UN HRC: 58 NGOs warn of harmful impact of “countering and preventing violent extremism”

ARTICLE 19 has been joined by more than 50 other leading international and national civil society organisations in calling on the UN Human Rights Council to consider serious concerns around certain initiatives around “countering and preventing violent extremism” (PVE). Some of these initiatives risk significantly negative impacts on human rights, particularly the right to freedom of expression.

In advance of the 31st Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), the joint letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, supplemented with a joint written submission to the HRC, intends to inform all stakeholders’ contributions to an HRC panel discussion on PVE on 17 March 2016.

Through the letter and submission, ARTICLE 19 and others “recognise that PVE initiatives that are based on a clear definition of the phenomenon being addressed, have a proper evidential basis for harm reduction, and that respect human rights and civil society space, can play a potentially positive role.” However, the experience of many organisations is that, as with “counter-terrorism” measures, not all PVE initiatives meet these standards.

The letter and submission argue that the lack of an agreed definition for “violent extremism” opens the door to human rights and others abuses, compounded by the danger of conflating the phenomenon itself with “terrorism” and thereby leading to the overbroad application of “counter-terrorism” measures.

While packaged as positive measures, the letter and submission state that “many PVE initiatives have a significant potential to threaten the human rights to equality and freedom from discrimination, the right to privacy, and the freedoms of expression, association, and religion or belief.”

Governments routinely label their political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders as “violent extremists” simply for exercising their rights: PVE initiatives may provide some governments with further grounds to stifle freedom of expression, and crush dissent.

The letter and written submission also question the evidential basis for many PVE initiatives, which tend to alienate the very communities they seek to help, and are perceived as stigmatising and discriminatory and as a form of “soft surveillance.” While PVE initiatives are often framed not as addressing a particular religion or ideology, ARTICLE 19 and others note how they overwhelmingly target Muslims, with some programmes specifically targeting and stigmatising Muslim women.

There are also serious concerns that certain PVE initiatives target individuals’ access to the Internet or specific online platforms, to block lawful online content, and create blanket restrictions on access to specific platforms or encryption services. Increasingly, governments are enlisting private companies in these efforts on a “voluntarily” basis, circumventing procedural safeguards for the rights of users. At the same time, States too often overlook the enormous potential of a free and open Internet to enable robust debate in making a contribution to PVE.

HRC resolution 30/15 on “human rights and countering and preventing violent extremism”, adopted by vote after substantial oral revisions, called for the panel discussion on this issue. The resolution is criticised in the letter and submission for failing to “properly capture the danger for abuse of PVE initiatives”, and for “providing inadequate language aimed to protect human rights”.

In December 2015, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon launched the UN “Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism”. Though this all-encompassing agenda acknowledges several of the concerns that civil society have highlighted to the UN Human Rights Council, it largely fails to resolve them. There are concerns that it will lead to a proliferation of PVE initiatives that do not contain sufficient safeguards to protect human rights.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and all States to carefully consider the concerns raised in the joint letter and submission at the PVE panel discussion at the 31st Session of the HRC.

SIGNATORIES

The Joint Letter and Written Submission are endorsed by:

ARTICLE 19

American Civil Liberties Union

Amnesty International

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development

Association for Progressive Communications

Human Rights Watch

International Commission of Jurists

International Federation for Human Rights - FIDH

International Humanist and Ethical Union

International Press Institute

International Service for Human Rights

PEN International

Privacy International

World Association of Newspapers - WAN-IFRA

Access Now

ActiveWatch Romania

Afghanistan Journalists Center

Australian Privacy Foundation

Bahrain Centre for Human Rights

Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism - ABRAJI

Cambodia Center for Independent Media - CCIM

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

International Cartoonist Rights Network

Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility - CMFR

Charity & Security Network

Committee to Protect Journalists - CPJ

Council on American-Islamic Relations - CAIR

English PEN

European Digital Rights - EDRi

Federation of Nepali Journalists - FNJ

Free Media Movement (Sri Lanka)

Freedom Forum

Fundamendios

Globe International Center (Mongolia)

Gulf Centre for Human Rights

Human Rights Network for Journalists (Uganda)

Independent Journalism Center -IJC (Moldova)

Index on Censorship

International Federation of Journalists - IFJ (Asia-Pacific)

La Quadrature du Net

March Lebanon

Media Foundation for West Africa

Media Institute of Southern Africa

Media Rights Agenda

Media Watch Media

Entertainment & Arts Alliance (Australia)

Mizzima News

Muslims for Progressive Values

National Union of Somali Journalism - NUSOJ

Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms- MADA

PEN America

PEN Canada

Social Media Exchange - SMEX (Beirut)

South East European Network for Professionalization of Media

Southeast Asian Press Alliance - SEAPA

Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State

West African Human Rights Defenders' Network - WAHRDN

World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters- AMARC

Group Presents FoI, Whistle Blowers Bill to Lagos Assembly

 

February 16, 2016

By Femi Durojaiye

A non-governmental organisation, the United Action for Change (UAC),
yesterday presented two bills to the Lagos State House of Assembly, the
bills are the Freedom of Information (FoI) and Whistle Blower bills.

The two bills were presented to the Speaker by the Legal Adviser to UAC,
Adewale Ademola, who said that the organisation felt that the bills would
help fight corruption in the system.

According to the secretary of the organisation, Mr. Michael Popoola, the two
bills already exist as an act of the National Assembly and when the FoI Act
was passed into law by the National Assembly, there was much rejoicing, not
only by the press, but a majority of Nigerians.

Popoola said: "The need for transparency and accountability is even greater
now than ever as the thrust of government both at the federal and state
levels are in tune with the change agenda of the ruling party.

"The effects of these bills, which will eventually trickle down to the local
government level on the need to fight corruption to a standstill and
eventually eliminating it from our body polity," he said.

He observed that there were some snags in the FoI Law and that though there
is a federal legislation on it, the federal legislation does not apply in
the states and that except the laws are domesticated.

The FoI bill and Whistle Blowers Bill, he said can only apply in those
states, where they have been domesticated.

"The bills proposed for Lagos State have taken care of the defects noticed
in the federal law. In this respect, it will be noticed that the federal FoI
Act has 32 sections inclusive of the interpretation and citation sections.

"The proposed Lagos version has 33 sections inclusive of the interpretation
and citation sections. The new sections in the proposed Lagos Bill are
sections 20 and 21. The old section 20 of the FoI Act provides for judicial
review," he said.

The rights activist stated further that the new Lagos Bill section 20
provides for Complainant Commissioner, the new Lagos Bill section 21
provides for Appeal Commissioners.

He stressed that the essence of creating the Office of the Complainant
Commissioner, who is the Ombudsman in addition to the Office of Complaint
Commissioners under section 21 of the proposed Lagos laws is to resolve
disputes relating to rejected request for information.

"With particular reference to the FoI Bill, the proposed Lagos State version
has sought to introduce these sections, which will aid the effective
functioning of the law by creating the Office of the Complaint Commissioner,
some kind of Ombudsman and also the office of complaint tribunal to resolve
disputes relating to rejected request for information," he stated.

In his response, the Speaker of the assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa,
commended the UAC for the presentation, adding that it was a reminder of
what is expected of lawmakers.

Obasa promised that the Assembly would not fail the NGO and that the
proposed bills would be given thorough attention, but that the assembly had
not abandoned the FoI Bill the seventh assembly worked on.

"The bills would be given the necessary approvals. We should all be agents
of change. We must support the government of the day and do what is right.
We should depart from bad ways of doings things.

"Our government has started the process of departing from our old ways of
doing things. We will continue to work on that. We as professionals must all
be concerned about fighting corruption. We will do whatever wo do with
transparency and probity," he said.

CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ANNA THERESA DAY

FFR calls for the release of member Anna Therese Day, detained in Bahrain with three crew members.

The following is a statement released by the family of Anna Therese Day about her detention and posted here. 

Statement regarding American journalist, Anna Therese Day, and colleagues, detained in Bahrain on 14 February 2016. 

American, independent journalist Anna Therese Day and three members of her camera crew were detained in Bahrain on 14 February while working in the country. They have not yet been released. The four are experienced journalists, having most recently worked on virtual reality documentary filmmaking in Egypt and Gaza, and we hope the Bahraini authorities will release them rapidly and without harm.

Anna Therese Day is an award-winning independent journalist. She is a 2016 Truman National Security Project fellow, 2016 adjunct professor at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, a 2013 Fulbright Fellow, a 2012 United Nations Press Fellow, and was named one of Google Zeitgeist’s top 30 Great Young Minds of Our Time in 2011. Day is a regular contributor to The New York Times Women in the World. The Shorty Awards for Social Media recognized her as one of the Top 10 journalists of the Year at their 2013 and 2014 awards. Recently, she was named a national finalist for Running Start's Emerging Young Leader Awards and selected as one of Mic.com's #Mic50 Millennial Leaders 2015 list. In 2015, Day became a global brand ambassador for Skype's "The Things We Can Do" English-language campaign. 

Anna has reported from all over the Middle East and north Africa, India, Brazil and Mexico. Her work has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, Al Jazeera English, Daily Beast, CBS, Huffington Post, and numerous print outlets, translated into Arabic, English, Hebrew, and Spanish.

A Spokesperson for the family of Ms Day said: "Anna and her crew are committed journalists who only want to ensure they could undertake their profession ethically and thoroughly. The allegation that they were in any way involved in illegal behavior or anything other than journalistic activities is impossible. Anna Day is much loved and missed and we are concerned about her well being as well as that of her three American colleagues. We hope the Bahraini authorities will release all four journalists as soon as possible so they can return home."

-ENDS-

Notes for editors:

The other three journalists working with Ms Day have not yet been named and we would ask journalists to respect this in their reporting. 

Examples Ms Day's work can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaThereseDay/ 

Images of Ms Day for use by the media are attached.

GOOGLE, ACCESSNOW, FACEBOOK, CIVICUS, INTERNEWS PARTNER WITH PIN TO HOST INTERNET FREEDOM FORUM IN ABUJA, NIGERIA

Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, with support from AccessNow, Google, Facebook, Civicus and Internews, will host this year's Internet Freedom Forum in Abuja. The theme of the pan-African event that will host delegates from Cameroun, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, among others, is Rights are Rights, Online or Offline. 

Internet Freedom Forum is an annual forum that creates a platform for conversations on indices around Internet Freedom around the world. Internet Freedom Forum 2016 (#IFF2016) focuses on indices around Internet Freedom in African countries and the need to codify citizens’ right online. “The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, which seeks to codify online rights in Nigeria, will be reviewed at the forum and presented as a model for adoption by other African countries,” according to ‘Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director at Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN).

The keynote for the event will be delivered by Nani Jansen, Legal Director at Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI). She has acted in freedom of expression cases before national and international courts, and human rights tribunals, including the European Court of Human Rights, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, the East African Court of Justice, the UN Human Rights Committee, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

“Several experts, Internet Freedom advocates, journalists and government officials from all across Africa have confirmed participation at the event,” according to Adeboye Adegoke, Program Manager (ICT Policy) at PIN. Some of the confirmed panelists at the event include Hon. Chukwuemeka Ujam, Vice Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Telecommunications;Edet Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda; Titi Akinsanmi-Bolarinwa, Lead, Policy and Government Relations, Google; Ebele, Okobi, Head of Public Policy, Africa, Facebook; Ephraim Kenyanito, Sub-Saharan Africa Policy Analyst, AccessNow; Seun Onigbinde, Co-founder, BudgIT; popular blogger, Japheth Omojuwa; award-winning journalist, Tolu Ogunlesi; ‘Yemi Adamolekun, Executive Director, Enough is Enough Nigeria; and 'Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria.

The Nigerian Minister of Communications, National Security Adviser, Director General of Department of State Security Service, and Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission have been invited to provide government perspective to the conversation.

PIN’s Chief Operating Officer, Tope Ogundipe, urged interested individuals and organizations to immediately register on the event’s website, www.pinigeria.org/iff, “...because participation at the event is strictly by invitation. Successful applicants will be contacted by the #IFF2016 Secretariat at Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, and application to attend will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis until February 20, 2016”.

Transparency crucial to stop corruption – US envoy

The federal government can run a more effective anti-corruption crusade if it goes about it in a more transparent way, the Deputy Public Affairs Officer, United States Consulate-General Lagos, Mr. Frank Sellin, said Tuesday.

Delivering the lead speech at a Media Tweet-a-thon organised by International Press Centre (IPC) with the theme: International best practices in transparency in government and the role of the media, Sellin called for the protection of whistleblowers and provision of the right tools for anti-graft agencies.

He said: “Transparency is a crucial way to break the chain of corruption. That’s why the US government strongly supports open government.

“Governments become unstable when they muzzle the media. They become blind to the problems of the people and the solutions.

Sellin added that corruption affects all countries and Nigeria has to look for its own formula to tackle it.

One such formula is to make government accountable to the people.He said: “When governments don’t answer questions, people will talk about it anyway. Silence encourages speculation without facts.”

The consular officer recommended that the government should do all it can to defend media and judicial independence as well as limit secrecy.

“Bad governments,” Sellin said, “survive in the dark.”

He lamented that most of the publications in the media about the $2.1billion arms scandal are based on information released by the government and not what the media obtained by investigation.One of the lead discussants at the event, Mr. Martins Oloja, Editor, Guardian Newspaper, said governments tend to hide things, so journalists must stay vigilant.

“The health of a democracy depends on the amount of quality information available to the citizenry.”

Emphasising the place of funding in journalism, Oloja added: “There can be no editorial independence without financial independence.”
The Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, who delivered the welcome and closing remarks, said the media tweet conference marks the commencement of a one-year Media and Transparency Watch project.

Press Statement : IPC launches Media & Transparency Watch Project

he International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria, has commenced a one-year Media and Transparency Watch project designed to ensure that the Nigerian media serves as effective catalysts of transparency and good governance.

The project is being supported by the US Consulate-General, Lagos-Nigeria, to enhance the reporting of transparency issues through regular sensitization and exchange of ideas with media professionals.

To realize these objectives, IPC will hold the first in a series tweet conference (or Media tweet-a-thon) at 11am on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 under the theme: International Best Practices in Media Role in Transparency.

The lead speaker will be Frank Sellin, Deputy Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate General Lagos while the lead discussants include Mr. Martins Oloja, the Editor of The Guardian and Jessica Tesoriero, Second Secretary for Political and Economic Affairs of the U.S. Consulate General Lagos.

The event will be attended by leading media professionals including editors and reporters, journalism and communication scholars as well as representatives of civil society groups, media professional bodies and media support groups.

The event will be streamed live via twitter, facebook and other social media channels to allow for the participation of as many interested individuals and groups as possible.

Subsequent tweet conferences under the Media and Transparency Watch project will feature presentations and discussions on open governance initiatives, digital journalism and reporting of transparency, the use of FOI Act in ant-corruption reporting, transparency issues in the extractive sector, etc.

It is expected that the outcomes of the tweet conferences will stimulate investigative journalism and media advocacy for greater transparency and anti-corruption in Nigeria.

Lanre Arogundade
Director
Tel: +234 (0) 8023186845 , +234 (0) 8067144874
Email: larogundade@ipcng.org, larogundade@gmail.com
Twitter: @lanreipc l Skype: lanre.arogundade2

International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, Nigeria
IPC is Nigeria's foremost media capacity development organization.
www.ipcng.org l www.twitter.com/IPCng l www.facebook.com/ipc.nigeria lwww.youtube.com/ipcng l Google+ : Ipc Ng

No To Muzzling Of Social Media - - Leadership

Contrary to the body language of the present administration to promote good
governance, protect human rights and expose corruption, the frenetic pace
with which the “Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other
Matters Connected Therewith” passed two of the constitutionally stipulated
three sittings in the Senate leaves a putrid taste in the mouth. It has
caused public opinion and discourse to tag the proposed law “Anti-social
media bill” and brought sad memories of press gag into global attention.

On the face value, devoting two consecutive legislative business days and a
record eight days, including setting up three important Senate committees –
Information, Communications Technology; Judiciary to be led by the Ethics
and Privileges Committee, means the Bukola Saraki-led Senate is more
interested in the laws that protect the elite rather than the ones that
favour the masses.

We are worried because the proposed law states that “Where any person
through text message, tweets, WhatsApp or through any social media posts
any abusive statement knowing same to be false with intent to set the
public against any person and group of persons, an institution of
government or such other bodies established by law shall be guilty of an
offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment for two
years or a fine of N2m or both fine and imprisonment.” This is not only
ridiculous, it is asinine. Though the Senate president and some of his
colleagues publicly acknowledged the positive impact of social media on
their political and professional careers, we believe enacting a law to
protect public officers is time-wasting, frivolous, hypocritical and should
be an embarrassment to all democrats.

We are not unmindful of perky news freely shared on social media, but
democracy as a form of government permits free speech and unfettered
sharing of information. Section 39 of the Nigerian constitution guards
people’s right to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions
and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference, as
enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. It is a global
best practice that Nigeria should align with scrupulously. Deviating from
this will amount to a descent to the despotic past where journalists were
jailed for writing truthful reports that embarrassed the privileged class.
Democracy thrives on transparency and anyone that has anything to hide has
no business seeking public office.

The Senate will be progressing in error if it goes ahead in processing this
bill when our statute books are replete with laws dealing with false
allegations, libel, defamation and other torts. The time wasted on the bill
portrays the Senate as idle, bereft of ideas and lacking focus. A
people-oriented legislature should prioritise laws that promote good
governance, welfare for the people and deliver infrastructure and not dwell
on petty issues like restricting the scope of human freedoms, growth of new
platforms of social interaction and public accountability.

It is recommended that the bill be withdrawn immediately and anyone
interested in enlightened self-protection or national interest governance
over the use of the internet or electronic communication, as indicated in
Sections 3 and 4 of the proposed Bill, should read again the content of the
Cybercrimes Bill of 2014. The attempt to jump from petitions/affidavit to
electronic communication on interpretations for intent, petition, and other
issues covered under the Freedom of Information Act and protection of
whistle blowers is not only dubious and unlawful but antithetic to
democratic norms and practices and the constitution to which all Senators
swore to uphold.

IWMF's fund for women journalists seeks applications [Worldwide]

Female journalists of all nationalities can apply for a grant to attend a security training program.

The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) is accepting applications for the Howard G. Buffett Fund, which aims to support women journalists in their projects and endeavors.  

In the final round of the US$230,000 fund, applicants can apply to attend the Hostile Environment and First Aid Training Jan. 22 to 24, 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya, or a security training course of their own choosing.

The IWMF will award funding in this round of applications for the Fund for Women Journalists exclusively for journalists to obtain hostile environments and first aid training (HEFAT). There are two options to apply.

Option1: Women journalists may apply for stipends to attend a security-training course of their own choosing. To apply for this option, applicants must have already selected a training provider and provide proof of the cost to participate. 

Option 2: Through the Fund for Women Journalists the IWMF will sponsor a 3-day Hostile Environment and First Aid Training for 14 women journalists from January 22-24 in Nairobi, Kenya. The Fund for Women Journalists will cover the full cost of training including accommodations and meals. Funding for travel costs to the training venue in Nairobi will be considered based on need.

Applications for either option must be submitted via the IWMF’s online application system.

All applications must include:

-       Resume/CV

-       Links to work samples in English

-       Designation of which option you are pursuing

-       Statement on how this opportunity will benefit you professionally

All applications must be received by December 1, 2015 at midnight US EST.

Deadline approaching: reporting fellowship to cover the refugee crisis [Worldwide]

BOSTON – The GroundTruth Project is announcing a two-week reporting fellowship to cover the Middle East refugee crisis through the lens of on-going humanitarian efforts to help Syrians and Iraqis survive another harsh winter in host countries such as Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.

This fellowship will begin in mid-January and will be awarded to two visual journalists early in their career. We are looking for a photographer and a videographer who will be open to working together as a team led in the field led by GroundTruth founder and veteran Middle East correspondent Charles Sennott.

The fellowship will include funding to cover all travel, lodging and insurance for this journey and a modest stipend for the fellows. It will also include an introduction to risk assessment and safety training.

The team will work together to find the human stories, particularly those of children, and a narrative thread woven through the historic movement of millions of refugees fleeing war and instability.

This fellowship is made possible with support from World Vision, a child-focused aid and development organization which works in more than 100 countries to help communities find long-term solutions to poverty and injustice. World Vision is a faith-based NGO that serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

While working in partnership with World Vision, The GroundTruth Project will retain full editorial control of the project and publish it through existing editorial partners.

To apply for this fellowship, please send a resume, a cover letter of no more than 500 words explaining why you should be considered and no less than three links to samples of your work.

Please send applications via email with the subject line “COVERING THE REFUGEE CRISIS” and address cover letters to GroundTruth Managing Editor Kevin Grant at kgrant (at) thegroundtruthproject.org.

 

The deadline for applications is December 1 and winners will be announced December 7.

SAVE THE DATE: TENTH WOLE SOYINKA AWARD FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING