Search Results for: freedom information

The Vice Minister of National Defense of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced Sunday that they would cease sending further waste-carrying balloons to South Korea. The waste balloon project began on May 28, transporting paper and rubbish into metropolitan areas such as Seoul. The DPRK claims to have sent 15 tonnes of waste [...]

Digital rights group Access Now, alongside over 20 Russian and international civil society organizations, sent an open letter on Tuesday to YouTube and its parent company Google calling on them to cease aiding the Kremlin in censoring independent media and human rights organizations in Russia. The letter, entitled “Open letter to YouTube and Google: Stop [...]

The ruling Georgian Dream party overrode a veto from President Salome Zourabichvili Tuesday allowing controversial “foreign influence” legislation affecting media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country to become law. The parliament overwhelmingly voted with 66 votes in favor of overriding Zourabichvili’s veto and voted with a majority of 84-4 votes in favor of the bill, [...]

Thousands of Georgians rallied in the capital Tbilisi Sunday to commemorate the country’s Independence Day, coinciding with the protests against the recent controversial “foreign agents” law. Georgia’s ruling party in Parliament said it intends to override a presidential veto over the law. Put forth by the ruling Georgian Dream party, the law targets nongovernmental organizations [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released an alert on Thursday urging the Mexican government to protect a Mexican journalist who is receiving death threats due to his work. Alberto Amaro Jordán, the founder and editor of La Prensa de Tlaxcala, is currently enrolled in a government protection mechanism after numerous threats and attempts on [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced visa restrictions Thursday against Georgia citizens involved in suppressing dissent toward the country’s “foreign influence” law that will require media companies and non-governmental organizations with foreign backing to register as organizations acting in the interest of foreign powers. The DOJ criticized the Georgian government for using “repressive tactics” [...]

The Court of First Instance in Tunis decided on Wednesday to sentence Tunisian journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaiss to one year in prison for spreading false news that harms public security. Tunis court’s spokesperson asserted that broadcaster Borhen Bsaiss was sentenced to six months in prison for using communication and information systems to spread, [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) demanded on Wednesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) allow journalists from around the world to cover its annual decision-making meeting, the World Health Assembly, and provide press accreditation to Taiwanese media. The call arose after two journalists from Taiwan were asked to provide Chinese passports for accreditation. Ahead [...]

Free speech organization Article 19 released its 2024 Global Expression Report (GER) on Tuesday showing that more than half of the world’s population is “living through a freedom of expression crisis,” unable to speak freely. In 2023, the percentage of people living in this crisis rose to 53 percent, or about 4 billion people. This [...]

Pakistan’s Provincial Assembly of the Punjab passed on Monday The Punjab Defamation Bill 2024, which allows the establishment of special tribunals to try individuals who draft, publish or disseminate fake news, according to local outlet Pakistan Today. The act’s passage comes amid protests and free speech concerns from opposition parties. The official purpose of the [...]