On Women Human Rights Defenders Day, ARTICLE 19 is paying tribute to the courageous, determined, powerful women journalists who dedicated their lives to exposing the truth. 

Do you remember their incredible legacies?

No amount is too small. Whatever you can afford to invest in this movement – your movement – will be spent on building a freer, fairer world for all.

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the pause in fighting to allow Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees to be freed and the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid, and reiterates our call for an immediate ceasefire by all parties. 

In addition, we call on the authorities to:

• Maintain connectivity at all times. People must be able to contact their families, communities, and aid organisations, and to access vital news and information.

• Protect journalists and ensure they can carry out their work safely. Uphold press freedom and refrain from censoring or banning media outlets. This is crucial at a time of war so that the public can access accurate reporting and quickly understand when conflict escalates to crimes against humanity or genocide.

• Ensure the media have access to Gaza to conduct impartial, on-the-ground reporting and enable the voices of people at the centre of the conflict to reach the world.

• Respect the right to protest and expressions of solidarity.

In the latest episode of Techtonic, the editor and proprietor of a small Kansas newspaper tells us about the day the police raided his home in what he says was a politically motivated attack on freedom of the press. 

How is press freedom faring in a divided America, and what can we do to protect it at a time when opinion is increasingly replacing the facts? 

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has launched a new tool that documents businesses’ policy commitments to human rights defenders (HRDs).

The tracker enables anyone to identify which companies have adopted policies that support HRDs and to identify gaps between policy and practice. It is based on assessments by the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB). 

The scale of attacks on HRDs who raise concerns about business-related harms shows the urgent need for all companies to adopt a zero-tolerance approach.

It also shows that policy commitments are not enough – they must be accompanied by robust implementation and evaluation of their effectiveness.

Defend public interest reporting in Ireland

Why are politicians in Ireland increasingly using lawsuits against journalists and the media? ARTICLE 19 and partner organisations have written to Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald, urging the party’s members to stop intimidating journalists and the media.

Support journalism in Senegal

Authorities in Senegal continue their crackdown on journalists, the media, and the right to voice opinions. Journalist Pape Sané was recently arrested on charges of ‘spreading false news’ after he posted an article on Facebook about the unrest and protests that followed the detention of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Protest in Europe

Barbora Bukovská (ARTICLE 19’s Senior Director for Law and Policy) talked to The Guardian about recent clampdowns on the right to protest across Western Europe.

Tackling gender-based violence in Kenya

As the UN’s 16 Days of Activism begins, Sarah Wesonga (Program Officer for Transparency and Access to Information at ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa) tells the Open Government Partnership why transparency and information rights are so vital to address gender-based violence in Kenya.

Human rights defenders are the superheroes of freedom of expression. But not all activism takes place on the frontline. Just as important is building a sustainable global movement.

This #GivingTuesday, you can be a superhero too.

Bangladesh prepares to vote