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Annual Report 2014 1 Table of Contents Protecting civic space Annual Report 2014 1 Table of contents ARTICLE 19 Message from the Chair 3 Free Word Centre 60 Farringdon Road Message from the Executive Director 4 London EC1R 3GA ARTICLE 19 trainings by numbers in 2014 6 United Kingdom T: +44 20 7324 2500 Civic space in 2014 8 F: +44 20 7490 0566 W: www.article19.org 1. Protecting people on the frontline 10 Tw: @article19org Seeking justice for Dagestani journalist 13 Fb: facebook.com/article19org Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev Tunisia: Working with a country in transition 16 ISBN: 978-1-910793-01-5 2. Protecting freedom of assembly 18 © ARTICLE 19, 2015 Supporting indigenous human rights 22 defender Mario Luna Romero in Mexico This work is provided under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike 2.5 licence. You are free to copy, distribute and display this work and to make derivative works, 3. Protecting the world’s digital civic space 24 provided you: Supporting the passing of Brazil’s Marco Civil 27 Digital reach of ARTICLE 19 in 2014 30 1) give credit to ARTICLE 19; ARTICLE 19 and the Universal Periodic Review process 32 2) do not use this work for commercial purposes; 3) distribute any works derived from this publication under a licence identical to this one. 4. Protecting civic space for women and minorities 34 Supporting interfaith dialogue in Malaysia 39 To access the full legal text of this licence, please visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/legalcode 5. ARTICLE 19’s cutting edge legal work 42 ARTICLE 19 and the Human Rights Council – 46 For further information please contact George Morris, M&E Officer an interview with our Legal Officer Andrew Smith ([email protected]) 6. Promoting development and transparency 50 7. Developing our new strategy 2015 - 2020 56 About ARTICLE 19 60 Financial information 61 Our Supporters 62 Cover image: Brazilians take to the street to protests. Silvia Izquierdo, Associated Press Acronyms Message from the Chair ACHPR African Commission on Human and People’s Rights 2014 was a year of growth for us: growth in the The December Board also confirmed Galina ATI access to information threats to information and media freedoms around Arapova, from the Mass Media Defence BBC British Broadcasting Corporation the world but also in our capacity to respond. Centre, Russia, as Vice Chair, and approved CSO civil society organisation New funding partnerships also brought growth mechanisms to further strengthen our DGRPA General Directorate for Administrative Reform in our financial resources. international governance and financial ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean management. I was delighted to learn that Frank EU European Union Taking over the chairing of the International La Rue, until recently the UN Special Rapporteur HAICA Independent High Authority for Audio-visual Communication Board from Catherine Smadja at the end of on the promotion and protection of the right to HRC Human Rights Council 2014, I find us entering a new phase of our freedom of opinion and expression, will be joining ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers 28-year history, embarking on a new, genuinely the International Board in 2015. ICTs information and communication technologies global six-year strategy. I would like to pay tribute IDAHOT International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia to Catherine for her role in shaping the dynamic This report bears witness to the commitment IETF Internet Engineering Task Force organisation which we have become. By the and courage of those taking action on the IFEX International Freedom of Expression Exchange middle of 2015 our organisational strategy should ground to defend freedom of expression INGO international non-governmental organisation be fully informed by our work on the ground, and information. ISMA Malaysian Muslim Solidarity acting as an umbrella for our thematic and ITU International Telecommunication Union regional strategies. LGBTI Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex MDG Millennium Development Goals Our strategy rests on the strengths of our regional MoU memorandum of understanding affiliates and offices. The International Board NGO non-governmental organisation was reminded of this at our December meeting in OAS Organisation of American States Mexico City. It was a fitting setting, highlighting Paddy Coulter, Chairman OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights some of the toughest contemporary human rights OSCE Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe challenges along with the determination and NPP Necessary and Proportionate Principles creativity which our hosts, ARTICLE 19 Mexico, RTI right to information bring to their work. RTS Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise RUSI Royal United Service Institute SDG Sustainable Development Goals Sida Swedish International Development and Co-operation Agency TFM Television Future Media UMNO United Malay National Organisation UN United Nations UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UPR Universal Periodic Review US United States WPFD World Press Freedom Day 2 3 Message from the Executive Director In 2014, ARTICLE 19 responded to numerous support grassroots communities and vulnerable challenges and opportunities involving freedom groups worldwide by holding governments and of expression and information. These spanned companies to account on issues including the the year, starting optimistically with the environment, water, health, disability and the NETmundial conference in Brazil on the future right to truth. of internet governance, and ending less positively with Kenya’s new national security law restricting Unfortunately, 2014 was marked by a civic space and free expression. deteriorating security environment for us and our partners. Threats against staff increased, Despite negative trends such as mass mirroring the global trend of greater suppression surveillance and the shrinking of civic space, and restriction of individuals and institutions we continued to press for strong freedom of defending human rights. expression standards to be upheld worldwide. This was supported by our increased global Within our organsisation we prepared for a reach via our nine regional offices, and by our number of internal changes. These included the unique approach to bringing about change. development of our new multi-year strategy and Driven by our legal, campaign, communication the strengthening of our monitoring, finances, and programme activities, we use local institutional learning and human resources. knowledge to inform international standards, We built relationships with new partners to national laws and policies. extend our reach in areas such as technology, civic space and transparency and with new At international level, our work focused on donors to increase our budget. strengthening protection for journalists, bloggers, social communicators and human rights With our new strategy due to be rolled out by defenders and highlighting the relevance of mid-2015, the coming year promises to be human rights to technology. We also advocated one of continued transformation and growth. successfully for the inclusion of the right to information and freedom of expression within the new Sustainable Development Goals due to be enacted this year, and promoted the importance of human rights within protests. At national level, we supported the democratic transitions in Tunisia and Myanmar. We also used freedom of expression and information to Thomas Hughes, Executive Director Demotix 2012. Gaza, Palestinian Territory 4 5 ARTICLE 19 trainings by numbers in 2014 .Tunisia. .Turkey. .Ethiopia. .Russia. .Tajikistan. Trained .542. journalists, Trained .8. journalists Trained .10. digital activists Trained .175. journalists, Trained .61. journalists, activists, judges, National and bloggers on on online protection. bloggers and media lawyers in human rights activists and Assembly candidates and civil digital, physical and digital safety, legal protection public officials about freedom servants on how to exercise legal protection. and new legislation. of expression in constitutional the right to information reform and how to build a and media regulation. legislative framework that promotes free expression. .Myanmar. Trained .141. journalists, human rights activists and public officials, about freedom of expression in constitutional reform, and how to build a legislative framework that promotes free expression. .Mexico. Trained .368. journalists, students, human rights defenders, digital activists and photojournalists on digital and legal protection, protection when working in risky situations, and the right to information. .Somalia. Trained .70. digital activists on online protection. Right to information .Malaysia. Trained .32. activists on Media regulation international standards of freedom of expression, freedom of religious belief Freedom of and internet advocacy. expression legislation Physical protection Online protection Legal protection .Brazil. .Senegal. .Rwanda. .Uganda. .Kenya. Trained .345. activists, Total number of Working in risky Trained .67. activists, Trained .88. activists and Trained .28. public Trained .159. journalists journalists and public servants people trained situations bloggers and journalists public officials on online officials and activists and activists on electoral on digital and physical on online protection. protection, local regulation, on how to guarantee environments, and how to use around the world protection, and on how to and the right
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