IFEX International Freedom of Expression Exchange: The global network for free expression
16 March 2011
Hungary
Repressive media law muzzles press; thousands protest
Thirty-thousand people hit the streets of Budapest yesterday in support of press freedom after Hungary's parliament amended a controversial media law on 7 March. The law has the power to issue a fine of 100,000 Euros, ban media outlets and dictate content - and is controlled by a media council made up of political appointees of the ruling party, report the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM), the International Press Institute (IPI)'s affiliate the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). 16 March 2011
Libya
Al-Jazeera journalist killed; several journalists detained, beaten, missing
After inviting foreign journalists into Libya, pro-Muammar Qaddafi forces have made every effort to impose a news blackout by confining journalists to their hotels, and assaulting and detaining those who try to report on anti-regime protests and violence against civilians. And as Qaddafi loyalists battle insurgents, deadly attacks on journalists have increased, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members. An Al-Jazeera journalist was killed on 12 March in an ambush on the outskirts of Benghazi, and three BBC journalists were detained for 21 hours and tortured.Alert
Web designer sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment for lese majeste, cyber-crime law violation
Incident details
Sentencing
Thantawut Thaweewarodomkul, Web dissidentIndependent news site Prachatai.com said that Thantawut, also known as Kenny, was meted out a 10-year prison term for lese majeste and three years for violating the CCA on 15 March 2011.
Thantawut has been detained without bail since 1 April 2010. He was charged by the Technological Crimes Suppression Division (TCSD) for posting offensive messages and for failure, as the administrator of the Nor Por Chor USA website, to immediately remove an offensive message.
Police said three offensive comments were posted on the website on 1 and 13 March 2010, two by a user named 'admin' and one by another user. Information provided by the Triple T Broadband Company, an Internet service provider (ISP), revealed that based on the Internet traffic on 30-31 March, an IP address belonging to Thanthawut connected to the website via file transfer protocol (FTP).
Prachatai quoted the court as saying that Thantawut had pleaded guilty during the police investigation but later denied all charges in court. The defendant, however, did not deny in his defense that the IP address belonged to him.
A defense witness testified that if the administrator had taken the name 'admin', then other users would not have been allowed to use that name.
The court said it was convinced that the defendant was guilty as charged because he accessed the website via FTP. Only webmasters or web designers of a website can use FTP for access.
Thailand 1 March 2011
Alert
Concerns of whitewash in killing of Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto
(CPJ/IFEX) - Bangkok, February 28, 2011 - The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by inconsistencies in Thailand's official investigation into the killing of Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto, who was killed by gunfire while covering clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces last April 10 in Bangkok.
Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI) told reporters today that its investigations showed that Muramoto was apparently not shot by security forces. The findings contradict the state agency's preliminary conclusions about the journalist's death released and reported by news agencies late last year. Those findings indicated the shots that hit Muramoto came from a direction where troops were positioned at the time and were fired from an M-16 assault rifle. The agency denied it had been pressured to clear the army of responsibility.
DSI revised its findings based on supposed evidence that Muramoto was killed by a bullet likely fired from an AK-47 assault rifle, according to DSI chief Tharit Pengdith, who was speaking at a news conference. He told reporters that soldiers were armed with different weapons, including M-16s, during suppression operations that day, according to news reports.
The local English-language Bangkok Post reported on Sunday that Army Chief of Staff Gen. Daopong Rattanasuwon visited DSI to complain about its initial findings that blamed soldiers for Muramoto's death. Tharit denied that he met with Daopong in the same news report. The Bangkok Post also reported that the Thai military has around 20,000 AK-47 assault rifles in its arsenal.
"The contradiction of the preliminary findings of the investigation into journalist Hiro Muramoto's death raises questions about the independence of the government's investigation," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "We are particularly concerned by reports that a senior military official may have pressured the DSI into censoring its initial findings."
Thomson Reuters News Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement that "the apparent contradiction between the preliminary investigation and these reports makes full transparency about the process and the findings imperative."
"We call on the Thai government to take the investigation forward," Adler said.
At least 90 people were killed and more than 1,800 injured between April and May in 2010 in the worst political violence in Thailand's modern history. Two journalists, Muramoto and Italian freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi, were killed and at least nine other Thai and foreign reporters were seriously injured while covering armed exchanges between troops and protesters.
Police forensics expert Lt. Gen. Amporn Charuchinda told reporters at Monday's news conference that it remained "unclear" who shot Polenghi, according to The Associated Press. He said that the investigation into Polenghi's death was still ongoing.
A CPJ investigation last year, "In Thailand unrest, journalists under fire," uncovered instances of official obstruction into privately-led inquiries into both Muramoto's and Polenghi's deaths. CPJ sources said the military refused to make available for interviews soldiers who were believed to be near Muramoto at the time of his shooting.
DSI did not reveal today whether it based any of its findings on closed-circuit footage in the government's possession of the area where Muramoto was shot. Tharit said the DSI report will be forwarded to the Metropolitan Police Bureau "which might have additional evidence that could make the case clearer," according to The Associated Press.
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