Web pages about "Turkey"

Children’s choir director still wanted for terrorist propaganda

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:52:41 +0100

The director of a children’s choir is still wanted by the Turkish authorities after she and members of her choir were accused of spreading propaganda for an outlawed separatist group.

An arrest warrant was issued for director Duygu Ozge Bayar after the Diyarbakir Yenisehir Municipality Children’s Choir sang the Kurdish language anthem Ey Raqip (Hey Enemy) at a world music festival in San Francisco in October 2007. The choir sang songs in a total of nine different languages including a Turkish patriotic song (Canakkale Marsi).

Amnesty International issued a public statement on 18 June, expressing concern over the threat the prosecution posed to the right to freedom of expression, and stating that the singing of Ey Raqip cannot be regarded as a threat to public order.

Members of the choir and their director were charged with “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation or its aims” after Turkish prosecutors said that the song was the anthem of the PKK – the separatist militant group Turkish troops have been fighting for over two decades. The conflict has cost almost 40,000 lives.

Nine choir members between the ages of 12 and 17 were tried for the offence in two separate courts. They each faced up to five years in prison.

Three boys aged 15, 15 and 17 at the time that the alleged offence was committed were tried in an adult court in Diyarbakir in the south east of Turkey on 19 June. Six other members of the choir under 15 years of age were prosecuted for the same offence at a Children’s Court on 3 July.

In both cases the charges were dropped because it was judged that the march was sung upon request and that the children did not intend to commit a crime.

The lawyer for the children, Baran Pamuk, said he was angry because the implication of the judge's ruling meant that singing Ey Raqip remained a crime.

Michael Santoro, who runs the San Francisco World Music Festival, and who invited the choir to take part, said: "These events were not political propaganda, nor were they designed with a separatist agenda in mind."

Duygu Ozge Bayar said that the song was requested by the audience in San Francisco. "We shared our culture there, at the festival," she said in a statement. "We sang various songs showing the styles of Diyarbakir … If performing these songs is separatism, then we are guilty of promoting separatism."

There is still an arrest warrant out for Duygu Ozge Bayar who stayed in the US after the festival to study English.

Turkey urged to respect LGBT people's right to freedom of association

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:50:11 +0100

A local court in Istanbul ordered the closure of the Turkish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender solidarity organization, Lambda Istanbul. The court ruled on 29 May in favour of a complaint by the Istanbul Governor's Office that Lambda Istanbul's objectives were against Turkish "moral values and family structure". An appeal challenging this ruling is currently pending.

In recent years provincial governorships in Turkey have similarly targeted organizations working to promote the rights of persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. For example, in September 2005, the Ankara Governor’s Office accused the Ankara-based group KAOS-GL, a gay and lesbian cultural research and solidarity organization, of “establishing an organization that is against the laws and principles of morality”.

Similarly, in August 2006, the Ankara Governor’s Office attempted to close the human rights group Pembe Hayat (Pink Life), which works with transgender people, claiming that the association opposed “laws and morality”. In both of these cases, however, prosecutors dropped the charges.

Amnesty International considers that closure of or attempts to close organizations on the basis of advocating for the rights of persons with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities violate the right to freedom of association, and are discriminatory.

Amnesty International is calling on people to write to Beşir Atalay, the Minister of Interior:

reminding him of his duty to ensure the respect and protection of the rights of all persons to freedom of association, without discrimination including on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity; in particular, in the words of the Yogyakarta principle 20: “to ensure the rights to peacefully organise, associate, assemble and advocate around issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to obtain legal recognition for such associations and groups”;
urging him to ensure that notions of public order, public morality, public health and public security are not employed to restrict any exercise of the rights to peaceful association solely on the basis that the association affirms diverse sexual orientations or gender identities;
asking him to support a comprehensive non-discrimination law which includes specific protections against unequal treatment based on sexual orientation and gender identity in all areas of life;
asking him to remind provincial governorships and their association directorates of their obligation to respect and protect the rights of all persons to freedom of association, without discrimination, including on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to take measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Gay rights face old threats in new Europe

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:08:27 +0100

The Gay Pride march in Riga on Saturday (31 May) may have passed largely without incident, but elsewhere in Europe, the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to claim their rights and celebrate their identity is under threat.

Hundreds of people, including Amnesty International activists from 30 countries, joined the celebratory Riga Pride parade through Latvia’s capital, protected from counter-protesters by police. Yet a similar event in Moscow has been banned by the city’s mayor for the third year running. And in Turkey, leading LGBT rights group Lambda Istanbul has been banned by a court ruling.

On Sunday 1 June, gay rights activists in Moscow staged a protest against Mayor Yuri Luzhkov’s ban. They managed to hang a large banner from the window of a flat near the mayor’s office in the city centre. The banner read "rights for gays and lesbians, homophobic Mayor Luzhkov to court".

According to official information, 36 people were preventatively detained by police. Most of them were opponents of LGBT rights action. None were charged. At least one gay rights activist was attacked and kicked to the ground.

From late April onwards, gay rights activists had applied to the Mayor’s office for permission to hold a march or a meeting. According to Nikolai Alekseev, the main organizer of gay rights parades, 155 applications were handed in. None were sanctioned by the authorities.

Under Russian law, authorities can’t simply ban a public meeting, unless that meeting is against the laws and constitution of the Russian Federation. The authorities can propose a different date, a different location and have to provide reasonable arguments as to why they propose these changes. The Moscow authorities did not do this.

In Turkey on 29 May, the Third Civil Court of First Instance in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul ruled in favour of a complaint brought by the Istanbul Governor’s Office, and ordered the closing of Lambda Istanbul, a group advocating LGBT people’s human rights.

The complaint, made in early 2007, claimed that the name and objectives of the group were offensive to Turkish "moral values and its family structure." In July 2007, the local Prosecutor’s Office rejected the complaint, but the Governor’s Office took the case to the courts. The court conducted six hearings before issuing its verdict.

Turkish authorities have targeted other LGBT organizations in recent years. In September 2005, the Ankara Governor’s Office accused the Ankara-based group KAOS-GL of "establishing an organization that is against the laws and principles of morality." Similarly, the Ankara Governor’s Office attempted in July 2006 to close the human rights group Pembe Hayat (Pink Life), which works with transgender people, claiming that the association opposed "morality and family structure." In both cases, prosecutors dropped the charges.

On 30 May, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Lluís Maria de Puig, expressed his concern after the banning of Lambda Istanbul.

"The arguments put forward by the prosecutor, reportedly leading to the closure of the association Lambda Istanbul whose activities were held to infringe the laws on public morality, are puzzling to me," said Mr de Puig.

"Freedom of expression and freedom of association are enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, which Turkey has ratified as a member of the Council of Europe. Thus any person, whether lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, has the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, without discrimination. It rests with the authorities to ensure that everyone can exercise these rights," said Mr de Puig.

Lambda Istanbul will not be closed down until a final decision by the Supreme Court of Appeals. The group can continue to operate in the mean time and has announced its intention to fight the ban. According to its website, Lambda is planning to stage a demonstration on Saturday 7 June.

Turkey: Respect the rights and safety of demonstrators

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:46:24 +0100

On the eve of planned May Day demonstrations in many Turkish cities, Amnesty International calls upon the Turkish authorities to ensure that the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is respected and that law enforcement officers use force only where strictly necessary and only to the extent required to perform their duties.

In a letter to the Minister of the Interior Mr Besir Atalay, Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at the human rights organization, said:

"The right to hold peaceful demonstrations is protected by the right of peaceful assembly in international human rights legislation. Any limitations placed on this right must only be those which are prescribed by law and necessary in a democratic society for the protection of national security or public order or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others."

Amnesty International is concerned that in a number of recent cases the right to freedom of peaceful assembly has been violated, that excessive force has been used against demonstrators and that detained demonstrators may have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated. These include:
•   During and after a peaceful demonstration in Istanbul on 1 May in 2007 police used batons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. 38 people lodged a criminal complaint alleging that they had been injured by police at the demonstration. However, on 12 March 2008 the Chief Prosecutor ruled that the force was legal because the demonstration was not authorised by the authorities. This decision contradicts the requirement that force used by law enforcement be proportionate whether or not an assembly has been authorized.
•   Authorities in south-eastern Turkey banned Newroz/Nevroz celebrations after 21 March 2008, a decision which is arbitrary and does not represent a legitimate restriction to the freedom of assembly. Newroz/Nevroz is the traditional festival of New Year in the Persian calendar which celebrates the arrival of spring at the March 21 equinox and which is celebrated especially by the Kurdish community in Turkey. In the violent confrontations that ensued after police used force to disperse demonstrators in those cities where assembly had been restricted, law enforcement officials used excessive force including the use of plastic bullets and live ammunition injuring and killing three people. Television footage showed law enforcement officials severely beating demonstrators.
•   During violent demonstrations in several towns and cities centring on Diyarbakir in March 2006, 10 demonstrators and onlookers were killed, four of them children. There were widespread allegations of torture or other ill-treatment in police custody. Following the Diyarbakir protests 34 investigations into allegations of torture or other ill-treatment were initiated by prosecutors and 72 administrative investigations were reportedly launched by the Ministry of the Interior. However, more than two years after the incidents took place, not a single prosecution has been opened against any member of the security forces, either in relation to the allegations of torture or the fatal shootings that occurred during the demonstrations.

"Allegations of police using excessive force against demonstrators and detainees are routinely not investigated as they should be -- promptly, impartially and effectively. This breeds de facto impunity for violations of human rights committed by law enforcement officials," Nicola Duckworth said.

Background
The policing of demonstrations must adhere to the principles set out in the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials:
•   law enforcement officials must, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms, which should be used only if other means remain ineffective or without any promise of achieving the intended result;
•   the principle of using the minimum force necessary to achieve the legitimate objective must be maintained whether the demonstration has been authorized by the authorities or not;
•   law enforcement officers may use firearms only when less dangerous means are not practicable and only to the minimal extent necessary, in order to protect themselves or others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury;
•   law enforcement officers must exercise restraint when the use of firearms is unavoidable, the injured must be provided with assistance and medical aid and their relatives or friends notified at the earliest possible moment;
•   it is never permissible, for law enforcement officials to subject people to torture or other ill-treatment, which is absolutely prohibited under international law;
•   allegations that excessive force has been used by law enforcement officials must be investigated and those responsible held accountable.

Amnesty International is concerned that these standards have not been upheld during and after demonstrations in Turkey.

Turkish activist gets jail sentence

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:30:02 +0000

Human rights activist Eren Keskin has been sentenced to six months and 20 days in prison after being convicted of “denigrating the Turkish army”.

The conviction comes under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which Amnesty International has long campaigned against.

Eren Keskin's sentence can be converted into a fine of 4,000 Turkish Liras (US$3,250) but she has refused to pay it. Instead, she is appealing the verdict. Should she be imprisoned, Amnesty International would consider her to be a prisoner of conscience.

Amnesty International has campaigned for the abolition of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code on the grounds that it is an unnecessary restriction of the right to freedom of expression. Yet a steady flow of cases continue to be opened under it.

Eren Keskin’s conviction follows an interview she gave to the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel in 2006, in which she stated that the army had undue influence on politics, the judiciary and state institutions.

Video: Worldwide actions to close Guantánamo

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:28:43 +0000

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Thousands of people, including Amnesty International members and supporters from around the world, have taken action to mark the sixth anniversary of the first transfers of detainees to Guantánamo. Amnesty International staged protests in 30 countries on Friday, 11 January.

Turkey: Reveal the full circumstances surrounding Hrant Dink's murder

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:38:06 +0000

On the eve of the first anniversary of the killing of the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, Amnesty International calls on the Turkish authorities to condemn all forms of intolerance and to bring all those involved in the killing to justice in accordance with international fair trial standards.

"The scope of the investigation must be widened to examine the full circumstances of the killing, including the role of law enforcement officials in failing to act on warnings that he was being targeted for assassination," said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's researcher on Turkey.

Hrant Dink had reported threats to his life to the Public Prosecutor in Şişli. According to the indictment in the murder trial, one of the defendants also acted as a police informer and told the police of the plans to assassinate Hrant Dink in the months before the murder took place. Nevertheless, steps were not taken to ensure his protection. Subsequently two gendarmerie officers were charged with dereliction of duty; however, lawyers for the family have called for more law enforcement officers to be brought to justice.

The initial statement by the Istanbul Police Chief that the killing was the act of a gunman working alone and the photographs of military police with the alleged killer as if he was a “hero” illustrate an official reluctance to examine the full scope of the crime and contribute to the perception that sections of the law enforcement agencies may be biased.

Amnesty International considers that Hrant Dink was shot on 19 January 2007 because of his work as a journalist who championed freedom of expression and promoted the universality of human rights.

"Human rights activists have a right to the protection of the state, like any other citizen. The failure to prevent the murder of Hrant Dink and the subsequent flaws in the investigation must not be repeated," Andrew Gardner said.

"Hrant Dink's case is not an exception. Many in Turkey continue to be prosecuted for the peaceful expression of their non-violent opinions. This is due both to the existence of flawed legislation and the arbitrary implementation of the law by judges and prosecutors."

Hrant Dink was repeatedly prosecuted under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code that criminalizes “denigrating Turkishness”. Amnesty International has continually called for Article 301 to be abolished on the grounds that it poses a grave threat to freedom of expression, as it is worded in such broad and vague terms. Amnesty International is concerned that the number of cases opened under this article appears to have increased in 2007. The organization notes that in the past year, violations of human rights increased and measures to combat them remained insufficient.

"The continuing suppression of freedom of expression in Turkey has created an atmosphere of deadly intolerance culminating in the killing of Hrant Dink," said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's researcher on Turkey.

In a memorandum to the government sent earlier this week, the organization reminded it of its commitment, repeated after elections last year, to further legislative reform and advance guarantees of human rights and freedoms. Amnesty International believes that the current government must take action on a number of issues to achieve lasting, substantive improvements. These issues include torture and ill-treatment in detention and impunity for the perpetrators, fair trial concerns, obstacles being placed to undermine the work of human rights activists and freedom of expression.

"In addition to implementing current legal reforms, urgent legislative reform must be adopted. The authorities must seize the opportunity to advance the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms for all in the new constitution that is being drafted," said Andrew Gardner.

See: Turkey: Memorandum to the Turkish Government (AI Index: EUR 44/001/2008)
Turkey: Article 301: How the law on “denigrating Turkishness” is an insult to free expression (AI Index: EUR 44/003/2006)

The world shouts 'Close Guantánamo'

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:55:25 +0000

Click on the pictures to the right to watch a slideshow with images of the day.

More than simply a call for closure, Amnesty International once again presented the US government with the organization’s framework for ending illegal detentions, whether at Guantánamo or elsewhere. This time, the framework was supported by over 1,200 parliamentarians from around the world.

In some countries, including Belgium and Ireland, some of the parliamentarians accompanied Amnesty International activists at their events and demonstrations.

The infamous orange jumpsuit – closely associated with the inhumanity and illegality of Guantánamo – became once more the icon of this anniversary. There was also street theatre, poetry readings, the recreation of Guantánamo cells in city centres, speeches, rallies and cyber activism.

US military chief wants to close Guantánamo

On Sunday, two days after the anniversary, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Navy Admiral Michael Mullen became the latest US official to say that Guantánamo should be shut down.

“More that anything else, I just think it has been the image – how Gitmo has become around the world, in terms of representing the United States. I believe from the standpoint of how it reflects on us that it’s been pretty damaging.”

What you can still do

Go to tearitdown.org and add your support to Amnesty International’s framework to end illegal US detentions.

Post a tearitdown banner in your website or blog.

Turkey: Conscientious objector at risk of imprisonment

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:34:01 +0000

The Turkish authorities must recognize and guarantee the right to conscientious objection, Amnesty International said on the eve of a trial that may send a conscientious objector to prison.

"Every person has the right to refuse to perform military service on the grounds of conscience or profound personal conviction, without suffering any legal or physical penalty. Instead of criminalizing people for exercising their human rights, the Turkish authorities must make provisions for an alternative civilian service that is not discriminatory or of punitive length," Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's researcher on Turkey said.

On 4 October 2007, Enver Aydemir will stand trial on charges of insubordination following his refusal to perform military service. He has been detained at Eskisehir military prison since 31 July 2007. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience. According to his father, Enver Aydemir submitted a petition to the authorities informing them that he would refuse to perform military service on the grounds of his religious conviction.

After his arrest, Enver Aydemir claims to have been physically ill-treated and forced to wear military uniform by a group of 10 soldiers. Despite the pressure exerted upon him, Enver Aydemir remains resolute that he will not serve in the armed forces. He is willing to perform a civilian alternative to military service.

"The Turkish authorities must investigate impartially, promptly and thoroughly Enver Aydemir's claims of ill-treatment by soldiers and bring those responsible to justice," Andrew Gardner said.

Amnesty International urges the Turkish authorities to stop immediately the prosecutions of conscientious objectors and to introduce an alternative civilian service for conscientious objectors in line with European and international standards and recommendations.

"By dropping the case against Enver Aydemir, the Turkish authorities will signal that they are ready to comply with international human rights standards."

"Persecution is not the solution to conscientious objection."

Background
In Turkey it is compulsory for all men between the ages of 19 and 40 to do military service for 15 months. Amnesty International is concerned that the right to conscientious objection is not legally recognized by the authorities, and provisions do not exist for an alternative civilian service for conscientious objectors. International human rights standards recognize the right to conscientious objection. Recommendation No. R (87) 8 of the Committee of Ministers to Member States of the Council of Europe Regarding Conscientious Objection to Compulsory Military Service of 9 April 1987 states that "Anyone liable to conscription for military service who, for compelling reasons of conscience, refuses to be involved in the use of arms, shall have the right to be released from the obligation to perform such service [...]. Such persons may be liable to perform alternative service." In recent years in Turkey there have been a small number of conscientious objectors who have publicly stated their refusal to carry out military service. They are usually subject to criminal prosecution and imprisonment.

Public Document
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For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

Press Freedom: Journalists in need of protection

Wed, 03 May 2006 17:45:57 +0100

Since the beginning of the war in Iraq in March 2003, more journalists have been killed in that country than anywhere else in the world. The situation faced by journalists attempting to cover the events in that country highlight the need for greater international efforts to protect journalists in conflict situations.

Journalists fulfil a special role in conflict situations, providing details of incidents that parties to the conflict would sometimes prefer remained unknown by the general public.

In the first year of the conflict, journalists were primarily killed by US or Iraqi forces, usually reported as having been caught in the crossfire or accidentally shot, though journalists' organisations have charged that some of the attacks looked like deliberate targeting. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on 8 March 2006, the third anniversary of the US attack on Baghdad’s Palestine Hotel, that more than 100 journalists and media staff have lost their lives.

“...In many of these cases we still do not have concrete answers to hard questions about who is responsible and what happened,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.

In a recent case, the IFJ reports that Mahmoud Za'al, 35, a cameraman and reporter for the Iraqi television station Baghdad TV was shot on 24 January 2006 in Ramadi, while working on a social documentary. According to local reports, Mahmoud Za’al was allegedly shot in a cross-fire between US forces and insurgents.

Since 2004, however, both local and international journalists have increasingly been targeted by armed groups as part of their campaigns. Many local journalists are targeted because they work for foreign media and are accused of collaboration, while foreign journalists have been kidnapped and murdered in an attempt to put pressure on the foreign troops in the country.

Female journalists are among those targeted by armed groups. In February, a well-known correspondent for Al-Arabiya television and two members of her crew in Iraq were kidnapped and killed. Police found the bodies of reporter Atwar Bahjat, her cameraman Adnan Khairallah and soundman Khaled Mohsen on the outskirts of Samarra.

The IFJ has been campaigning for a similar level of protection as granted to humanitarian workers and UN staff in August 2003 to be extended to journalists in conflict situations. The organisation presented text for a suggested resolution of the Security Council to UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, at the World Electronic Media Forum during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisian, 16 November, 2005.

Amnesty International (AI) agrees that international measures must be put in place to protect journalists in conflict. AI calls on the incoming members of the Security Council to adopt measures that seek to prevent these attacks and hold those who carry them out accountable for their actions.

However, it is not just in conflict situations that journalists need protection. Across the world, in a range of different situations, journalists are attacked, imprisoned and forced into self-censorship by repressive governments. The common element in all of these is the unwillingness of some governments to allow alternative voices to emerge and, in many cases, a fear that journalists will expose abuses they have tried to keep quiet.

In Uzbekistan, journalists who have tried to publicise the killings in Andizhan last May have been threatened, assaulted, detained and forcibly confined to their homes. The "war on terror" is used as a pretext for tightening restrictions on freedom of expression. The situation has become so bad that, following the closure of several independent foreign media outlets, the BBC closed its Uzbekistan office last October due to the increased harassment of its staff by the authorities.

The "war on terror" has also been invoked in Pakistan to restrict journalists. Journalists have been denied permission to cover events in the tribal areas of the country where the army is engaged in operations against those linked to al-Qa'ida and the Taleban. Across the country, journalists covering the "war on terror" have been harassed, arbitrarily arrested. Some have "disappeared" for some length of time.

In one such case, journalist Hayatullah Khan was abducted by armed men on his way to cover a protest rally in Mirali Bazaar, North Waziristan, against a missile attack four days earlier. He is now thought to be detained, possibly having been handed over to US agencies, but his detention has not been acknowledged and his whereabouts remain unknown.

In Colombia, the continuing armed conflict, which the government sometimes describes as a "fight against terrorism", has, in some cases been used as a pretext to intimidate journalists who, along with trade unionists and social activists, are targeted by both army-backed paramilitaries and the armed opposition groups.

Members of the security forces and government officials have sought to stigmatize some journalists who expose human rights violations by associating them with the armed opposition groups, thus placing them at risk of attack by paramilitary forces. They are under particular threat in the run-up to the Presidential elections on 28 May.

In Lebanon, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri in February 2005 and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops, several prominent journalists who had spoken out against Syrian practices were killed or seriously injured by bombs placed under their cars. Samir Qasir and Gibran Tueni MP, a senior journalist with and the editor of the daily al-Nahar respectively, were killed in June and December 2005. May Chidiac, a presenter with LBC television, lost an arm and a leg in a bomb attack against her in September 2005.

Journalists in Kenya have also found themselves targeted in a pattern of increased intimidation and harassment by the government. In March this year, the Information and Communications Minister Mutahi Kagwe and Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua warned the media of stern government action if the persisted in what was described as "misreporting and misrepresentation".

In one of a series of incidents, two groups of hooded armed people with gas masks staged simultaneous raids early on 2 March on the editorial offices of the Kenya Television Network and the Standard Group's printing press in Nairobi. They disabled broadcasting equipment, burnt thousands of copies of newspapers and removed computer equipment.

States have a duty to protect journalists and not to persecute them in an effort to control the free flow of information. A free media is not only beneficial, but necessary in a free society. By exposing human rights abuses and giving voice to marginalised parts of the community, the media can at its best encourage the proper application of justice and stimulate debates that can defuse situations that might otherwise lead to conflict. When faced with unjust restrictions and the threat of attack, self-censorship in the media can have the opposite effect, aiding the covering up of abuses and fostering frustration in marginalised communities.

International recognition of the importance of journalists and the need for them to work free from unjust restrictions and the threat of violence will help to put pressure on those states who seek to control the media. Journalism matters and it is time for those who recognise the importance of a free media to try to change the minds of those who do not.

Other countries:
Rwanda
Restrictions on the freedom of the press remain in force, belying the government's claims that it is building an open society. Journalists who voice concern or criticize the state authorities are intimidated into silence or forced into self-censorship. The climate of impunity is perpetuated by the lack of substantive measures to bring to justice perpetrators of past human rights violations against journalists, including physical attacks, unlawful detention, intimidation and harassment.

Cuba
The government retains complete control over all media outlets and private ownership of press, radio, television and other means of communication is prohibited by law. Independent journalists face intimidation, harassment and imprisonment for their work. There are currently 72 prisoners of conscience on the island, 14 of whom are journalists.

Bangladesh
Several journalists engaged in defending human rights have had their fingers or hands deliberately damaged so they can no longer hold a pen. The attacks form part of a situation in which hundreds of human rights defenders have received death threats and been physically attacked. Successive governments have consistently failed to protect individuals at risk, investigate the abuses committed against them and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Egypt
Restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly persist. A Bill introduced by President Mubarak in February 2004 that would abolish imprisonment for publishing offences has not been made law. In the meantime, journalists continued to be threatened, beaten, fined for libel or imprisoned because of their work. Crews and journalists of international TV channels were also stopped and detained for hours in the run-up to the May 2005 referendum on multi-candidate presidential elections in an apparent attempt to prevent them from reporting on demonstrations or gatherings related to the referendum.

Turkey
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which prohibits "public denigration of Turkishness, the Republic or the Grand National Assembly of Turkey", violates the right to freedom of expression and is frequently used to prosecute journalists and others peacefully expressing their dissenting opinion. Amnesty International has been campaigning for the abolition of Article 301 in its entirety.