“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
–
Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho (via wordsnquotes)
So fitting. CPJ denied UN ECOSOC accreditation today after 4 years of
Kafka-esqe bureaucratic limbo.
What does this mean? The NGO Committee of the United Nations voted today to deny us consultative status with the Economic Social Council (ECOSOC). Without such status, we are unable to access U.N. bodies and processes, notably the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where accredited NGOs can deliver a counter-narrative to states. During today’s vote, six members voted in favor of CPJ’s application, 10 voted against CPJ, and three abstained. The full list of countries that voted against us is here.
Time to end a five-year crackdown in Iran
This Thursday, CPJ will launch a social media campaign calling for the end of the press crackdown that began on June 12, 2009, the day of Iran’s tumultuous presidential elections.
A lot has changed in five years. The thunderous demand of thousands–“Where is my vote?”–no longer echoes in the streets. The presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, whose campaigns ultimately helped spark a massive street movement, now languish under house arrest. In place of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the anointed victor of the 2009 elections, is Hassan Rouhani, who won a surprise victory last year on a platform of international engagement and reform. With Rouhani’s election, some people have come to feel that 2009 just may be history and that Iran has moved on.
But when it comes to press freedom in Iran, too much has remained the same these five years. On election day in 2009, at least nine journalists were behind bars. Twenty-six days later, CPJannounced Iran had officially become the world’s worst jailer of the press with 30 journalists in jail:with further research, the number rose to at least 39, a stunning increase of 333 percent since June 12.
Continue reading.
Follow the campaign on our Tumblr or @CPJmena or @pressfreedom
