Category Archives: east asia

IFEX Asia brief: April, May, June 2024

By admin | April 1, 2025

April 2024. Journalists who ‘crossed the line’, digital repression, blasphemy prosecutions, and marriage equality bill. India goes to the polls amid continuing media harassment and content blocking. China’s repressive model of media and internet governance is increasingly being imposed in the region. A worsening rise in blasphemy prosecutions in Pakistan. Good news: Thailand parliament passes […]

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IFEX Asia briefs: January, February, March 2024

By admin | February 1, 2025

What’s new and old in 2024: Repressive laws, attacks, and election disinformation in Asia. New media laws in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal could negatively impact access to information. Afghanistan’s media situation remains precarious amid intensified state-backed attacks. Filmmakers in Myanmar and Malaysia face criminal charges. As political forces resort to restrictions and disinformation in […]

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Looking ahead: Censorship, AI, disinformation, and repression undermining elections

By admin | November 30, 2024

Written for IFEX Internet restrictions, AI-driven disinformation, and mass arrests have intensified ahead of major elections across Asia. These attacks undermine freedom of expression at a time when elections are supposed to restore or strengthen democratic rule and counter authoritarianism in the region. A key takeaway from Asia’s election experience is the need to revisit […]

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IFEX Asia brief: October and November 2023

By admin | October 31, 2024

October 2023: Elusive justice: Combatting election disinformation and impunity; journalists freed in China and Afghanistan. As the world prepares to mark another International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, on 2 November, the fight against impunity continues in the Philippines and Pakistan. Cheng Lei returns home to Australia, Mortaza Behboudi walks free in […]

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IFEX Asia brief: July, August, September 2023

By admin | June 24, 2024

July 2023: Journalists and activists from China and Pakistan targeted by transnational repression, prolonged internet shutdown in Manipur hides extent of communal violence, Cambodia blocked websites after disqualifying the opposition, and defiant Afghan women protested against repressive Taliban policies. Read more August 2023. Taliban marks its second year in power amid worsening repression targeting women […]

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A tale of two murderous military regimes

By admin | April 24, 2024

Published by Bayan Metro Manila Myanmar’s junta and the Philippines’ Duterte government are among the worst violators of human rights today. After grabbing power on February 1, the Tatmadaw (armed forces) detained the country’s duly elected leaders and brutally suppressed the anti-coup resistance. The Philippines is among the many countries which expressed concern over the […]

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IFEX Asia brief: April, May, June 2023

By admin | April 13, 2024

April 2023. Fiji’s media victory, Vietnam’s “Kafkaesque trial”, and World Press Freedom Day in the Asia-Pacific: A historic win for the media in Fiji, a “Kafkaesque trial” in Vietnam, a Taiwanese publisher detained in China, a new law threatens free speech in India, and IFEX members across Asia-Pacific mark World Press Freedom Day. Read more […]

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IFEX Regional Brief: January, February, March 2023

By admin | March 8, 2024

New Year: A cruel carousel in Myanmar, Ressa’s acquittal “in the upside down”, a quiet crackdown in China, and censored videos. A tax court acquitted journalist Maria Ressa, China has quietly launched a crackdown on anti-lockdown protesters, India ordered YouTube and Twitter to block a BBC documentary, and Fiji’s new government has promised to restore […]

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IFEX 2022: A year of pushing back against misogyny, censorship, and tyranny in Asia

By admin | January 3, 2024

The continuing pandemic exacerbated the suffering of many in 2022, but we also witnessed how resistance emerged in a context of intensified political crisis and government repression across the region. Protesters demanding the ouster of corrupt regimes, journalists exposing abuse, women resisting tyranny, and civil society groups promoting solidarity – below, we share examples of […]

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Solidarity, action, and remembering: The fight against impunity in Asia

By admin | November 1, 2023

Impunity persists across Asia, as states fail to provide adequate protection to journalists. This was the common message of Asia-based civil society groups that marked the International Day to End Impunity (IDEI) for Crimes Against Journalists on 2 November by highlighting the efforts of so many stakeholders to counter attacks against the media and hold […]

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