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	Laos: community leader Sombath Somphone must be found by International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)   21 Jan, 2013   The ICJ calls on the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) to take an active role in determining the fate and whereabouts of Sombath Somphone, a community leader in Laos.   The ICJ also calls on the AICHR to fulfill its mandate under Article 4, paragraph 1.11 of its Terms of Reference, and develop a common position and strategy for tackling the serious problem of enforced and involuntary disappearances in the ASEAN region.   This position must aim towards hastening the resolution of cases of enforced and involuntary disappearances in the region, as well as effectively preventing these violations in the future.   Sombath Somphone is the founder and former director of the Participatory Development Training Center (PDTC) and 2005 recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.   He also led Laos’ civil society groups in participating at the Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF) held in October 2012.   He was last seen being stopped by local police at the Thadeau police station on 15 December 2012, at around 5:00pm.   His family has no information on his fate or whereabouts to this day.   “It should be an urgent concern for the AICHR to give sustained priority to this case and it should vigorously encourage the government of Laos to make every effort to locate him,” said Sam Zarifi, Regional Director of the ICJ for Asia and the Pacific.   “The AICHR should seize this case as a chance to address the issue of enforced and involuntary disappearances in the ASEAN,” Zarifi added. “It should use its mandate to formulate a common position on this issue, to push governments to resolve cases of enforced and involuntary disappearances in the region.”   Following his “disappearance”, the AEPF requested ASEAN parliamentarians to conduct a mission to Laos to investigate the case.   To that end, three parliamentarians from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia traveled to Laos from 13 to 15 January 2013 and spoke to high-level representatives of government about the “disappearance” of Sombath Somphone.   One of the parliamentarians, Mr. Charles Santiago, observed that the government of Laos had evinced no political will to resolve this case.   He noted the half-hearted efforts of police in investigating this case, as illustrated by the fact that they had only called in twice Ng Shui Meng, Sombath Somphone’s wife, since her husband had been missing.   On both occasions, she was asked questions irrelevant to the case, such as how long they had been married, whether or not they had children, and where they reside.   The parliamentarians made it clear that finding Sombath Somphone, a well-known civil society leader, is crucial.   As pointed out in a public statement by Mr. Walden Bello, the parliamentarian from the Philippines, “the immediate surfacing of Mr. Sombath is in the interest of all parties, of Mr. Sombath and his family, of the Lao PDR, and of the ASEAN.”   The ICJ recalls that all States, including Laos, have an obligation to conduct a prompt, thorough and independent investigation wherever there are reasonable suspicions of enforced or involuntary disappearance.   The ICJ also emphasizes that resolving the case of Sombath Somphone is important not only for Laos, but also for the ASEAN as a region.   His citation for the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership indicates he is recognized for “his hopeful efforts to promote sustainable development in Laos by training and motivating its young people to become a generation of leaders.”   His work not only benefits the people of Laos, but also contributes to the aspiration of ASEAN as expressed in its Charter, which is that of ensuring “sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations and to place the well-being, livelihood and welfare of the peoples at the center of the ASEAN community building process.”   Sombath Somphone is the kind of leader integral to the realization of this vision of the ASEAN.   http://www.icj.org/category/news/   * With activists killed in Brazil, Cambodia, the Philippines, and elsewhere, 2012 may have been the worst year yet for violence against those working to protect the environment. So far, little has been done to halt this chilling development, writes Fred Pearce, environmental consultant for New Scientist magazine for Yale 360: http://bit.ly/2vC60po Visit the related web page
	UNESCO chief deplores raft of killings of journalists by Irina Bokova UNESCO Director-General   15 January 2013   The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today unleashed a volley of condemnations over the killings of journalists in three separate incidents across Pakistan, Tanzania and the Central African Republic (CAR) in recent days.   In one press release, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, denounced the killing of community radio journalist Elisabeth Blanche Olofio, who lost her life when rebels stormed her radio station, Radio Be Oko, on 8 January in the town of Bambari in CAR.   “I condemn the killing of Elisabeth Blanche Olofio and feel grave concern about the safety of her colleagues,” said Ms. Bokova, while also urging all the fighting factions in the African country to “respect the civilian status of journalists.”   Over the past month, CAR has experienced a flare-up of violence, with a number of cities reportedly falling under the control of armed groups, which, in turn, has led to thousands of people fleeing areas where fighting has taken place.   Following the attack on Radio Be Oko, press freedom associations operating in the area reported receiving no news regarding the safety of Ms. Olofio’s colleagues and the radio station has had to cease its broadcasts.   Ms. Bokova underlined the importance of community-based media, noting that journalists like Ms. Olofio provided news for most of the population and contributed to “the well-being and development of ordinary citizens.”   In a separate press statement released today, the UNESCO chief condemned the killing of another radio reporter, Tanzanian journalist Issa Ngumba, who was also found dead on 8 January.   Mr. Ngumba had been missing for three days before his body was discovered in Tanzania’s Kajuhuleta Forest, exhibiting signs that he had been strangled or hanged, according to media reports. He is the second journalist killed in Tanzania in recent months.   Ms. Bokova deplored the killing and appealed to local authorities to investigate the crime as thoroughly as possible.   “It is essential that attacks on media workers be prosecuted so as to uphold the basic human right of freedom of expression,” she declared. “Safety contributes to journalists’ ability to inform public debate, the bedrock of democracy.”   Turning her focus onto Pakistan, where a series of bombings in Quetta last Friday reportedly killed at least 100 people and injured at least 200 more, including three reporters, Ms. Bokova also expressed her condolences to the people of the Asian nation. “The bomb attacks in Quetta last Friday, which targeted civilians as well as rescue services and media, were particularly shocking,” she stated, adding that the attacks violated democratic values and human rights.   “I urge the Government of Pakistan to do everything within its power to bring those responsible to justice,” she continued.   According to independent accounts, three journalists were killed in the second wave of bombings which struck the Pakistani city as they rushed to report from the site of the first blast.   Imran Shaikh, a news cameraman for Samaa TV, and Mohammad Iqbal, a photographer with the news agency News Network International (NNI) were killed instantly while Saif-ur-Rehman, a Samaa News reporter, was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.   Ms. Bokova expressed grave concern over the constant killing of journalists in Syria, following the recent death of television reporter Suhail Mahmoud Al-Ali.   “I condemn the killing of Suhail Mahmoud Al-Ali,” said the Director-General, recalling that more journalists were killed in Syria in 2012 than anywhere else.   “I am appalled by the death toll of Syrian journalists and call on all parties to recognize reporters’ duty to continue informing the public even in the midst of strife,” Ms. Bokova added. “Once again, I call on all sides to respect journalists’ civilian status and let them benefit from their basic right to speak freely, in keeping with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”   According to the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders, Mr. Al-Ali died from injuries while covering fighting in the city of Aleppo.   In total, 41 professional and citizen journalists died in Syria last year and more than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the country since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in early 2011. Recent months have witnessed an escalation in the conflict, which is now in its 23rd month. Visit the related web page
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