Community Action Network and Reporters Without Borders Submit Joint Report on Freedom

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Source: Community Action Network, Singapore



Community Action Network and Reporters Without Borders Submit Joint Report on Freedom of Expression

Posted on June 27, 2015 by workfairsg

Since the last General Elections, Singapore has seen an unprecedented crackdown on freedom of expression. Bloggers and citizens have been sued, harassed and charged in court for criminal offences. This report, written together with the NGO Reporters Without Borders was submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review. It documents the many human rights violations committed by the Singapore government in curbing the right to free expression.

Read the report here: UPR_singapore_freedomofexpression_CAN

End of Article

The link to the report at the end of the article is a 16 page PDF document.

Excerpt of the document:

1. Introduction
1.01 This paper focusses on freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom
of information in Singapore. It consists of information collected by CAN and
Reporters Without Borders, during the period relevant to this submission.

1.02 The Community Action Network (CAN) is a Non-Governmental Organisation
(NGO) based in Singapore which is concerned about freedom of expression, and
civil and political rights. Started as an informal group, CAN comprises
established civil society activists in Singapore, in their respective fields of
expertise. CAN’s website can be found here :
http://singaporecan.wordpress.com/about/

1.03 A series of State actions targetting activists and bloggers in Singapore over the
past several years raised concerns about the chilling effect on freedom of
expression has in Singapore, and has led to the formation of CAN.

1.04 CAN issued its first statement in April 2015 after the Singapore government
moved to prosecute Amos Yee, a 16-year-old child, who has now been unofficially
recognised by the Amnesty International2 as the world’s youngest prisoner of
conscience.

1.05 CAN aims to advance its advocacy to stop the miscarriage of justice and to bring
about a democratic society where the freedom of expression as well as the civil
and political rights of Singaporeans are enshrined and respected.

1.06 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is a non-profit organisation (founded 1985,
registered in France since 1995) has researchers organised by geographical area,
with one team focussing on the internet and new media and another providing
support to journalists. Their English language website is http://en.rsf.org/

1.07 On freedom of expression, there has been no progress on this front since the last
review of 2011; instead there have been many instances pointing to greater
restrictions. Ranked 153th out of 180 countries in the 2015 World Press Freedom
Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Singapore has fallen to its lowest-ever
position. Some of the main reasons for this aggravation was the adoption in 2013
by the Media Development Authority of Singapore of a new set of rules covering
online expression, as well as the rise in prosecutions (and threatened
prosecutions) of bloggers and netizens.

1.08 In an interview with the press in April 2014, the Prime Minister, responding to a
question "What is your Government doing to get into a better position in the
ranking of Reporters Without Borders?" answered: " I have given up that. I do not
take them seriously. They put us somewhere around Zimbabwe; I said, so be it. I
mean, they find it useful, I just ignore that. We manage our press, our media and
our freedom of information in a way that makes sense for Singapore. Information
flows freely on the Internet, you can get data instantly from anywhere in the
world. ( … ) And I really don’t know and don’t mind where the next ranking
comes out for journalists." This reply suggests disdain for press freedom.





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