"We have seen in our monitoring of religious freedom worldwide how blasphemy laws, in both theory and practice, harm individuals and societies. In commissioning the study found in the following pages, USCIRF sought to ascertain the prevalence of blasphemy laws worldwide and measure how the content o
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f these laws adheres to basic principles of international law. The findings are sobering indeed. According to the study: • Blasphemy laws are astonishingly widespread. Seventy-one countries, spread out across many regions, maintain such statutes. • Every one of these blasphemy statutes deviates from at least one internationally recognized human rights principle. Most of these laws fail to respect fully the human right of freedom of expression. • All five nations with blasphemy laws that deviate the most from international human rights principles maintain an official state religion. • Most blasphemy laws studied were vaguely worded, as many failed to specify intent as part of the violation. The vast majority carried unduly harsh penalties for violators. • Most blasphemy laws were embedded in the criminal codes and 86 percent of states with blasphemy laws prescribed imprisonment for convicted offenders. Some blasphemy statutes even imposed the death penalty. Clearly, blasphemy laws, in both conception and scope, remain problematic. We trust that this report will draw greater attention to the problem, provoke further discussion about the challenges and encourage constructive attempts to reform or repeal blasphemy measures." (Page 1)
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"Volume 1 of the Media Law Handbook for Eastern Africa is a practical guide for journalists practicing in Burundi, Eritrea and Ethiopia. The handbook not only contains a comprehensive overview of applicable media laws for each country reviewed, it also contains suggestions on possible law reforms to
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improve the protection of media in these countries." (Publisher description)
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"Volume 2 of the Media Law Handbook for Eastern Africa is a practical guide for journalists practising in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The handbook not only contains a comprehensive overview of applicable media laws for each country reviewed, it also contains suggestions on possible law reforms to impr
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ove the protection of media in these countries." (Publisher description)
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"The first section is dedicated to the definition of the concept of freedom of expression. First, international and regional texts are analyzed. Then, an overview of the bodies involved in the process of defining and protecting freedom of expression throughout the world is presented. The following s
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ections focus on specific matters related to the need to balance freedom of expression with other fundamental rights. Section two is devoted to the risk of incurring defamation, and how the issue is regulated in different regions of the world and under different circumstances. Section three analyses the relationship between freedom of expression and the right to privacy both in the texts and in the case law of the relevant international bodies. Section four deals with the limitation of freedom of expression for reasons of public order or public morals. Examples of restrictions grounded on public morals and public order are offered. Lastly, section five focuses on the relationship between freedom of expression and public security." (Pages 16-17)
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"In 2010 the Open Democracy Advice Centre undertook a comprehensive review of the state of whistleblowing in South Africa, entitled 'The Status of Whistleblowing' (2010). Three years on, the whistleblowing landscape is due another review. Research demonstrates that progress has not merely halted in
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the current context, but that in fact South Africa appears increasingly hostile to whistleblowing activities. It is not just legislative provisions that may require review, but other broader environmental recommendations are also needed in order to properly enable whistleblowing. This publication looks at how to create an environment in South Africa that can encourage whistleblowers to act – this means not looking at law alone, and understanding that interventions are required at multiple points in the whistleblowing process if people are to feel supported enough to disclose." (Introduction)
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"El Manual tiene el propósito de presentar los contenidos principales de las recientes reformas normativas en estos temas con el objetivo de que las y los comunicadores cuenten con una herramienta de apoyo para su labor comunicativa y de difusión [...] La reforma constitucional en materia de derec
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hos humanos, que entró en vigor el 11 de junio del 2011, es un hecho trascendente en tanto reconoce y aporta al sistema de fuentes legales federales y nacionales, un sistema enriquecido con todas los intrumentos internacionales de protección de los derechos humanos, todas las disposiciones y los estándares que México ha firmado. La Ley para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas que dio origen al Mecanismo de Protección para Periodistas y Personas Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos, que entró en vigor el 26 de junio de 2012, es de suma relevancia en el contexto nacional actual, dado que crea un dispositivo especializado para que el Estado atienda su responsabilidad fundamental de proteger, promover y garantizar los derechos humanos de periodistas, comunicadores y defensores que se encuentran en situación de riesgo como consecuencia de su labor en la defensa y promoción de los derechos humanos, del ejercicio de la libertad de expresión y el periodismo [...] Los contenidos de este manual están organizados en cinco apartados: el primero se refiere a la Reforma constitucional en materia de derechos Humanos; el segundo a la Ley de protección para Periodistas y Personas Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos y al Mecanismo que originó; el tercero corresponde a la Reforma Constitucional en materia de Telecomunicaciones. El cuarto apartado contiene referencias de utilidad relacionadas con los temas y posteriormente de incluyen las versiones en mixe, zapoteco, mazateco y purépecha, a fin de que comunicadores/as indígenas tengan acceso a la información legislativa." (Presentación, página -6-7)
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"A practical guide for journalists practising in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. The handbook not only contains a comprehensive overview of applicable media laws for each country reviewed, it also contains suggestions on possible law reforms to improve
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the protection of media in these countries." (Publisher description)
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"Reunindo uma criteriosa legislação de comunicação social selecionada pelo renomado especialista da matéria, Marcos Alberto Sant Anna Bitelli, esta Coletânea apresenta as mais recentes normas relativas a temas como audiovisual, autor, cultura, informática, internet, jornalismo, propriedade in
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dustrial, publicidade, radiodifusão, software, telecomunicações, TV digital e TV por assinatura. Além do conteúdo que compõe o livro impresso, esta edição traz como novidade o conteúdo exclusivo web, com textos normativos que complementam os temas relativos à matéria tratada neste volume. A obra conta, ainda, com tarjas superiores que identificam cada tema e índices completos - geral, alfabético-remissivo, temático e cronológico " (Descrição da editorial)
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"Le choix fait par la République du Congo pour la démocratie pluraliste a eu pour conséquences, entre autres, la libéralisation du domaine de l'information et de la communication qui était auparavant un monopole de l'Etat. A ainsi été créé le Conseil Supérieur de la Liberté de Communicati
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on. Mais l'importance et le rôle de cette institution essentielle pour la démocratie sont encore largement ignorés par la population. Elle trouve ici l'occasion de connaître les missions et les diverses compétences de cette institution régulièrement et injustement brocardée." (Description de la maison d'édition)
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