azerbaijan: Human Rights Plummet to New Low

By Shahin Abbasov
Azerbaijan in recent months has launched a clear assault against various civil society activists and non-governmental organisations. While rough treatment of critics is nothing new in this energy-rich South-Caucasus country, one question remains unanswered: Why pick up the pace now?

Iran, One Year Under Rouhani

By Jasmin Ramsey
When Hassan Rouhani was declared Iran’s president last year, large crowds gathered in the streets of Tehran to celebrate his surprise victory. But while hope for a better life persists, Iranians continue to face harsh realities.

Human Rights Low on U.S-Africa Policy Summit

By Julia Hotz
As the White House prepares to host more than 40 African heads of state for the upcoming U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, civil society actors from the U.S., Africa and the international community are urging the Barack Obama administration to use the summit as an opportunity to more thoroughly address some of Africa’s most pressing human rights violations.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
*#*