[eccr] IFEX Launches Handbook on Free Expression Campaigning

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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PRESS RELEASE

22 April 2005

IFEX Launches Handbook on Free Expression Campaigning

Toronto - The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) today
launches a new publication aimed at equipping human rights activists around
the world with essential tools to campaign more effectively for freedom of
expression and press freedom.

"Campaigning for Free Expression: A Handbook for Advocates" is a 120-page
manual that provides a toolbox of tips, best practice case studies and
resources for campaigning. The manual showcases a variety of campaign tools,
including investigative missions, coalition-building, legal advocacy and
Internet-based actions, such as blogging, e-mail protest letters and SMS
text messaging. It also gives activists important tools for mounting
campaign strategies and doing power analyses of their local situations.

"This handbook gives us vivid examples of how a variety of campaign
techniques have been used to persuade governments to act in less repressive
ways," says Luckson Chipare, IFEX Convenor and Regional Director of the
Media Institute of Southern Africa. "By doing skilful, tactical and
strategic campaigning, free expression advocates can maximise their
resources to become even more powerful agents of change," he adds.

With threats to journalists, writers, Internet users and human rights
activists on the rise in many countries, the need for more concerted
campaigning on free expression issues is increasingly urgent. "Governments
and other forces are employing more sophisticated methods to restrict
freedom of expression," says Chipare.

Criminal defamation laws are being used to hinder proper scrutiny of the
activities of public officials, business leaders and others. Internet
censorship is spreading worldwide as governments find new ways of limiting
citizens' expression and access to information on the World Wide Web. And
since September 11, 2001, many countries have passed sweeping anti-terrorism
laws that infringe on human rights.

Former Greenpeace campaign director and founder of Selene consultancy Mats
Abrahamsson says, "I hope that free expression campaigners will read this
book and learn from their colleagues' mistakes and successes. But most of
all I hope that it will inspire people to be creative in their campaigning,
and to never give up the fight."

The IFEX handbook will be featured at UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day
conference in Dakar, Senegal, from 1-3 May 2005.

The IFEX handbook can be downloaded from the IFEX website here:
http://www.ifex.org/download/en/IFEXCampaignHandbook.pdf

IFEX is a network of 64 non-governmental organisations that monitors free
expression violations worldwide and facilitates information sharing and
campaigning among its members.

- ENDS -

For further information, contact the IFEX Clearing House, 489 College
Street, Suite 403, Toronto, Ontario M6G 1A5 Canada, tel: +1 416 515 9622,
fax: +1 416 515 7879, e-mail: (campaigns /at/ ifex.org), Internet:
http://www.ifex.org


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