Tag: Protest Letters by PPF

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia expressed concern over the arrest of Festus Poquie, editor of New Democrat newspaper the UK-based Daily Mail.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the Liberian government to order for a speedy investigation into the matter.

According to Center for Media Studies & Peace Building, on September 15, Poquie was arrested from his office by an unknown vehicle and taken to the headquarters of the Liberian National Police on Capitol Hill, where he was interrogated and detained for several hours.

He was detained for re-publishing story about linking the President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema to harrowing revelations, dictatorship and rights abuses in the newspaper.

President’s former Advisor, Severo Moto made the horrifying revelation of evil practices against his former boss in an interview which was captured by the global media as “Torturer in Chief”. In reaction to the September 13 story of the paper, the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism described the story as reckless and libellously unbalanced against President Nguema.

Culling is a normal practice in journalism and as such, no journalist should be arrested for that.

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Rodrigo Duterte, President of Philippines expressed concern over the arrest of Bong Encarnacion for libel in North Cotabato, Philippines.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the Philippines government to thoroughly investigate the matter and review libel law which is 79-year old.

According to Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, Encarnacion was a manager and commentator Radyo Bomba 99.5 radio. He was arrested by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Kidapawan in connection with the libel cases filed by Makilala Mayor Rudy Caoagdan.

These libel cases were based on the commentaries of Encarnacion which he made during his radio programs on the alleged irregularities in the municipality of Makilala under the Caoagdan administration.

He was held at the National Bureau of Investigation office but was released on September 14, 2016 after he posted bail.

Encarnacion was not informed about the libel complaints before the warrant of arrests were served therefore, he could submit a counter-affidavit.

Libel is still a criminal offense in the Philippines despite calls for its decriminalization.

 

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt expressed concern over the unlawful persecution of Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, and Hossam Bahgat, founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the government of Egypt to remove the travel ban and asset freeze on Eid and Bahgat and end the order blocking reporting of the case, and provide normal legal access to their representatives.

According to International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), since February both Eid and Bahgat have not been allowed to travel out of the country without explanation or option of appeal. In the previous month, their properties were also frozen.

Eid and Bahgat have faced Case no. 173, the ‘foreign funding’ case, which has recently been re-activated. Both were schedule to appear in court this 20 April to defend themselves from possible charges of accepting foreign funding without authorization- charges that since an amendment to Egypt’s penal code in 2014, can carry a penalty of life imprisonment.

The re-activation of Case 173 and ongoing use of Law 84 are in contradiction with the constitutional rights now guaranteed to Egyptian citizens. Article 75 of Egypt’s 2014 constitution explicitly recognizes the right of non-governmental organizations in Egypt to exist and carry out their functions freely and without interference by agencies of the state, subject to no restriction save giving notification of their existence and demonstrating their transparent and non-military activity.

Banning Eid and Bahgat from traving and freezing their assets without a clear judicial charge or stated duration violates their constitutional rights as citizens.

 

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt expressed concern over the unlawful persecution of Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, and Hossam Bahgat, founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the government of Egypt to remove the travel ban and asset freeze on Eid and Bahgat and end the order blocking reporting of the case, and provide normal legal access to their representatives.

According to International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), since February both Eid and Bahgat have not been allowed to travel out of the country without explanation or option of appeal. In the previous month, their properties were also frozen.

Eid and Bahgat have faced Case no. 173, the ‘foreign funding’ case, which has recently been re-activated. Both were schedule to appear in court this 20 April to defend themselves from possible charges of accepting foreign funding without authorization- charges that since an amendment to Egypt’s penal code in 2014, can carry a penalty of life imprisonment.

The re-activation of Case 173 and ongoing use of Law 84 are in contradiction with the constitutional rights now guaranteed to Egyptian citizens. Article 75 of Egypt’s 2014 constitution explicitly recognizes the right of non-governmental organizations in Egypt to exist and carry out their functions freely and without interference by agencies of the state, subject to no restriction save giving notification of their existence and demonstrating their transparent and non-military activity.

Banning Eid and Bahgat from traving and freezing their assets without a clear judicial charge or stated duration violates their constitutional rights as citizens.

 

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand expressed concerns over the media regulation bill proposed by military-appointed the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA).

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the government of Thailand to redraft the bill that will not curb the press freedom.

According to Southeast Asian Press Alliance, if the bill passed into law it would establish a new 11-member National Professional Media Council. It also could open the door for intervention by political and business entities with the media’s work, which ultimately would affect the people’s right to information.”

The media council will have administrative powers over the media including ordering a media outlet to withdraw the professional media identification card of a mistaken media practitioner or cancel the membership of media organization from the media council.

Journalists or media organizations, who or which have been stripped of their membership under the council, will not have the liberty to address the complaints by themselves and will automatically be put under the scrutiny of the media council.

Moreover, the complaints system in the bill does not protect journalists or media organizations from criminal or civil lawsuits, as the law does not preclude the filing of cases in court.

Section 55 states that in cases where a legal order against a media practitioner conflicts with media ethics or violates the freedom of the press, the media practitioner can refuse to follow the order by submitting a letter declaring the reasons. However, the end of the section limits this option if existing laws have been broken. Thus, any legal case filed immediately prevents such a refusal.

The NRSA proposed bill seems to regulate the media than to protect its rights and freedom.