Russia's war on Ukraine

As Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine enters its third month, ARTICLE 19 continues to advocate for the Ukrainian people's right to freedom of expression. We call for war crimes to be independently and thoroughly investigated and for the perpetrators to be held accountable. 

ARTICLE 19 joined the Global Forum for Media Development and partner organisations in calling for increased support for independent media and journalists in Ukraine during the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy in early April. 

As the UK government sets out to overhaul the Human Rights Act, Jo Glanville explores its impact on protecting our universal rights, as part of  ARTICLE 19’s Boundaries of Expression series.  

ARTICLE 19 has launched a series of practical guidelines to protect women journalists, prioritising an understanding of the multiple risks and forms of violence they face. Making the invisible visible offers an intersectional gender approach for civil society to implement into its work, and to promote to the wider world. 

• Turkish judicial authorities have used a baffling array of tactics to keep human rights defender Osman Kavala behind bars and to deflect rulings from the European Court of Human Rights. But, on 25 April, Kavala and his supporters around the world were dealt a devastating blow: an Istanbul court sentenced Kavala to life in prison without parole – a travesty of justice for the Gezi Park trial. ARTICLE 19 joins calls for his release, and for charges to be dropped against him and seven of his co-defendants, who have been handed down 18-year prison terms.
  
  

• Why Iran’s new Internet ‘protection’ bill will hurt the country’s LGBTQI+ communities the most
  
  

• The rich and powerful continue to threaten journalists, activists and public watchdogs investigating abuses of power, using costly, complex lawsuits, known as SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), to silence them. As part of the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), ARTICLE 19 has presented an EU directive on SLAPPs – the result of years of advocacy and consultations. The European Commission has now taken steps to tackle the mounting problem, and the coalition hosted a press briefing to respond to eagerly-awaited EU-wide anti-SLAPPs measures and examine them alongside our model EU directive.

ARTICLE 19’s 2021 annual report highlights the impact of our work worldwide.

We are never short of stark reminders of just how many people do not enjoy freedom of expression – from Malaysia and Thailand to Belarus, Tunisia, and India. But, as ARTICLE 19's Executive Director Quinn McKew notes, there are also reasons to be hopeful:

"While there is no doubt we are at a profound inflection point – where the stark consequences of impunity, authoritarianism, and populism are playing out in all our lives – it is now that we must dig-in and continue to strive even harder for a more just and progressive future."

ARTICLE 19’s new four-year strategy, she notes, “seeks to redefine freedom of expression in an increasingly digital era, with diversity, equity, and inclusion at the heart".

And, as Paddy Coulter, Chair of ARTICLE 19’s Board, puts it:

"Freedom of expression really is at the heart of democratic values and liberty, and it’s only through international collaboration that we’ll advance it. Our successes must be acclaimed; social movements can still effect positive change. But we need to wise up to where this war on expression is going – and be ready for it."

You can now help to protect freedom of expression by giving to ARTICLE 19!

Working in human rights is a challenging but rewarding career choice. With ARTICLE 19 you will find an international community of activists, legal specialists, and experts working together to protect basic freedoms. 

The push for local groups to help shape a safer, freer social media landscape