Latest news with #ReportersWithoutBorders
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Rights body orders probe into journo attack
The nation's human rights body demanded that police investigate the brutal assault of a journalist who was tied, beaten and paraded through a village while reporting on alleged corruption. Video footage circulated on social media showed journalist Bijay Pradhan being beaten up on May 25 after he went to report on construction of a housing scheme in the eastern state of Odisha. 'Reportedly, he was suddenly attacked ... The victim's legs and hands were tied, and he was paraded through the village before being tied to a pole and mercilessly beaten,' the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said Friday. It demanded police provide a report within two weeks. 'The victim's mobile phones and video camera were also smashed by the perpetrators, and he was threatened not to report anything about the incident,' the NHRC added in a statement. Four people suspected of assaulting the journalist have been arrested. India, where incidents of intimidation and assaulting journalists are not uncommon, is ranked 151 on the World Press Freedom Index, run by Reporters Without Borders. In January, India's media watchdog demanded a thorough investigation after the battered body of a journalist, who had widely reported on corruption in neighbouring Chhattisgarh state, was found stuffed in a septic tank covered with concrete. — AFP
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Navalny widow, media watchdog to launch TV channel
The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and Reporters Without Borders will launch a television channel to "promote free speech in Russia", the press freedom advocacy group said on Friday. The channel, named Future of Russia, will be broadcast via the Svoboda Satellite project, which is available across Russia, Reporters Without Borders said. The channel will launch on Wednesday, June 4, the day Navalny would have turned 49. In March, the media watchdog, known by its French acronym RSF, launched a package of satellite news channels catering to Russia, much of it produced by Russian journalists forced to leave the country after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The Svoboda package is available to 4.5 million households in Russia and around 800,000 households in occupied Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders. Jim Phillipoff, project director of Svoboda Satellite, said cooperation was first proposed by Navalny's right-hand man Leonid Volkov. "Then we jointly created this concept," he told AFP. "But only recently did we receive the funding to make it possible," Phillipoff added. "Because there is no independent news in Russia it is all the more important to have alternative viewpoints," he said. He said that Russia relied on satellite for about 45 percent of television reception. "The majority of the satellite signals are provided through the French company, Eutelsat, our partner in this project," he added. The charismatic Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's main opponent, suddenly died in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024. His family and supporters say he was killed on orders from Putin. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has vowed to continue Navalny's fight from exile. Navalny had been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for a decade by probing corruption among officials and leading large protests throughout Russia. He peppered the internet with slickly produced videos, all beginning with his laconic catchphrase "Privet, eto Navalny!" ("Hi, this is Navalny!"). "We will use much of the content that they are currently producing for their YouTube channels, Popular Politics, Navalny Live, Alexei Navalny and others," Phillipoff said, referring to the late politician's team in exile. "We are also discussing ideas for exclusive content for the channel, but we don't produce any content ourselves." After Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has outlawed all forms of public dissent and banned independent media. With all top Kremlin critics either behind bars or in exile, Navalny's legacy has been fading in Russia. as/ekf/phz
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Navalny Widow, Media Watchdog To Launch TV Channel
The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and Reporters Without Borders will launch a television channel to "promote free speech in Russia", the press freedom advocacy group said on Friday. The channel, named Future of Russia, will be broadcast via the Svoboda Satellite project, which is available across Russia, Reporters Without Borders said. The channel will launch on Wednesday, June 4, the day Navalny would have turned 49. In March, the media watchdog, known by its French acronym RSF, launched a package of satellite news channels catering to Russia, much of it produced by Russian journalists forced to leave the country after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The Svoboda package is available to 4.5 million households in Russia and around 800,000 households in occupied Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders. Jim Phillipoff, project director of Svoboda Satellite, said cooperation was first proposed by Navalny's right-hand man Leonid Volkov. "Then we jointly created this concept," he told AFP. "But only recently did we receive the funding to make it possible," Phillipoff added. "Because there is no independent news in Russia it is all the more important to have alternative viewpoints," he said. He said that Russia relied on satellite for about 45 percent of television reception. "The majority of the satellite signals are provided through the French company, Eutelsat, our partner in this project," he added. The charismatic Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's main opponent, suddenly died in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024. His family and supporters say he was killed on orders from Putin. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has vowed to continue Navalny's fight from exile. Navalny had been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for a decade by probing corruption among officials and leading large protests throughout Russia. He peppered the internet with slickly produced videos, all beginning with his laconic catchphrase "Privet, eto Navalny!" ("Hi, this is Navalny!"). "We will use much of the content that they are currently producing for their YouTube channels, Popular Politics, Navalny Live, Alexei Navalny and others," Phillipoff said, referring to the late politician's team in exile. "We are also discussing ideas for exclusive content for the channel, but we don't produce any content ourselves." After Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has outlawed all forms of public dissent and banned independent media. With all top Kremlin critics either behind bars or in exile, Navalny's legacy has been fading in Russia. Alexei Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has vowed to continue his fight from exile AFP
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Navalny widow, media watchdog to launch TV channel
The channel, named Future of Russia, will be broadcast via the Svoboda Satellite project, which is available across Russia, Reporters Without Borders said. The channel will launch on Wednesday, June 4, the day Navalny would have turned 49. In March, the media watchdog, known by its French acronym RSF, launched a package of satellite news channels catering to Russia, much of it produced by Russian journalists forced to leave the country after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The Svoboda package is available to 4.5 million households in Russia and around 800,000 households in occupied Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders. Jim Phillipoff, project director of Svoboda Satellite, said cooperation was first proposed by Navalny's right-hand man Leonid Volkov. "Then we jointly created this concept," he told AFP. "But only recently did we receive the funding to make it possible," Phillipoff added. "Because there is no independent news in Russia it is all the more important to have alternative viewpoints," he said. He said that Russia relied on satellite for about 45 percent of television reception. "The majority of the satellite signals are provided through the French company, Eutelsat, our partner in this project," he added. The charismatic Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's main opponent, suddenly died in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024. His family and supporters say he was killed on orders from Putin. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has vowed to continue Navalny's fight from exile. Navalny had been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for a decade by probing corruption among officials and leading large protests throughout Russia. He peppered the internet with slickly produced videos, all beginning with his laconic catchphrase "Privet, eto Navalny!" ("Hi, this is Navalny!"). "We will use much of the content that they are currently producing for their YouTube channels, Popular Politics, Navalny Live, Alexei Navalny and others," Phillipoff said, referring to the late politician's team in exile. "We are also discussing ideas for exclusive content for the channel, but we don't produce any content ourselves." After Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has outlawed all forms of public dissent and banned independent media.
Mada
4 days ago
- Politics
- Mada
Alaa Abd El Fattah arbitrarily detained, UN experts say, requesting immediate release
The imprisonment of writer and activist Alaa Abd El Fattah is arbitrary and illegal, a United Nations expert panel has ruled. In a press release published Wednesday the group called on Egypt to carry out its obligation to 'release him immediately under international law.' Commenting on the ruling, Director of Reporters Without Borders Fiona O'Brien said that the ruling should 'bring his suffering and that of his family to an end,' calling for Egypt to release Abd El Fattah and allow him to return to his family in the United Kingdom. Abd El Fattah has spent most of the past decade in prison on political charges. He continues to be detained by authorities in Egypt despite completing in September the sentence issued against him in 2021. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) argued that no warrant or explanation was present at the time of Abd El Fattah's arrest and that he was imprisoned for exercising his freedom of expression — a legal right in Egypt. Abd El Fattah was arrested in September 2019 after he republished an activist's post about the death of a prisoner under torture in the notorious Aqrab Prison. He was then detained pending investigations into the offenses of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news, which are often deployed against government critics. The statement also cited the lack of a fair trial and the 'discriminatory nature of the detention based on his political views.' During his 2021 trial at an emergency state security misdemeanors court, Abd El Fattah was denied the right to appeal the sentence, which was handed down only after three trial sessions. His defense lawyers were also prevented from access to the case files or an opportunity to present a defense. He was ultimately referred to trial on false news charges and sentenced with an additional five years. In the Wednesday press release, UNWGAD also requested that the Egyptian government 'remedy the situation' by releasing the writer and activist and granting him 'an enforceable right to compensation' among other forms of recompense under international law. The assessment of the five independent UN experts adds to the voices which have pushed for his release. Abd El Fattah's family have escalated their calls for his release since September, which marked the passage of five years that he spent in detention. His mother, academic and activist Laila Soueif, is currently on a full hunger strike in protest of his continued detention. Her health condition has deteriorated rapidly over the 241 days of her strike. Abd El Fattah also began a full hunger strike in prison on March 1. Soueif, whose family including her son hold British and Egyptian nationality, has also held daily demonstrations outside the British government headquarters, urging them to intervene with Egyptian authorities to secure her son's release. Commenting on UNGWAD's ruling that Abd El Fattah's detention is unlawful, the activist's cousin, author Omar Robert Hamilton, said in a Wednesday press release that, 'We are calling on the British government to take Egypt to the International Court of Justice for breach of the Vienna Convention.' In a call with Sisi last week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pressed for Abdel El Fattah's 'urgent release' so that he can be reunited with his family. Starmer also highlighted the importance of bringing an end to the 'anguish Alaa and his family have faced.' He has also confirmed, in response to a parliamentary question, what he had previously said to Soueif — that he is committed to doing everything in his power to push for Abd El Fattah's release. On their side, Abd El Fattah's family submitted a presidential pardon request and two legal petitions to the public prosecutor in Egypt earlier this month, as Soueif's health continues to decline. Abd El Fattah's defense lawyer, Khaled Ali, has previously stated that prosecutors should have released Abd El Fattah at the conclusion of his five-year sentence in 2024 — as the two years he spent in remand detention should count toward the total. Prosecutors have declined legal attempts to sue for his release, however, meaning that his imprisonment is likely to extend until January 2026. Amnesty International has expressed fears that authorities will then resort to other tactics to extend his imprisonment further. In her demand for the UN ruling to be used for British and Egyptian officials to facilitate Abd El Fattah's release, O'Brien expressed the urgency of ending his arbitrary detention for both him and his family. 'They cannot afford to wait any longer,' she said.
