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<title>What lies behind the ‘golden opportunities’ of Malaysian Star media group's new tie with its mainland Chinese partner</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/16/what-lies-behind-the-golden-opportunities-of-malaysian-star-media-groups-new-tie-with-its-mainland-chinese-partner/</link>
<comments>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/16/what-lies-behind-the-golden-opportunities-of-malaysian-star-media-groups-new-tie-with-its-mainland-chinese-partner/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[China Media Project]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2024 10:26:37 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[East Asia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Feature]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Free Expression]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Malaysia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WORLD]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://advox.globalvoices.org/?p=29320</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The China's State Council is the sole shareholder Contemporary World Publishing Co., Ltd, the company behind Star Media Group's latest media partner, Contemporary World Magazine.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>Contemporary World's role in Chinese foreign policy is officially recognized</big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/16/what-lies-behind-the-golden-opportunities-of-malaysian-star-media-groups-new-tie-with-its-mainland-chinese-partner/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_810451" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-810451" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-810451" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5492-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1920" />The Star Media Group's official website. Photo taken by Oiwan Lam</div>
This post was written by David Bandurski and originally <a href="https://chinamediaproject.org/2024/04/09/golden-opportunities/">published </a>in the China Media Project on April 9, 2024. An edited version is published below as part of a content partnership agreement with the China Media Project.
Last week, the <a href="https://www.starmediagroup.my/">Star Media Group</a> (SMG), one of Malaysia’s largest integrated media conglomerates, announced a partnership with China’s Contemporary World magazine, an outlet directly under the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. In a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240402111625/https:/www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/04/02/closer-chinese-media-ties">press release</a> on the cooperation that made no mention of the magazine’s government ties, SMG said that “both media companies agreed to collaborate on news sources and explore further cooperation opportunities.”
The collaboration is just the latest example of China’s determined push to enhance its influence across Southeast Asia through media diplomacy, partnerships, journalism <a href="https://chinamediaproject.org/2023/05/24/framing-china-in-southeast-asia/">outreach programs</a>, and state-led <a href="https://chinamediaproject.org/2024/01/04/what-does-it-mean-to-understand-china/">external propaganda initiatives</a> — in many cases, without any public transparency whatsoever about the Chinese entities involved.
SMG’s Chan Seng Fatt (陳成發), who became CEO of the group only <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2024/01/24/smg-names-chan-seng-fatt-as-group-ceo">last month</a>, called the partnership a “golden opportunity” to bridge divides between China and Southeast Asia through what he called “concerted media collaboration.” He also hinted at the complexities in a region where views of China <a href="https://www.thinkchina.sg/chinas-divided-image-malaysia">remain mixed</a>. “In the context of China’s efforts in Southeast Asia, we see challenges and opportunities,” he said. “Language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and differing political landscapes pose significant challenges.”
While the event was about cooperation between two media companies, including one of Malaysia’s largest listed media groups, the diplomatic role of the partnership — and its larger framing around China’s official state discourse on information — was the elephant in the room.
For China, media diplomacy is a crucial vehicle through which to influence public perceptions abroad and lay the groundwork for productive bilateral friendships — a goal distinct from the core media business of informing audiences. Betraying this primary interest in his speech at the event in Kuala Lumpur, Contemporary World (当代世界) editor-in-chief Lu Xuejun (吕学军) emphasized Xi Jinping’s meeting last year with Malaysia’s prime minister, suggesting to his audience that the goal of the media was to “implement the consensus advocated by our leaders.”
That consensus focused on the need, highlighted by Chan in his remarks, to amplify the <a href="https://chinamediaproject.org/2023/08/30/what-does-xi-jinping-mean-by-forever/">voices of developing nations</a> in the international community. “The need to enhance the representation and the voice of Global South countries has never been more critical,” said the CEO.
This position perfectly dovetails with China’s official stance under Xi Jinping, who has argued that China suffers from a deficit of soft power on the world stage and, therefore, must work to “tell China’s story well.” Despite its apparent prioritization of Chinese narratives, which might seem to empower individual Chinese voices, Xi’s notion of China’s story is more singular than pluralistic — emphasizing the need for state control and happening against the backdrop of increased domestic repression.
<h3>Know Your Partner</h3>
Who exactly is Contemporary World, the magazine SMG has partnered with?
Launched in 1981, the magazine is <a href="http://shijie.juqk.net/#:~:text=%E3%80%8A%E5%BD%93%E4%BB%A3%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E3%80%8B%E7%BC%96%E8%BE%91%E9%83%A8%2D%E9%A6%96%E9%A1%B5&text=%E6%9B%BE%E7%94%A8%E5%88%8A%E5%90%8D%EF%BC%9A%E6%94%BF%E5%85%9A,%E4%B8%BB%E5%8A%9E%E7%9A%84%E7%BB%BC%E5%90%88%E6%80%A7%E6%9C%9F%E5%88%8A%E3%80%82">operated by</a> the International Liaison Department (ILD) of the CCP’s Central Committee (中共中央对外联络), the agency responsible for maintaining relations with foreign organizations and political parties, a key aspect of what the Party calls “united front work.” The ILD’s importance as a tool of China’s foreign policy has<a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/01/30/china-foreign-policy-liu-jianchao"> grown over the past decade</a> under Xi Jinping.
<div id="attachment_810450" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://chinamediaproject.org/2024/04/09/golden-opportunities/"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-810450" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-810450" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Contemporary-World-magazine-1024x694-1.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="694" /></a>Beijing company registration files show that Contemporary World magazine’s publisher, Contemporary World Publishing Co., Ltd., has one shareholder: Screenshot from China’s State Council.</div>
In its coverage of the new SMG cooperation, The Star, an online outlet under the Malaysian media group, refers to Contemporary World only as a magazine, and as a “media company.” Inside China, however, the role of Contemporary World as an instrument of Chinese foreign policy is <a href="http://acftu.people.com.cn/BIG5/n1/2023/0217/c449683-32626016.html">completely unambiguous</a>. The publication’s chief role of late is to <a href="https://www.yn.gov.cn/ywdt/ynyw/202403/t20240318_296651.html">propagate the notion</a> of “Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy” (习近平外交思想).
If SMG’s cooperation agreement was indeed signed with the publishing company immediately behind Contemporary World, its contract partner would be Contemporary World Publishing Co., Ltd. Business reporters at The Star might start by pulling the company’s registration records in Beijing. They will quickly find that the company has but one shareholder — China’s State Council.
Written by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/chinamediaproject/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by China Media Project">China Media Project</a> · <a href='https://globalvoices.org/2024/04/16/what-lies-behind-the-golden-opportunities-of-malaysian-star-media-groups-new-tie-with-its-mainland-chinese-partner/'>View original post [en]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Reporters Without Borders representative denied entry to Hong Kong</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/11/reporters-without-borders-representative-denied-entry-to-hong-kong/</link>
<comments>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/11/reporters-without-borders-representative-denied-entry-to-hong-kong/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hong Kong Free Press]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 13:56:01 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[East Asia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Feature]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Free Expression]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong (China)]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Human Rights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://advox.globalvoices.org/?p=29315</guid>
<description><![CDATA[RSF's representative was detained, searched and questioned for six hours at the airport on April 10, 2024 before she was deported.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>It is the first time an RSF staffer was denied entry to HK</big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/11/reporters-without-borders-representative-denied-entry-to-hong-kong/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_810203" style="width: 1700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/04/10/breaking-reporters-without-borders-rep-denied-entry-to-hong-kong-ngo-says-after-6-hour-detention-searches-at-airport/"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-810203" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-810203" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20220614_120814-Copy.jpg" alt="" width="1700" height="957" /></a>Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.</div>
This report was written by Tom Grundy and originally <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/04/10/breaking-reporters-without-borders-rep-denied-entry-to-hong-kong-ngo-says-after-6-hour-detention-searches-at-airport/">published </a>in Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) on April 10, 2024. An edited version is published below as part of a content partnership agreement with HKFP.
A representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has been denied entry to Hong Kong after she was detained, searched and questioned for six hours at the airport on April 10, 2024, according to the French media freedom NGO.
Taipei-based Advocacy Officer Aleksandra Bielakowska was searched three times and questioned by immigration officials for six hours at the city’s international airport. She was then deported.
In a <a href="https://rsf.org/en/hong-kong-rsf-representative-detained-and-deported-attempt-monitor-jimmy-lai-s-national-security">statement</a> following the incident, RSF said:
<blockquote>This action by the Hong Kong authorities, unprecedented for RSF, marks a new decline in the already poor press freedom climate in the territory.</blockquote>
HKFP has seen the denial of entry document.
In response to HKFP, an Immigration Department (ImmD) spokesperson said it “does not comment on individual cases. ImmD acts in accordance with the laws and policies in handling each immigration case.”
Bielakowska was set to link up with Asia-Pacific Bureau Director Cédric Alviani to meet journalists and monitor <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai/">a hearing of the national security trial involving media tycoon Jimmy Lai</a>.
The national security trial against Lai began on December 18 2023. The 76-year-old founder of the defunct independent newspaper Apple Daily <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2023/12/18/national-security-trial-against-hong-kong-media-tycoon-jimmy-lai-begins-amid-heavy-police-presence/">was accused</a> of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) and taking part in a conspiracy to publish “seditious” material under the city’s colonial-era sedition law. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
In the statement, RSF’s Director of Campaigns Rebecca Vincent said the move was “unprecedented” compared to any other territory, given that her colleague was “simply trying to do her job…”. The campaigner said:
<blockquote>We have never experienced such blatant efforts by authorities to evade scrutiny of court proceedings in any country, which further highlights the ludicrous nature of the case against Jimmy Lai, and the dire erosion of press freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong. We demand an immediate explanation from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and a guarantee that our representatives can return to the territory safely to monitor the remainder of Lai’s trial, which cannot take place in darkness. The world must know what is happening in Hong Kong, which has implications for global press freedom.</blockquote>
It is the first time an RSF staffer has been denied entry to the territory.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Press freedom rankings</h3>
Hong Kong has <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2023/05/03/just-in-hong-kong-ranks-140th-on-2023-intl-press-freedom-index-below-colombia-cameroon/">plummeted in international press freedom</a> indices since the onset of the <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/hong-kong-national-security-law/">security law</a>. Watchdogs cite the <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2023/05/03/explainer-the-decline-of-hong-kongs-press-freedom-under-the-national-security-law/">arrest of journalists, raids on newsrooms</a> and the closure of around 10 media outlets, including <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/06/24/in-pictures-thank-you-hongkongers-apple-dailys-printing-presses-come-to-a-halt-after-26-years/">Apple Daily</a>, <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/hong-kongs-stand-news-trial/">Stand News</a> and <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2022/01/02/breaking-independent-hong-kong-news-outlet-citizen-news-to-shut-down-on-tue-days-after-stand-news-raid/">Citizen News</a>. Over <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2022/02/13/where-can-i-go-hong-kong-journalism-students-face-a-difficult-choice-amid-crackdown/">1,000 journalists</a> have lost their jobs, whilst <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2023/04/12/poll-finds-over-80-of-hong-kong-journalists-who-emigrated-do-not-regret-leaving-the-city/">many have emigrated</a>. Meanwhile, the city’s government-funded broadcaster RTHK has adopted new <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/09/29/in-full-new-guidelines-say-rthk-must-uphold-constitution-warns-staff-against-contact-with-foreign-govts/">editorial guidelines</a>, purged <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/05/03/hong-kong-broadcaster-rthk-to-delete-shows-over-a-year-old-from-internet-as-viewers-scramble-to-save-backups/">its archives</a> and axed <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/07/05/the-pulse-with-steve-vines-is-latest-news-show-to-be-axed-by-public-broadcaster-rthk/">news</a> and <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2020/06/21/curtain-falls-on-hong-kongs-oldest-satirical-tv-show/">satirical</a> shows.
<div id="attachment_810202" style="width: 1564px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/04/10/breaking-reporters-without-borders-rep-denied-entry-to-hong-kong-ngo-says-after-6-hour-detention-searches-at-airport/"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-810202" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-810202" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-11-11.46.38-AM.png" alt="" width="1564" height="1193" /></a><a href="https://rsf.org/en/index">Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index</a>: Hong Kong Ranking.</div>
<aside class="scaip scaip-2 "></aside>
Written by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/hong-kong-free-press/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Hong Kong Free Press">Hong Kong Free Press</a> · <a href='https://globalvoices.org/2024/04/11/reporters-without-borders-representative-denied-entry-to-hong-kong/'>View original post [en]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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<item>
<title>Authorities severely restrict public freedoms in Jordan</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/11/authorities-severely-restrict-public-freedoms-in-jordan/</link>
<comments>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/11/authorities-severely-restrict-public-freedoms-in-jordan/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gulf Center for Human Rights]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 04:13:28 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Feature]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Free Expression]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Human Rights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jordan]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Middle East & North Africa]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Palestine]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Protest]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[War & Conflict]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://advox.globalvoices.org/?p=29317</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Anger and frustration among the Jordanian public over the government's perceived inaction in supporting Palestinians and condemning Israeli actions, as well as its response to the ongoing massive protests.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>Jordanian security forces arrests demonstrators during massive Gaza solidarity protests</big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/11/authorities-severely-restrict-public-freedoms-in-jordan/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_810096" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-810096" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-810096 size-featured_image_huge" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-09-at-00.55.38-1200x675.png" alt="" width="1200" height="675" />Demonstration in Amman Jordan, near the Israeli embassy on April 5, 2025 in support of Gaza. Screenshot from a video on <a href="https://x.com/sameermashhour/status/1776341942697164867">Sameer Mashhour's Twitter feed</a>. Fair use.</div>
This article was originally published in <a href="https://www.gc4hr.org/authorities-severely-restrict-public-freedoms/">Gulf Center for Human Rights</a> on April 5, 2024. An edited version is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement, with links to provide further clarification.
The streets of Jordan are witnessing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b_CBQIOhHE&ab_channel=MiddleEastEye">a massive wave of tension</a> and anger over current political events and the <a href="https://globalvoices.org/special/palestine-2023/">war in Gaza</a>. This has led to thousands of Jordanian citizens taking to the streets, expressing their solidarity with the Palestinian people, and demanding that the Jordanian government make decisive decisions to express their support for them.
Since the start of the Israeli military campaign against Gaza in response to the attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the continuation of the horrific war crimes that claimed the lives of <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2024/04/occupied-palestinian-territoryisrael-vital-need-ensure-humanitarian">over 33,000 Palestinians</a>, the Jordanian public has been angry, declaring a state of mourning and mobilization in solidarity with the people of the besieged Gaza Strip and denouncing the war crimes. About one million Jordanians<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OCPQ4C1Adg&ab_channel=AssociatedPress"> went out to express their solidarity</a> with Palestinians and denounce the war on Gaza through peaceful marches and vigils <a href="https://x.com/Riyad_alsanaid/status/1777098662033731635">in all governorates</a>.
<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/5/are-jordans-government-and-pro-palestinian-protesters-facing-off">Recent events</a> during the holy month of Ramadan have contributed to fueling popular anger and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2quLQonJ3Co&ab_channel=MiddleEastEye">daily demonstrations in front of the Israeli embassy</a> in the vicinity of the Rabieh area in the capital, Amman.
Protesters have carried signs with slogans denouncing the crimes committed in the Gaza Strip and demanding that the government sever relations with Tel Aviv and cancel the peace agreement with the Israeli government.
The Jordanian authorities have arrested many people for their support or participation in these demonstrations, and some of them were charged under <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2023/08/16/jordans-fight-for-online-freedom-of-expression/">the new Cybercrime Law </a>that was approved in August 2023, which came with a set of articles that are now used by the authorities in order to restrict freedoms and increase censorship of freedom of expression and opinion.
<a href="https://www.alestiklal.net/ar/article/thrydh-wasa-ma-khyarat-alsltat-alardnyh-lmwajhh-almzahrat-almuydh-lghzh">Press reports</a> have confirmed the widespread arrests of hundreds of citizens, including some passersby, during popular protests in solidarity with the residents of Gaza from October 2023 until now. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f1ef-1f1f4.png" alt="🇯🇴" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f693.png" alt="🚓" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f6a8.png" alt="🚨" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/203c.png" alt="‼" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> The Jordanian police detained several people at the demonstration in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan.
3/ <a href="https://t.co/z1XTuKH2VR">pic.twitter.com/z1XTuKH2VR</a>
— TabZ (@TabZLIVE) <a href="https://twitter.com/TabZLIVE/status/1776394663508775266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
The <a href="https://www.gc4hr.org/authorities-continue-their-gross-violations-of-human-rights/">Cybercrime Law of 2023</a> has been used to bring charges against peaceful protesters and imprison them for posts they published on social media networks declaring their full solidarity with the residents of Gaza, their anger at the scale of crimes committed against innocent citizens there, especially women and children, and their call to sever diplomatic relations with Israel and cancel the economic agreements signed with it. Some of them were charged for calling on others to organise popular protests and declare a general strike throughout the country.
The recent protests entered a decisive phase in the last week of March 2024, as citizens began to go out daily following <a href="https://x.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1774695609175343200">multiple massacres in Gaza</a>, but the Jordanian security forces began to intervene directly and <a href="https://x.com/Sereen_Sara/status/1774089622148042901">forcefully dispersed the demonstrations </a>and marches in support of Gaza.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Thousands of protesters continue to demonstrate near the Israeli embassy in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Amman?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Amman</a> to condemn the Israeli genocide in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gaza?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gaza</a>.The demonstration was met with violent dispersal by Jordanian security.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IsraeliNewNazism?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IsraeliNewNazism</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopArmingIsrael?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StopArmingIsrael</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GazaHolocasut?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GazaHolocasut</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GenocideJoe?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GenocideJoe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GazaGenocide?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GazaGenocide</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israel?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Israel</a> <a href="https://t.co/jQUy69oNXP">pic.twitter.com/jQUy69oNXP</a>
— Sereen (@Sereen_Sara) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sereen_Sara/status/1774089622148042901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
On March 24, 2024, security forces arrested hundreds of citizens, including a number of civil society activists. Activists circulated many <a href="https://arabic.euronews.com/video/2024/03/25/anti-israel-protesters-police-tear-gas-israeli-embassy-amman-hamas-killed">clips</a> of demonstrators gathering in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy on the same day, and Jordanian security forces arresting protesters on the grounds that they were vandalizing public property.
The arrests continued beyong March 24.<a href="https://assabeel.net/news/2024/3/31/%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%B7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%B3-%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%84%D8%B5-%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B2%D9%84%D9%87"> Press reports</a> confirmed that trade union activist and engineer <a href="https://en.royanews.tv/news/50402/Authorities%20detain%20activists%20amid%20Amman's%20Kalouti%20protests">Maysara Malas </a>was among the detainees, arrested on March 30, 2024, while he was in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy. The authorities also raided his house and confiscated his computers and mobile phones.
Also on March 30, 2024, Jordanian security forces arrested <a href="https://x.com/MunaHawwa/status/1776717234334740683">Ziad Ibhais</a>, a Palestinian writer and researcher in Jerusalem affairs, and civil society activists Ruwaida Abu Radi and <a href="https://x.com/HollowDreams0/status/1774213944552640811">Nour Abu Ghosh</a>, in addition to the head of the Supreme Committee of the Youth Sector of the Islamic Action Front Party, political activist <a href="https://x.com/silviamultiver1/status/1775197890014535876">Moataz Al-Harout,</a> and the secretary of the sector, activist and politician Hamza Al-Shaghnoubi in Amman. The sources stated that Al-Harout was arrested in a public place, while Al-Shaghnoubi was arrested from his workplace in the Nuzha area in Amman. They were taken to the Al-Rashid security center, and have not yet been informed of the charges against them.
These detentions come in the context of intensive arrests carried out by the Jordanian security services, which included dozens of political activists who participated in the recent popular movement, most of whom are Islamists.
Security forces<a href="https://x.com/NoonPost/status/1772045242335711507"> targeted protesting women</a> and practiced <a href="https://x.com/UAE71news/status/1774385347159286170">unjustified violence against them</a>, in flagrant violation of their civil and human rights. On the evening of March 30, 2024, security forces<a href="https://x.com/egyptmycountry/status/1774406348857397530"> arrested a group of women</a> participating in the <a href="https://x.com/fouadsharaaby/status/1774214945690837489">massive popular march</a> near the Israeli embassy. Among them were women protestors <a href="https://x.com/CapoOrsoInPiedi/status/1775250370643603574">Israa Khalafat, Nour Hamdan, and Israa Khreisat.</a>
Citizens were angered by a <a href="https://twitter.com/qudsn/status/1774212023401795628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1774212023401795628%7Ctwgr%5E3845c53f39d6bbdb3b719aa3b2441da055201bc6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Farabicpost.net%2Fd8a3d8aed8a8d8a7d8b1%2F2024%2F03%2F31%2Fd8a7d8b9d8aad982d8a7d984-d8a7d984d8a3d985d986-d8a7d984d8a3d8b1d8afd986d98a-d981d8aad8a7d8a9%2F">video clip</a> that was widely circulated on social media networks showing members of the security forces arresting a young woman participating in the popular march near the Israeli embassy, forcefully dragging her, and demanded the dismissal of the Minister of Interior. This clearly reflects the cruelty with which the security forces deal with women who participate in popular protests.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
تغطية صحفية: لحظة اعتقال الأمن الأردني لفتاة خلال المظاهرة في محيط سفارة الاحــتلال بعمان. <a href="https://t.co/CmmmlByWGz">pic.twitter.com/CmmmlByWGz</a>
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) <a href="https://twitter.com/qudsn/status/1774212023401795628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="translation">New coverage: the moment a young women was arrested i in a demonstration around the Israeli embassy in Amman. Al Quds network</blockquote>
These arrests of women and men during the demonstrations are considered a blatant violation of international agreements and protocols protecting the right to freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly, which Jordan has ratified and which the Constitution guarantees to all Jordanians.
Written by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/gulf-center-for-human-rights/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Gulf Center for Human Rights">Gulf Center for Human Rights</a> · <a href='https://globalvoices.org/2024/04/11/authorities-severely-restrict-public-freedoms-in-jordan/'>View original post [en]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Philippine media groups condemn China’s claim of ‘manipulated’ coverage of maritime tension</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/09/philippine-media-groups-condemn-chinas-claim-of-manipulated-coverage-of-maritime-tension/</link>
<comments>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/09/philippine-media-groups-condemn-chinas-claim-of-manipulated-coverage-of-maritime-tension/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mong Palatino]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2024 04:05:33 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[East Asia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Feature]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Free Expression]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Philippines]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://advox.globalvoices.org/?p=29309</guid>
<description><![CDATA["The journalists who join these missions risk their lives in the face of unwanted aggression to bring the unvarnished truth to light."]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>‘An alarming attempt to muzzle an independent press’</big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/09/philippine-media-groups-condemn-chinas-claim-of-manipulated-coverage-of-maritime-tension/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_809929" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ORqm0mNBw"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-809929" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-featured_image_large wp-image-809929" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WPS-tension-800x450.png" alt="Water cannon used against a Philippine ship" width="800" height="450" /></a>Screenshot of video showing the use of water cannons by China's Coast Guard against a Philippine ship (middle) en route to the disputed Second Thomas Shoal. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ORqm0mNBw">Source</a>: YouTube video channel of Inquirer.Net based on a video supplied by the Armed Forces of the Philippines</div>
Several media groups in the Philippines have released statements condemning claims by Chinese officials alleging that videos showing the maritime tension between both countries in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Sea">South China Sea</a> are “manipulated.”
The South China Sea is known in the Philippines as the West Philippine Sea. China is <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2023/09/05/the-chinese-2023-map-has-nothing-new-but-why-are-chinas-neighbours-mad-about-it/">claiming</a> almost all parts of South China Sea, which includes the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spratly_Islands">Spratly Islands</a> (known to China as Nansha Qundao, and Kalayaan in the Philippines). Both countries are also claiming the <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/steadying-the-waters-navigating-the-tensions-at-second-thomas-shoal/">Second Thomas Shoal</a> (named as Ren'ai Jiao Reef in China, and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines), although a 2016 <a href="https://pca-cpa.org/en/news/pca-press-release-the-south-china-sea-arbitration-the-republic-of-the-philippines-v-the-peoples-republic-of-china/">ruling</a> of the Permanent Court of Arbitration has recognized that it lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China did not participate in the proceedings and has continued to <a href="https://twitter.com/MFA_China/status/1775555928055857210">reject</a> the arbitral ruling.
In 1999, the Philippines <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2023/08/who-promised-to-remove-the-grounded-philippine-ship-on-second-thomas-shoal/">deliberately stranded</a> a World War II warship in the Second Thomas Shoal to assert its maritime sovereignty. China has protested this and has consistently called for the ship’s removal. China has agreed that basic supplies can be provided to Filipinos stationed in the vessel, but <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202403/1309557.shtml">warned</a> against the delivery of construction materials that can be used to rehabilitate the deteriorating warship.
The tension has <a href="https://globalnation.inquirer.net/226929/ph-and-china-coast-guard-ships-collide-in-west-philippine-sea#ixzz8TiJvSg3g">escalated</a> in recent years after China’s repeated “dangerous maneuvers” against Philippine ships intending to deliver supplies to the Second Thomas Shoal. During numerous occasions, China used <a href="https://globalnation.inquirer.net/226938/china-coast-guard-fires-water-cannon-at-ph-ships-again">water cannons</a> to disrupt the Philippine supply mission. Journalists have been able to document the “near collisions” and the water cannon attacks made by Chinese ships, and these incidents have been <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-china-sea-philippines-thomas-shoal-water-cannons-c9f35182db64c098cd47ecbf10f7966e">reported</a> as well by international media outlets.
During a press briefing on March 28, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202403/1309726.shtml">questioned</a> the involvement of the media in the supply operation of the Philippines.
<blockquote>Whenever the Philippines carries out an operation in the South China Sea, it brings journalists along, including photo journalists from third countries. Why would the Philippines do that?
Who's been stirring up trouble and making provocations on the South China Sea issue? Who's been breaching the common understandings between our two countries and reneged on their own commitments? Who's been staging a show and hyping up tensions? Who's been pulling forces outside the region to interfere in the issue?</blockquote>
In a post published on X (Twitter), Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying accused journalists of “(manipulating) the videos they recorded to make sensational news and project the Philippines as a victim.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/CXvaf8of1N">pic.twitter.com/CXvaf8of1N</a>
— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpokespersonCHN/status/1772452218609828103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
Pro-China commentators <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202403/1309664.shtml">added</a> that the operations of the China Coast Guard are “legitimate, professional, and restrained.” This was <a href="https://twitter.com/jaytaryela/status/1776812705154031815">disputed</a> by Filipino officials who accused China of continuously conducting “illegal enforcement operations in the West Philippine Sea to advance their greedy intention and unlawful ambition to occupy the waters that fall within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.”
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (<a href="https://nujp.org">NUJP</a>) assailed the remarks of Chinese officials and defended the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nujphil/posts/pfbid02bvxrudege5j2F1GGEFC3ue9tTdXRG7R4ViC4BZqp1HmRijrssrmLruA9SWgDQ5Ztl">independence</a> and integrity of journalists covering the maritime dispute.
<blockquote>The media is not a party to the dispute and should not be demonized by parties for airing contending views on the issue and unflattering reports on incidents in the West Philippine Sea.
Except for operational and national security considerations, state forces have no say in the production and editorial decisions on these reports.
In reporting on the West Philippine Sea, the media cannot avoid referring to incidents they witnessed, the Philippine position on the (West Philippine Sea), the 2016 Hague ruling, and the impact China's actions in our waters affect our fisherfolk and coastal communities.</blockquote>
Journalist Jonathan de Santos, who heads NUJP, wrote about the <a href="https://slownewsdays.substack.com/p/62-beijing-pokes-journalists-covering?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=69758&post_id=143064957&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=7f8u&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email">dangerous implications</a> of China’s accusation:
<blockquote>As much as casting doubt on the integrity of the media covering these resupply missions, China’s labeling of media as “troublemakers” and propagandists is dangerous because it paints them as participants in the incidents that they are there to document.</blockquote>
The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines described the claim of Chinese officials as false and baseless, “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/focapmedia/posts/pfbid033fsDHLWwHrbVNG7NcBoNxKGGBRCby5k4qoUb9QspbgCtnWWX7jJaJ4tCkJ7UyRnil">barefaced lie</a>,” and also “an insult to the integrity of journalists and an alarming attempt to muzzle an independent press.” It also vouched for the integrity of the media coverage.
<blockquote>A free and independent press reports not what they are told, but what they observe, framed by historical and political context. The footage seen in the press is vetted by multiple sources and newsrooms.</blockquote>
The Defense Press Corps of the Philippines rejected the charge that journalists are engaging in “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/manilabulletin/photos/read-statement-of-the-defense-press-corps-of-the-philippines-on-chinese-foreign-/831293819038826/?paipv=0&eav=AfYFwWYXZ48DxwMlQD-GTsWD1kJTJfM_rerycEdIzS6INl7ldLVaau4rhDb0ENdPG7Q&_rdr">manipulated sensationalism</a>.”
<blockquote>The journalists who join these missions risk their lives in the face of unwanted aggression to bring the unvarnished truth to light. It is unfortunate some would still call the work of these independent Filipino journalists as manipulated sensationalism.</blockquote>
Journalist JP Soriano, who was among those who covered the supply mission, posted his sentiment on X (Twitter):
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I will never dignify a foreign country, especially one with a clear track record of violating international laws and disregarding decisions from an international tribunal of which they are members, to define my worth as a Filipino journalist. No, never! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f1f5-1f1ed.png" alt="🇵🇭" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />
— JP Soriano (@jpsoriano) <a href="https://twitter.com/jpsoriano/status/1772970268262027371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
Watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In5q9M4HIJU">video</a> shared by the Philippine government about the “dangerous maneuvers” of Chinese coast guard ships in the West Philippine Sea.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="South China Sea Dispute: China Uses Water Cannons on Philippine Vessel" width="650" height="366" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/In5q9M4HIJU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Written by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/mong/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Mong Palatino">Mong Palatino</a> · <a href='https://globalvoices.org/2024/04/09/philippine-media-groups-condemn-chinas-claim-of-manipulated-coverage-of-maritime-tension/'>View original post [en]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>In Brazil, since Bolsonaro, attacks on journalists fell while lawsuits against them increased</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/03/in-brazil-since-bolsonaro-attacks-on-journalists-fell-while-lawsuits-against-them-increased/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Pública - Agência de jornalismo investigativo]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:24:44 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Brazil]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Feature]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Free Expression]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Latin America]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Legal Threats]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://advox.globalvoices.org/?p=29304</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The data revealed that aggressions of various types against media professionals decreased to 181 last year, while, on the other hand, lawsuits targeting journalists increased by 92.31 percent last year]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>Data for 2023 were presented by the National Federation of Journalists
</big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/04/03/in-brazil-since-bolsonaro-attacks-on-journalists-fell-while-lawsuits-against-them-increased/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_807818" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-807818" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-807818" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Capa-Fabio-Rodrigues-Pozzebom-Agência-Brasil-800x479.webp" alt="" width="800" height="479" />Image by Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/<a href="https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/geral/noticia/2023-04/dia-do-jornalista-como-frear-escalada-da-violencia-contra-profissao#">Agência Brasil</a>, used with permission.</div>
This text, written by Fernanda Diniz, was <a href="https://apublica.org/nota/ataques-com-uso-da-justica-crescem-enquanto-agressoes-a-jornalistas-caem-no-pos-bolsonaro/">originally published</a> on Agência Pública's website on January 31, 2024 in the section ‘<a href="https://apublica.org/tipo_nota/entrelinhas-do-poder/">Entrelinhas do Poder</a>’. An edited version is republished on Global Voices under a partnership agreement.
The Annual Report on Violence Against Journalists and Press Freedom in Brazil, by the National Federation of Journalists (<a href="https://fenaj.org.br/">FENAJ</a>), revealed a considerable reduction in cases of direct violence against media professionals across 2023 but showed greater use of lawsuits by those trying to hinder journalistic work. The report was <a href="https://fenaj.org.br/violencia-contra-jornalistas-no-brasil-cai-mas-cerceamento-judicial-preocupa/">released</a> at the end of January.
 
The data reveal that there were 181 aggressions of various types against media professionals, which is a reduction of half from the 376 recorded cases in 2022. 
 
On the other hand, lawsuits targeting journalists increased by 92.31 percent last year. In this context, censorship is one of the most worrying impacts, with Agência Pública itself being among those affected. 
 
The survey is based on reports made by victims or journalists to unions from across the country, as well as by collecting news reports. 
The current state of anti-media violence has changed from the situation under former president <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jair_Bolsonaro">Jair Bolsonaro</a>, when constant attacks by the country’s highest authority were common. This period was characterized by attempts to discredit the press, along with attacks instigated by supporters of former president Bolsonaro (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Party_(Brazil,_2006)">PL</a>, Liberal Party), and <a href="https://abraji.org.br/noticias/ataques-de-bolsonaro-deterioram-liberdade-de-imprensa-no-pais-segundo-rsf">himself</a> while still in office.
 
One <a href="https://abraji.org.br/noticias/bolsonaro-e-responsavel-por-uma-a-cada-tres-violacoes-contra-imprensa-em-2021-diz-fenaj">survey</a> by FENAJ in 2021, the third year of his government, pointed to the then-president as responsible for one in three attacks against the press that year. 
 
The violence goes beyond individual cyberattacks or physical assaults, and seemingly represents deliberate attempts to silence journalists’ voices. The use of lawsuits in attempts to intimidate journalists and avoid the publication of reports that discuss politicians or government officials has also come from politicians themselves.
One example was the legal action taken by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Lira">Arthur Lira</a> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressistas">PP</a>, Progressives Party), president of the Chamber of Deputies and a federal deputy from Alagoas state, against a report by Pública. This resulted in the <a href="https://apublica.org/2023/09/justica-impoe-censura-a-reportagem-da-agencia-publica-sobre-arthur-lira/">preliminary ruling</a> that ordered the removal of the reports and columns from their website or face a fine of BRL 100,000 (around USD 20,000).
The content in question, which is of public interest, involved <a href="https://www.cartacapital.com.br/justica/ex-mulher-de-arthur-lira-o-acusa-de-violencia-sexual/">accusations</a> by Arthur Lira's ex-wife, Jullyene Lins, and was supported by facts and documents as well as showing a commitment to contact all those involved.
Lira's lawsuit was dismissed in the first ruling by Judge Luis Carlos de Miranda of the 14th Civil Court of Brasilia. However, in the second ruling, Pública was prohibited from publishing other reports with the same content. The story was first published on June 21, 2023, and then taken down on September 18, 2023. The case is under consideration by the Supreme Court.
In an official statement presenting the report's findings, FENAJ's president, Samira De Castro, described the situation as ”very worrying.” She said: 

<blockquote>Mostra o uso do Judiciário para calar os jornalistas. E o efeito dessa prática, mais à frente, certamente será a autocensura de profissionais e veículos de mídia porque esse tipo de abuso do poder de litigância tem efeito não só individual, mas coletivo. Os profissionais acabam devastados emocional e financeiramente, tendo de arcar com defesas em supostos crimes contra a honra que, infelizmente, têm apenas o objetivo de impedir a livre circulação da informação jornalística.
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="translation">It shows the use of the courts to silence journalists. And the effect of this practice, further down the line, will certainly be the self-censorship of media workers and outlets because this kind of abuse of the power of litigation has an effect which is not only individual, but collective. Media workers end up devastated emotionally and financially, having to bear [the costs of] a defence in alleged crimes against honour that, unfortunately, only aim to prevent the free circulation of journalistic information.</blockquote>
<h4>Violence </h4>
Threats, harassment, and intimidation were the most common types of violence against journalists recorded in 2023. According to FENAJ's report, there were 42 such occurrences, representing 23.21 percent of the cases. In addition, 40 media workers were physically assaulted (22.1 percent of the total).
The data in FENAJ's report show that the Federal District, where the federal capital <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bras%C3%ADlia">Brasilia</a> and the main governmental institutions are located, recorded 21 cases. This indicates that it is the most difficult place for journalism, level with São Paulo, Brazil's <a href="https://valor.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2023/06/28/as-cidades-mais-populosas-de-cada-estado-do-brasil-segundo-censo-2022.ghtml#:~:text=S%C3%A3o%20Paulo%20continua%20como%20o,com%20636%2C3%20mil%20moradores.">most populous</a> state, with the same number of cases. Together, the two federal entities represent 22.3 percent of total cases.
According to the survey, one in four attacks was committed by politicians, the largest single group undermining freedom of expression. Following them are: members of the public (9.39 percent); judges and magistrates (8.84 percent); police officers (7.73 percent), and football managers, players, and fans (6.08 percent), as well as online aggressors.
Written by <a href="https://pt.globalvoices.org/author/publica/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Pública - Agência de jornalismo investigativo">Pública – Agência de jornalismo investigativo</a> Translated (en) by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/liam-anderson/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Liam Anderson">Liam Anderson</a> · <a href='https://pt.globalvoices.org/2024/04/03/brasil-ataques-na-justica-crescem-e-agressoes-a-jornalistas-caem-no-pos-bolsonaro/'>View original post [pt]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>From discredit to censorship: When power attacks the Latin American press</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/29/from-discredit-to-censorship-when-power-attacks-the-latin-american-press/</link>
<comments>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/29/from-discredit-to-censorship-when-power-attacks-the-latin-american-press/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Connectas]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2024 03:34:12 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Argentina]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bolivia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Colombia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Cuba]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[El Salvador]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Feature]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Free Expression]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Harassment]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Latin America]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Legal Threats]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Nicaragua]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Privacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Venezuela]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://advox.globalvoices.org/?p=29301</guid>
<description><![CDATA[With their campaigns against independent media, the governments of several Latin American countries are beginning to threaten press freedom.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>Without a free press there can be no democracy</big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/29/from-discredit-to-censorship-when-power-attacks-the-latin-american-press/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_435171" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-435171" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-435171 size-full" src="https://es.globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ilustracion-CONNECTAS.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />Illustration made by Connectas. Used with permission.</div>
This article was written by <a href="https://www.connectas.org/member/suhelis-tejero/">Suhelis Tejero</a> and published in <a href="https://www.connectas.org/analisis/del-desprestigio-a-la-censura-cuando-el-poder-ataca-a-la-prensa/">CONNECTAS</a> on March 17, 2024. An edited version is republished by Global Voices under a media partnership agreement.
A few days ago, the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, ordered the <a href="https://elpais.com/argentina/2024-03-04/milei-deja-en-suspenso-telam-la-mayor-agencia-estatal-de-noticias-de-america-latina.html">closure of the state news agency Télam</a>, a measure that seems to be the starting point of dismantling the public media network in Argentina, which has already been interfered with.
In Mexico, at the other end of the region, the <a href="https://elpais.com/mexico/2024-01-30/la-filtracion-de-datos-de-los-periodistas-que-cubren-la-mananera-se-hizo-a-traves-del-usuario-de-un-antiguo-trabajador-del-gobierno.html">personal data of journalists has been leaked</a> this year. In January, an apparent hack into the government's computer system revealed the personal data of more than 300 journalists who cover “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@lopezobrador">La Mañanera</a>,” the daily press conference offered by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Last week the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, <a href="https://twitter.com/horadelaverdad/status/1767509151398179227?s=48&t=G1WtyTltILFcWEvcBtkdXw">accused the RCN and Caracol media</a> of “dumbing down society” and wanting to discredit him.
The strategy of discrediting power is neither new nor exclusive to Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. Other countries, such as Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Venezuela and, more recently, Bolivia and El Salvador, reflect how political power can hit the media in different ways until they disappear.
<h4>Read more: <a title="Unfreedom Monitor Report: El Salvador" href="https://globalvoices.org/2023/05/19/unfreedom-monitor-report-el-salvador/" rel="bookmark">Unfreedom Monitor Report: El Salvador</a></h4>
The <a href="https://rsf.org/en/region/americas">press freedom index</a> presented each year by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shows that the region, far from improving its levels of freedom and protection of journalism, still faces serious problems. The <a href="https://rsf.org/en/classement/2023/americas">2023 report</a> indicates that situations occur in practically all of Latin America that range from simple obstacles to really serious threats. Only four countries registered satisfactory levels of press freedom in Latin America and, curiously, one of them was Argentina.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Venezuela ocupa el puesto #159 del Ranking 2023 de la clasificación Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa de Reporteros Sin Fronteras –que evalúa las condiciones en las que se ejerce el periodismo en 180 países, y donde 1 es el mejor evaluado y 180 el peor– <a href="https://t.co/qNheUbD2P5">pic.twitter.com/qNheUbD2P5</a>
— Jonathan Gutiérrez (@jon_gut) <a href="https://twitter.com/jon_gut/status/1653726003527663622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="translation">Venezuela occupies position #159 in the 2023 Ranking of the World Press Freedom classification of Reporters Without Borders –which evaluates the conditions in which journalism is practiced in 180 countries, and where 1 is the best evaluated and 180 the worst –</blockquote>
As soon as Milei announced the closure of Télam, Reporters Without Borders <a href="https://www.elciudadanoweb.com/reporteros-sin-fronteras-el-cierre-de-telam-es-un-duro-golpe-al-derecho-a-la-informacion/">warned</a> that the dismantling of public media represents a real danger to pluralism in Argentina.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
El pasado viernes 1 de marzo, el presidente argentino Javier Milei anunció el cierre de la agencia de noticias estatal <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T%C3%A9lam?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Télam</a>. Desde entonces, los más de 700 trabajadores de la empresa se movilizan para defenderla y evitar su clausura<a href="https://t.co/dBq2NwfLwK">https://t.co/dBq2NwfLwK</a>
— FRANCE 24 Español (@France24_es) <a href="https://twitter.com/France24_es/status/1767542315323637783?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="translation">Last Friday, March 1, Argentine President Javier Milei announced the closure of the state news agency #Télam. Since then, the more than 700 workers of the company have mobilized to defend it and prevent its closure.</blockquote>
But if it is raining in Argentina, in Mexico there is a tempest. There, the attacks and official leaks take on an even more serious connotation, since it is already one of the most dangerous countries in the world to practice journalism, with a total of <a href="https://articulo19.org/periodistasasesinados/">163 journalists murdered and 32 disappearances</a> between the years 2000 and 2023, according to Article 19, the international organization defending freedom of expression. The territorial control exercised by drug trafficking in several regions, in addition to its infiltration into public structures, has caused <a href="https://www.connectas.org/periodismo-mexico-terror/">crimes against press workers</a> to go unpunished. For this reason, the smear campaigns against the press from the Mexican presidency put even more pressure on a very complicated situation.
In this regard, Pedro Cárdenas, Protection and Defense officer of Article 19 Mexico, said that they have observed that governments abuse the public forum to stigmatize critical journalists whom they classify as adversaries or enemies, which contributes to the climate of violence.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f4e3.png" alt="📣" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> En 2023 registramos 561 agresiones contra la prensa, lo que significa que, en promedio, se agrede cada 16 horas a una persona periodista o medio de comunicación.
<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f5e3.png" alt="🗣" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> Aquí se presenta una revisión de los datos de violencia en 2023. <a href="https://t.co/aqJeoRZUw4">https://t.co/aqJeoRZUw4</a>
— ARTICLE 19 MX-CA (@article19mex) <a href="https://twitter.com/article19mex/status/1762882665773195578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="translation"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f4e3.png" alt="📣" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> In 2023 we registered 561 attacks against the press, which means that, on average, a journalist or media outlet is attacked every 16 hours.
<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f5e3.png" alt="🗣" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> Here is a review of violence data in 2023.</blockquote>
He affirmed that, for this reason, in recent years, the average of violence has been maintained because governments have not generated comprehensive public policies to prevent violence against the press and protect journalists.
<h3>The state of censorship</h3>
Other countries in the region, such as Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, have gone much further in terms of attacks and violations of freedom of expression and of the press. These authoritarian governments usually protect themselves legally against journalism because it allows judicial persecution.
In the middle of last year, Cuba managed to reinforce more than 60 years of legal framework against the press with the <a href="https://latamjournalismreview.org/es/articles/4-cosas-que-debes-saber-sobre-la-nueva-ley-de-comunicacion-social-de-cuba/">Social Communication Law</a>, which gives the government even broader powers than those already existing to control or close independent media.
In Venezuela, former president Hugo Chávez insistently accused the media of having allied with his opponents and of being enemies of his revolution. In 2001, the Content Law, later converted into the <a href="https://www.infobae.com/2010/12/16/1015739-venezuela-habilito-la-norma-que-censura-la-prensa/">Law of Social Responsibility in Radio and Television</a> (Spring Law), served as the legal basis to justify the closure of media.
With administrative decisions issued by telecommunications regulators, the Chávez government closed dozens of television channels and radio stations, <a href="https://espaciopublico.ong/a-15-anos-del-cierre-arbitrario-de-radio-caracas-television/">including the RCTV television station</a>, in 2007. Since 2003, almost 300 radio stations have stopped operating by order of Chavismo.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hoy en el <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/D%C3%ADaMundialDeLaRadio?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DíaMundialDeLaRadio</a>, a más de cien años de la creación de este medio, desde la Plataforma Unitaria Democrática llamamos la atención a la crisis que vive la radio venezolana con cierres y amenazas constantes por parte del régimen de Nicolás Maduro y las instituciones… <a href="https://t.co/fnGBpbZbNP">pic.twitter.com/fnGBpbZbNP</a>
— Unidad Venezuela (@unidadvenezuela) <a href="https://twitter.com/unidadvenezuela/status/1757504406788899245?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="translation">Today on #WorldRadioDay, more than one hundred years after the creation of this medium, from the Democratic Unitary Platform we draw attention to the crisis that Venezuelan radio is experiencing with closures and constant threats by the regime of Nicolás Maduro and the institutions…</blockquote>
And the current president Nicolás Maduro has not lowered his tone: groups close to Chavismo have <a href="https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/venezuela-censura-compra-medios-comunicacion-ipys/2669407.html">bought independent media</a>, while the government <a href="https://runrun.es/noticias/522443/mas-de-550-bloqueos-en-internet-evidencian-vulneracion-a-derechos-digitales-en-venezuela/">blocks digital media</a> and foreign television channels.
<h4>Read more: <a title="Unfreedom Monitor Report: Venezuela" href="https://globalvoices.org/2023/05/25/unfreedom-monitor-report-venezuela/" rel="bookmark">Unfreedom Monitor Report: Venezuela</a></h4>
In Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega's regime has also deployed hate speech against the press that has included arrests, <a href="https://www.connectas.org/nicaragua-periodistas-despojados-apatridas/">banishments and forced exiles</a>, as well as censorship, media closures and confiscations. Since 2018, when protests broke out that radicalized the Government, some 1,200 attacks against the press have been recorded.
Bolivia, since the successive presidencies of Evo Morales, has also experienced a smear campaign against the media. Official tactics have ranged from uttering insults to reducing state advertising as a mechanism for political pressure. The Government even produced a documentary titled “<a href="https://latamjournalismreview.org/es/articles/gobierno-boliviano-lanza-documental-el-cartel-de-la-mentira-con-ataques-a-la-prensa-periodistas-reaccionan/">The Cartel of Lies</a>,” as they call the media from those in power. In the middle of last year, the Página Siete newspaper had to <a href="https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/cierra-sorpresivamente-periodico-boliviano-pagina-siete/7164567.html">cease operations</a> after a cut in state advertising caused a severe economic hardship.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/P7Informa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#P7Informa</a> 
La redacción de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/P%C3%A1ginaSiete?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PáginaSiete</a> se despide de sus lectores tras 13 años de trabajo. Solo queda agradecerles por permitirnos ser parte de su día a día. Se cierra esta etapa, pero el periodismo independiente no se frena. <a href="https://t.co/mDsNkdCjFq">pic.twitter.com/mDsNkdCjFq</a>
— Página Siete (@pagina_siete) <a href="https://twitter.com/pagina_siete/status/1674539963398930434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="translation">#P7Inform 
The editorial team of #PáginaSiete says goodbye to its readers after 13 years of work. All that remains is to thank you for allowing us to be part of your daily life. This stage is closing, but independent journalism does not stop. pic.twitter.com/mDsNkdCjFq</blockquote>
In El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele has <a href="https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/amenaza-medios-salvador-/6966531.html">insulted journalists and has accused the media of being his enemies</a> for the critical reports they have published about his government's agreements with gangs. As a concrete measure, he approved a <a href="https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/periodismo-bajo-acoso-del-gobierno-nayib-bukele/952175/2022/">reform of the Penal Code</a> that establishes prison sentences of up to 15 years for journalists who publish information produced by gangs and that could generate panic or anxiety in the population.
The serious thing about discrediting campaigns is not only that they cause a reduction in freedoms, but also a continuous confrontation between power and the media, which leads to less social coexistence. And without a free press there cannot be even a semblance of democracy.
Written by <a href="https://es.globalvoices.org/author/connectas/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Connectas">Connectas</a> Translated (en) by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/ameya-nagarajan/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Ameya Nagarajan">Ameya Nagarajan</a> · <a href='https://es.globalvoices.org/?p=435169'>View original post [es]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Hong Kong passes controversial new security law broadly defining treason and insurrection</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/20/hong-kong-passes-controversial-new-security-law-broadly-defining-treason-and-insurrection/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hong Kong Free Press]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 10:44:26 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[East Asia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Feature]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Free Expression]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[The city had devoted 30 days to the public consultation of the draft law during the Lunar New Year, and lawmakers had spent 12 days debating it in the LegCo.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>The new domestic security law will come into force on March 23</big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/20/hong-kong-passes-controversial-new-security-law-broadly-defining-treason-and-insurrection/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_808812" style="width: 1753px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/19/breaking-hong-kong-passes-new-security-law-raising-max-penalty-for-treason-insurrection-to-life-in-prison/"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-808812" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-808812" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-20-5.12.32-PM.png" alt="" width="1753" height="1170" /></a>Hong Kong lawmakers voted on a proposed domestic security law required under Article 23 of the Basic Law on March 19, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Used with permission.</div>
The original version of this report was written by Mercedes Hutton and <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/19/breaking-hong-kong-passes-new-security-law-raising-max-penalty-for-treason-insurrection-to-life-in-prison/">published</a> in Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) on March 19, 2024. The following edited version has been published on Global Voices as part of a content partnership agreement with HKFP.
Hong Kong’s opposition-free legislature has unanimously passed new <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/article23-security-law/">domestic security legislation</a>, making treason, insurrection and sabotage punishable by up to life in prison and rejecting Western criticism that the law would further restrict the city’s freedoms.
Lawmakers gathered in the Legislative Council (LegCo) Chamber on March 19 to vote on the Safeguarding National Security Bill, dubbed Article 23, just days after a <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Hong-Kong-Article-23-draft-legislation.pdf">draft</a> was introduced to the legislature. All 89 legislators voted in favour of the bill’s passage.
In an unusual move, LegCo President Andrew Leung also cast a vote in favour of the bill to mark what he described as “the utmost importance” of the law.
Chief Executive John Lee entered the LegCo Chamber after the passage of the bill to address lawmakers in Cantonese:
<blockquote>Today is a historical moment in Hong Kong, a historical moment we have waited 26 years, eight months and 19 days for… Today, Hong Kong finally completed its constitutional duty of legislating Article 23 of the Basic Law. We live up to the expectations of the central government and our country.</blockquote>
The law will come into force on March 23, Lee added.
The city had devoted 30 days to <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/01/30/breaking-hong-kong-begins-public-consultation-for-new-homegrown-security-law-article-23/">the public consultation of the draft law</a> during the Lunar New Year, and lawmakers had spent 12 days debating it in the LegCo.
Since the bill committee first met on March 8, lawmakers spent about 50 hours discussing the proposed laws.
During a <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/19/article-23-hong-kongs-all-patriots-legislature-set-to-pass-new-security-law-after-fast-tracked-second-reading/">seven-hour second reading of the bill</a> that began at 9 am on March 19, all 89 legislators expressed their support for the law, with several saying it was an “honour” to be involved in the “historic milestone.”
Following the lawmakers’ speeches, the Secretary for Security, Chris Tang, thanked them for supporting the bill in such a “highly efficient” manner “without reservation.”
<h3>Article 23 offences</h3>
The law targets five types of offences — treason, insurrection (including incitement and sedition), theft of state secrets and espionage, sabotage and external interference. Those <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/08/article-23-hong-kong-proposes-life-sentences-for-treason-insurrection-sabotage-under-new-security-law/">convicted of the first three face life in prison</a>, while anyone found <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/08/article-23-hong-kong-proposes-raising-maximum-penalty-for-sedition-to-10-years-under-new-security-law/">guilty of sedition could be jailed for up to seven years</a> — or 10 if they had colluded with an “external force” — up from two years previously.
It also gives new powers to the police and courts <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/11/limiting-natl-security-detainees-access-to-lawyers-would-depend-on-police-investigations-hong-kong-official-says/">to extend the pre-charge detention period</a> for those held on suspicion of endangering national security to up to 16 days, and <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/11/limiting-natl-security-detainees-access-to-lawyers-would-depend-on-police-investigations-hong-kong-official-says/">to restrict detainees’ access to lawyers</a>.
The new law is mandated in Article 23 of the city’s mini-constitution. Authorities have said it is necessary to <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/06/22/hong-kong-must-also-pass-its-own-security-legislation-to-plug-loopholes-says-security-chief/">plug the “loopholes” left after Beijing imposed its own national security legislation</a> on the city in June 2020, following large-scale <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/anti-extradition-movement/">protests and unrest in 2019</a>.
Protests erupted in June that year over a proposed amendment to Hong Kong’s extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be transferred to mainland China for trial. They escalated into sometimes violent displays of dissent against police behaviour amid calls for democracy and anger over Beijing’s encroachment.
The demonstrations were cited by the government as justification for why further security legislation was necessary, saying in a consultation <a href="https://www.sb.gov.hk/eng/bl23/doc/Consultation%20Paper_EN.pdf">document</a> that “plain deficiencies in the work on safeguarding national security resulted in the social chaos… ultimately causing the Hong Kong version of ‘colour revolution’ in 2019.”
Public opposition to the legislation in Hong Kong has been muted, with the government hailing a nearly <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/02/29/hong-kong-says-99-back-new-security-law-in-public-consultation-though-participation-15-of-2002-exercise/">97 per cent support rate</a> from submissions received during a one-month consultation period. However, international rights groups and governments overseas have <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/02/29/hong-kongs-broad-homegrown-security-law-may-curtail-free-speech-and-press-freedom-foreign-govts-and-groups-say/#:~:text=Article%2023%20of%20the%20Basic%20Law%20stipulates%20that%20the%20government,sedition%20and%20subversion%20against%20Beijing.">expressed concerns that it may further erode freedoms</a> in the city, which has seen dozens of pro-democracy figures detained and its civil society shrink since Beijing’s law was enacted.
The government has said the new law is comparable to security laws in Western countries, such as the UK, the US and Canada.
However, the Hong Kong Bar Association <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/01/hong-kong-bar-association-calls-for-clarity-in-new-security-legislation-to-avoid-chilling-effect/">earlier called for clearer provisions in the legislation</a>, saying uncertainty about how it may be applied could have “a chilling effect on lawful conduct.” The city’s largest press group, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, warned that the <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/02/26/article-23-new-domestic-security-law-may-affect-regular-news-reporting-says-hong-kong-press-group/">definition of state secrets in the proposed law was too broad and may impede legitimate reporting</a>.
In 2003, when the government first tried to push through legislation under Article 23, 500,000 Hongkongers took to the streets in peaceful protest, and it failed to secure majority support in the LegCo.
Written by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/hong-kong-free-press/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Hong Kong Free Press">Hong Kong Free Press</a> · <a href='https://globalvoices.org/2024/03/20/hong-kong-passes-controversial-new-security-law-broadly-defining-treason-and-insurrection/'>View original post [en]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Deepfakes and the risks from the growing use of video fraud</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/20/deepfakes-and-the-risks-from-the-growing-use-of-video-fraud/</link>
<comments>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/20/deepfakes-and-the-risks-from-the-growing-use-of-video-fraud/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dren Gërguri]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 10:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Disinformation]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[" ... [T]he truth is on the edge of "death" because, with the increase of deepfakes in circulation, it will be more and more difficult to understand what the truth is."]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>The use of new AI-based applications is leading to the mass production of deepfakes</big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/20/deepfakes-and-the-risks-from-the-growing-use-of-video-fraud/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_808568" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-808568" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-808568" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-14-104900.png" alt="" width="800" height="525" />Image created using <a href="https://www.canva.com/en_gb/">Canva</a>.</div>
About six years ago, I wrote about a new “virus” for journalism. Despite the fact that several years have passed, there is still no “anti-virus” against <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375229895_Fake_News_Information_Disorder_in_the_Digital_Age?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InByb2ZpbGUiLCJwYWdlIjoicHJvZmlsZSIsInBvc2l0aW9uIjoicGFnZUNvbnRlbnQifX0">deepfakes</a>, the making of which has been advanced and perfected, and the last step is to simplify the production process of these hoax videos. Thus far, there has been a need for certain skills in using specific programs to produce deepfakes. The development of new applications based on artificial intelligence but easier to use is leading to the mass production of deepfakes. In the last presidential election in the United States of America, there were more “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375229895_Fake_News_Information_Disorder_in_the_Digital_Age?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InByb2ZpbGUiLCJwYWdlIjoicHJvZmlsZSIsInBvc2l0aW9uIjoicGFnZUNvbnRlbnQifX0">cheapfakes</a>” than “deepfakes” — the main reason was that cheapfakes were easily produced, and anyone could do them. Now that this is becoming possible for deepfakes; being so easy to produce, it does not take much persuasion and calculations to say that, in important social processes, like elections, deepfakes will be the main risk in the world of information now that manipulation is becoming more feasible, in the technological sense.
Deepfakes are false visual content based on artificial intelligence in which a real person is presented saying or doing something they have never done. In the years of their existence, deepfakes have been produced for entertainment and others for awareness, but there are also cases where the manipulation of society through deepfakes is aimed at political or economic motives.
Deepfakes are becoming easier to produce all the time, which makes raising awareness about them in society urgent. A recent example in the Balkans region is the erotic video impersonating the well-known Albanian TV presenter <a href="https://noa.al/lajmi/2023/10/2405232.html">Luana Vjollca</a>, placing her face on a different body with the use of artificial intelligence. Albanian journalist Blendi Fevziu <a href="https://fb.watch/o92ZxT_K1I/">published a deepfake video of himself</a> for awareness purposes, where he appears speaking Chinese, Arabic, Russian, and Portuguese. We had other deepfake videos published in the region during 2022, like the one where Elon Musk talks in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tClEzurCm3A&fbclid=IwAR1HLYQHYsG7vKyPah0Ptx9bghDLGOb0w4VQl5vknFc3GZte3XcYp9qWefU">Albanian</a> or <a href="https://www.istinomer.rs/facebook-provere/o-masku-iz-republike-srpske-alat-za-generisanje-zabavnih-ai-videa-u-sluzbi-manipulacija/?fbclid=IwAR38k18b8Ee0_jjNCjRJ5qedaJYj4QeOvtzfDg0c0ejzqv5S9KzB1vbmwXE">Serbian</a>.
These are the examples that show that producing a deepfake is much easier now than a few years ago. If the lens of analysis is expanded beyond the region, then a viral deepfake was that of the famous American model <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bella_Hadid">Bella Hadid</a>, in which<a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/31/news/bella-hadid-video-is-scarily-realistic-deepfake/"> she appeared to support Israel's actions in the war against Hamas</a>, which she had not said she was. Hadid's deepfake had over 28 million views on X (formerly Twitter). The development of technology and easy-to-use programs based on artificial intelligence is creating another threat to the truth.
Now, the truth is on the edge of “death” because, with the increase of deepfakes in circulation, it will be more and more difficult to understand what the truth is. Considering the crisis of media credibility, journalism will be challenged even more in the near future. However, all this can be best fought with professional journalism, with journalism that adheres to professional standards and puts the public interest first. Otherwise, sensationalist and click-baiting journalism will only fuel even more mistrust of the media and lead citizens to feel insecure with the information they receive, creating a space for other actors in the information environment. In this situation, those who like to operate in the fog, to profit with a Machiavellian approach, without thinking about the damage caused to society, always benefit.
The popularization of deepfakes as a result of the development of programming based on artificial intelligence opens a new chapter in information and communication circulation, either for the sender or the receiver of the information. Due to this rapid and very important development, efforts should be made to make the verification method a simpler and faster process than it is now.
There are currently some programs that help detect this phenomenon that makes you unconsciously live in a fake reality, such as <a href="https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/intel-introduces-real-time-deepfake-detector.html">FakeCatcher</a> and <a href="https://thesentinel.ai/">Sentinel</a>, but there are still no open tools that would be available for everyone to use, free of charge. Also, it is important that the detection methods are advanced in order to keep pace with the progress of deepfakes, because the technology that is facilitating the production of deepfakes is developing at a rapid pace. Currently, these platforms do not detect audio manipulations, an important element in audiovisual manipulations because there are already some cases when the image is real, while the sound is generated by artificial intelligence.
Knowledge of deepfakes and awareness of this phenomenon helps society to be more critical of any video it is exposed to. Tools for detecting deepfakes are important, but countering disinformation also requires a great commitment from individuals and civil society organizations to make society aware of the existence and implications of deepfakes in everyday life.
On the other hand, a new legal framework for deepfakes is not necessary because there are already laws that regulate content intended to deceive, defame, or harm individuals, businesses, or society as a whole. However, because of the speed of their distribution, viralization, and potential harm, it is important to prioritize deepfakes.
Written by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/drengerguri/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Dren Gërguri">Dren Gërguri</a> · <a href='https://globalvoices.org/2024/03/20/deepfakes-and-the-risks-from-the-growing-use-of-video-fraud/'>View original post [en]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>US-funded news outlet Radio Free Asia to withdraw from Hong Kong</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/18/us-funded-news-outlet-radio-free-asia-to-withdraw-from-hong-kong/</link>
<comments>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/18/us-funded-news-outlet-radio-free-asia-to-withdraw-from-hong-kong/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hong Kong Free Press]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:14:23 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[East Asia]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[US funded-news outlet Radio Free Asia (RFA), which had been accused of being “anti-China” by Beijing-backed newspapers, is set to withdraw from Hong Kong.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>The decision is made as HK sets to enact its domestic NSL</big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/18/us-funded-news-outlet-radio-free-asia-to-withdraw-from-hong-kong/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_808577" style="width: 1764px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/14/us-funded-news-outlet-radio-free-asia-to-withdraw-from-hong-kong-reports/"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-808577" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-808577" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-15-8.32.58-AM.png" alt="" width="1764" height="1177" /></a>Radio Free Asia’s report on the Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong on March 13, 2024. Photo: Kelly Ho/<a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/14/us-funded-news-outlet-radio-free-asia-to-withdraw-from-hong-kong-reports/">HKFP</a>. Used with permission.</div>
This report was written by Kelly Ho and originally <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/03/14/us-funded-news-outlet-radio-free-asia-to-withdraw-from-hong-kong-reports/">published </a>in Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) on March 14, 2024. An edited version is published below as part of a content partnership agreement with HKFP.
US funded-news outlet Radio Free Asia (RFA), which had been accused of being <a href="https://www.tkww.hk/a/202403/13/AP65f12479e4b0eb64da10b127.html">“anti-China”</a> by Beijing-backed newspapers, is set to withdraw from Hong Kong, according to local media reports.
HK01 and the South China Morning Post, among others, reported on March 13 that RFA will <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3255258/hong-kong-bureau-washington-funded-radio-free-asia-may-quit-city-domestic-national-security">cease operations</a> in Hong Kong by the end of March. Some employees will be transferred to Taipei in Taiwan or Washington DC in the US, while others will be laid off, the reports said.
Citing internal sources, HK01 said that the company told staff that the media outlet would shut down the Hong Kong branch in late February when the consultation period of the domestic National Security Law, dubbed Article 23, ended. It currently has four full-time employees and three or four part-time workers, local media reported.
HKFP has reached out to RFA for confirmation and comment.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, RFA is one of five networks under the US Agency for Global Media, an independent agency of the US government, with an annual budget of USD 63 million. It launched its Cantonese service in 1998, delivering daily radio programmes and weekly webcasts.
RFA’s Code of Ethics states it shall remain independent of any political party, opposition group, exile organisation, or religious body and not advocate any political viewpoint.
RFA Cantonese Service Deputy Director Wu Lik-hon <a href="https://flowhongkong.net/flow10-8/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a> online media outlet Flow HK in July last year that its Hong Kong branch only had some frontline junior reporters, photographers and technicians, who were responsible for producing news reports based on official sources.
More sensitive and critical reports on the Hong Kong government would be handled by RFA staff overseas, Wu told Flow HK in Cantonese:
<blockquote> For example, for human rights news in the US, we primarily use a byline from the US, or we use a byline from our colleagues in Taiwan.</blockquote>
In January, the Hong Kong police <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/01/05/hong-kong-police-slam-overseas-news-outlet-radio-free-asia-for-quoting-ex-lawmaker-ted-huis-false-statements/">slammed RFA for quoting self-exiled former lawmaker Ted Hui</a>, saying US-funded media should not give a platform to “criminals who make false statements.”
The ex-legislator was quoted as saying that Rupert Dover, a British-born officer known for his role as a commander during the 2019 extradition bill unrest, owed Hongkongers an explanation for alleged police brutality <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2019/06/12/hong-kong-police-use-rubber-bullets-bean-bags-tear-gas-clear-protests-curfew-pla-deployment-ruled/">on June 12, 2019</a>.
That day, officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters gathered outside the Legislative Council to oppose the second reading of the controversial extradition bill that sparked the demonstrations.
RFA also came under fire by Beijing-backed newspapers, which accused it of having an “anti-China stance.” Wen Wei Po <a href="https://www.wenweipo.com/a/202308/11/AP64d6565fe4b0764e3ac5c36c.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> in August last year that RFA and another US-backed outlet, Voice of America (VOA) had produced reports “sensationalising” China’s military threat and spreading rumours about the Chinese military.
Ta Kung Pao also <a href="http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/232111/2024/0105/930211.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slammed</a> RFA and VOA in January, saying they had produced a large amount of news “smearing China’s reputation.”
Li Jingjing, a reporter from China state-funded CGTN, sees the closing of the RFA Hong Kong office as the victory of the Article 23 legislation on X:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Radio Free Asia will be fleeing Hong Kong! Lol 
One good reason why HK needs Article 23 National Security Law!
More info about RFA from <a href="https://twitter.com/NuryVittachi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NuryVittachi</a>: 
Radio Free Asia was originally set up by the CIA, and is listed in historical US government documents under the “Propaganda… <a href="https://t.co/8oCF8Q8Nyk">pic.twitter.com/8oCF8Q8Nyk</a>
— Li Jingjing 李菁菁 (@Jingjing_Li) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jingjing_Li/status/1767906264200397277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
In February 2022, RFA <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2022/02/10/us-funded-news-service-to-suspend-cantonese-op-eds-and-programmes-over-dire-situation-in-hong-kong/">suspended some Cantonese-language programmes and commentaries</a>, citing concerns about press freedom in Hong Kong and the “red lines” of the national security law.
Hong Kong has <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2023/05/03/just-in-hong-kong-ranks-140th-on-2023-intl-press-freedom-index-below-colombia-cameroon/">plummeted in international press freedom</a> indices since the onset of the <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/hong-kong-national-security-law/">security law</a>. Watchdogs cite the <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2023/05/03/explainer-the-decline-of-hong-kongs-press-freedom-under-the-national-security-law/">arrest of journalists, raids on newsrooms</a> and the closure of around ten media outlets, including <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/06/24/in-pictures-thank-you-hongkongers-apple-dailys-printing-presses-come-to-a-halt-after-26-years/">Apple Daily</a>, <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/hong-kongs-stand-news-trial/">Stand News</a> and <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2022/01/02/breaking-independent-hong-kong-news-outlet-citizen-news-to-shut-down-on-tue-days-after-stand-news-raid/">Citizen News</a>. Over <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2022/02/13/where-can-i-go-hong-kong-journalism-students-face-a-difficult-choice-amid-crackdown/">1,000 journalists</a> have lost their jobs, whilst <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2023/04/12/poll-finds-over-80-of-hong-kong-journalists-who-emigrated-do-not-regret-leaving-the-city/">many have emigrated</a>. Meanwhile, the city’s government-funded broadcaster RTHK has adopted new <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/09/29/in-full-new-guidelines-say-rthk-must-uphold-constitution-warns-staff-against-contact-with-foreign-govts/">editorial guidelines</a>, purged <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/05/03/hong-kong-broadcaster-rthk-to-delete-shows-over-a-year-old-from-internet-as-viewers-scramble-to-save-backups/">its archives</a> and axed <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/07/05/the-pulse-with-steve-vines-is-latest-news-show-to-be-axed-by-public-broadcaster-rthk/">news</a> and <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2020/06/21/curtain-falls-on-hong-kongs-oldest-satirical-tv-show/">satirical</a> shows.
In 2022, Chief Executive John Lee said <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/press-freedom-censorship/">press freedom</a> was “in the pocket” of Hongkongers, but “nobody is above the law.” Although he has told the press to “<a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2022/09/22/john-lee-tells-patriotic-journalists-to-deliver-the-right-hong-kong-message-at-media-event-for-chinas-national-day/">tell a good Hong Kong story</a>,” government departments have been <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2024/01/23/how-the-govt-thwarted-hkfps-effort-to-tell-a-good-hong-kong-story-despite-repeated-calls-from-top-officials/">reluctant to respond to story pitches</a>.
Written by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/hong-kong-free-press/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Hong Kong Free Press">Hong Kong Free Press</a> · <a href='https://globalvoices.org/2024/03/18/us-funded-news-outlet-radio-free-asia-to-withdraw-from-hong-kong/'>View original post [en]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Independent media wage losing battle against censorship in Azerbaijan</title>
<link>https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/15/independent-media-wage-losing-battle-against-censorship-in-azerbaijan/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arzu Geybullayeva]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 05:09:43 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Azerbaijan]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Central Asia & Caucasus]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://advox.globalvoices.org/?p=29278</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Since 2017, independent and opposition online news outlets have faced censorship via blocking on spurious grounds.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<big class='tagline'>The most recent target is the online news platform Toplum TV </big>Originally published on <a href='https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/03/15/independent-media-wage-losing-battle-against-censorship-in-azerbaijan/'>Global Voices Advox</a><div id="attachment_808496" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-808496" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-featured_image_large wp-image-808496" src="https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-7-800x450.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="450" />Image by Arzu Geybullayeva</div>
March 12 marks the <a href="https://rsf.org/en/world-day-against-cyber-censorship-rsf-runs-one-world-s-biggest-censorship-circumvention">World Day Against Cyber Censorship</a>, a day to champion the free and open internet, as designated by Reporters Without Borders in 2008. The day draws attention to the digital repression across the globe, especially in countries where governments silence and censor freedom of expression online.
Often, in such environments, the repression does not just end with online censorship but is combined with offline persecution. Azerbaijan is one of many countries where these measures are prevalent. Since November, the state has targeted several online media platforms, arresting reporters, hacking their social media accounts, removing their online content, and <a href="https://meclis.info/news/azrbaycanda-azad-soz-qars-hec-vaxt-basq-olmayb/">denying</a> the country silences freedom expression, even as the country ranks <a href="https://rsf.org/en/country/azerbaijan">151st out of 180 countries</a> on Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index.
<h3>How the silencing works</h3>
The <a href="https://oc-media.org/azerbaijan-charges-journalists-and-activists-following-toplum-tv-raid/">most recent targeting</a> of an online media outlet took place on March 6. Toplum TV, an online news channel, had its office stormed by the police, staff detained, equipment confiscated, and the building sealed shut. The same day, Toplum TV's YouTube and Instagram accounts were hacked. The perpetrators removed years worth of content. At the time of writing this story, neither their YouTube nor Instagram accounts had been recovered and none of the content was accessible.
In 2021, Toplum TV's Facebook page <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/toplum-tv-facebook-page-hacked-via-sms-interception/">was hacked</a> via SMS interception. The latter is a <a href="https://www.iphronline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Pulling-the-Plug_report_updated.pdf">common measure</a> often used to target social media accounts of political activists, journalists, rights defenders, and independent media platforms. It also indicates the involvement of mobile operators taking part in state surveillance and censorship. Two months prior to the hacking, in September 2021, Toplum TV <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/toplum-tv-facebook-page-hacked-via-sms-interception/">reported</a> it lost 16,000 followers on its Facebook page. The platform never accounted for the incident.
Since the raid, one Tolplum TV journalist, Mushvig Jabbarov, has been sentenced to four months in pretrial custody on bogus smuggling charges. The platform's co-founder, media law expert Alasgar Mammadli, has also been sentenced to four months facing the same charges. Two other Toplum TV journalists — Farid Ismayilov and Elmir Abbasov — were arrested and then released under house arrest, facing similar smuggling charges.
The charges leveled against Toplum TV and at <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/07/new-wave-arrests-targets-journalists-and-activists-azerbaijan">least five other political activists</a> arrested since March 6 follow a pattern of media censorship that has picked up in speed since November 2023.
That month <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2023/12/03/in-azerbaijan-five-journalists-arrested-in-ten-days/">Abzas Media</a>, an independent online news platform, had its office searched, and much of the team <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/22/azerbaijan-crackdown-independent-media">arrested</a> on the same smuggling charges. At the time of writing this story, six Abzas Media journalists remain in pretrial custody.
Since 2016, Abzas media has been targeted with numerous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial-of-service_attack">denial-of-service attacks</a> (DDoS), a cyberattack where a site is blocked for public access. In 2017, the website was blocked domestically, forcing the website managers to switch the website’s extension. In April 2020, the website was <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/independent-news-site-hacked/">hacked</a> and, as a result, lost a month’s worth of published articles, and some of the articles’ headlines were tampered with. The platform was <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/popular-citizen-journalist-and-activist-detained/">targeted</a> again in February 2021.
In November 2023, the founder and director of the YouTube news channel Kanal13, Aziz Orujov, was sent into pretrial custody. Orujov was first charged with illegal construction, but shortly after his detention, he too was pressed with smuggling charges. At least two other journalists affiliated with Kanal13 faced legal measures: Shamo Eminov, who was sentenced to three months in pretrial custody on smuggling charges, and Rufat Muradli, the channel's host, who received 30 days of administrative detention on hooliganism charges.
The Ministry of the Interior also requested the <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/a-court-blocks-access-to-kanal-13-youtube-channel/">blocking</a> of Kanal13 from the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/a-court-blocks-access-to-kanal-13-youtube-channel/">on the grounds</a> the channel violated media law (namely for failing to register with the State Media Registry) as well as the dissemination of discrediting information. The Ministry took the request to court. According to <a href="https://www.meydan.tv/en/article/kanal-13-blocked-in-azerbaijan-amidst-editors-arrest-and-legal-controversy/">reporting</a> by Meydan TV, “the trial proceeded without the presence or representation of Orujov or any member of the media organization. The court upheld the claim, resulting in the blocking of the outlet.” The website of Kanal13 was blocked in <a href="https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Areas/Azerbaijan/Azerbaijan-the-silent-crackdown-in-the-Land-of-Fire-182281">2017 during a wave of blocking</a> that targeted several independent and opposition media outlets’ websites.
The blocking of online content is not a new measure. <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/the-tale-of-blocked-websites/">Since 2017</a>, independent and opposition online news outlets have faced censorship via blocking on spurious grounds, ranging from publishing or alluding to calls for forcible change of the constitutional order, organization of mass riots, and other illegal activities. <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/the-trickery-behind-blocking-news-websites-in-azerbaijan/">No evidence</a> was ever produced to back the claims.
A number of other editors and journalists of online news platforms were <a href="https://ipi.media/azerbaijan-aims-to-completely-silence-media-ahead-of-presidential-election/">detained</a> in December, facing extortion charges and placed in pretrial custody.
In January 2024, similar measures have been taken against <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/blogger-arrested/">bloggers</a> <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/authorities-arrest-another-blogger-and-block-access-to-a-public-forum/">too</a>.
In February, the editor of the online news website Khural, Avaz Zeynalli, was <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/authorities-arrest-journalist-editor-of-an-online-news-platform/">sentenced</a> to nine years on bogus extortion charges. He has been in pretrial custody since September 2022. Together with Zeynalli, another journalist and director of the YouTube channel Seda TV, Elnur Shukurov, was sentenced to four years on the same extortion charges.
<h3>A crackdown on civil society</h3>
Azerbaijani authorities also <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/yet-another-activist-detained-over-social-media-posts/">often target</a> civic activists for expressing critical views on social media platforms. <a href="https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/hearing-in-the-case-of-activist-reveals-it-was-his-social-media-posts-that-had-him-arrested-after-all/">This has been the case</a> for <a href="https://www.azadliq.org/a/afiaddin-mammadov-hebs/32603485.html">Afiaddin Mammadov</a>, who has been in pretrial detention since September 2023. In January 2024, Ruslan Vahabov was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeydanTelevision/posts/pfbid07Z1kZxduaXaf1i83ZiQa9pLwpsVJ1EzsConxZqr2MTp8qRN31ihwtwN3uuurf9THl?__cft__[0]=AZXRxU1d8xarAoK-Jg6qPHtZ1GSNT8IF9SOoRK0sfViUi-FrUXZi7v0HbJRyWEp1vJNcaRbHghoRnqyFRbBxcMwWMAoLh02GrmJltezpcLj8eoPlZ1Aim8jDsdC4vNF4Bj7blZjV-bmem5fPA7y252UQiSjEC-8lPuHQUSxLVJEU4vwmxdcYCTIp01IU5zTsINg&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R">sentenced</a> to four years on drug possession charges.
Last year, authorities also targeted prominent opposition politicians. In July 2023, Azerbaijan <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/07/25/azerbaijan-opposition-leader-arrested">arrested</a> high-profile political economist and civil activist Gubad Ibadoghlu, who remains in pretrial detention, facing spurious charges of acquisition or sale of counterfeit money by an organized group. In December 2023, Tofig Yagublu was sent <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/19/azerbaijan-prominent-opposition-figure-arrested">into pre-trial detention</a> on bogus forgery and fraud charges.
<h3>An online and offline witch hunt</h3>
Prior to the raid on Toplum TV, the outlet was <a href="https://qafqazinfo.az/news/detail/18-qrupda-xedice-ismayilin-missiyasi-425746">targeted</a> by a pro-government online news site. The site <a href="https://qafqazinfo.az/news/detail/18-qrupda-xedice-ismayilin-missiyasi-425746">claimed</a> that Toplum TV, Abzas, and others were financed by Western governments, specifically the United States, to spread an anti-Azerbaijan narrative. The same outlet claimed <a href="https://qafqazinfo.az/news/detail/jamnews-kime-xidmet-edir-429120">in a separate story</a> that independent regional news outlets were engaged in spreading “evil” and “slander” against Azerbaijan. Last year, other pro-government media <a href="https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Areas/Azerbaijan/Azerbaijan-s-crackdown-same-old-tactics-just-different-names-228976">accused</a> the United States of <a href="https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Areas/Azerbaijan/Azerbaijan-s-crackdown-same-old-tactics-just-different-names-228976">quietly building</a> a network of spies. This year, Azerbaijani authorities <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2024/01/17/azerbaijan-successfully-uncovers-another-spy-network/">claimed</a> they uncovered another <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/azerbaijan-detains-french-national-espionage-spy-martin-ryan-armenia-nagorno-karabakh/">foreign spy network</a> in the country, this time operated by the French intelligence agencies. None of these claims have been backed by evidence.
This narrative is also pervasive in statements by members of the parliament. On March 11, 2024, Azar Badamov, member of the parliament <a href="https://meclis.info/news/bzi-dairlr-tsis-etdiklri-fondlar-hesabna-azrbaycan-daxilind-sabitliyi-pozmaga-calsrlar/">said</a> Western foundations “finance press agencies, NGOs and carry out their orders with the funds allocated in secret ways. Those who fail to prevent these dirty plans of the West succeed in organizing colorful revolutions in the countries by raising the people against the state. Then they bring their own people to power and turn the lives of prosperous people into hell.
Another MP, Javid Osmanov, <a href="https://meclis.info/news/bzi-qrb-dairlrinin-maliyysi-il-azrbaycana-qars-qarayaxma-kampaniyas-aparlr/">said</a> Toplum TV and AbzasMedia that these and other civic platforms funded through USAID, Open Society Institute (Soros), and other Western stakeholders have no other purpose but to “turn the people against the state.”
Despite these statements and the police investigations, the government has yet to find evidence supporting the alleged crimes. These allegations and anti-Western sentiments <a href="https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Areas/Azerbaijan/Azerbaijan-s-crackdown-same-old-tactics-just-different-names-228976">are not new</a>. And neither are the government's attempts to silence its critics.
Written by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/arzu-geybullayeva/" class="url user-link" title="View all posts by Arzu Geybullayeva">Arzu Geybullayeva</a> · <a href='https://globalvoices.org/2024/03/15/independent-media-wage-losing-battle-against-censorship-in-azerbaijan/'>View original post [en]</a>]]></content:encoded>
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