Ireland

An Irish court has created a precedent where damage to a person’s reputation could lead to criminal sanction — and no one seems to have noticed.

ARTICLE 19 strongly opposes the current Irish policy allowing for imposition of fees for making requests as well as the pending bill before the Dail to expand fees by allowing requests to be split and charged for each facet.

Suspected illegal downloaders will be contacted twice by phone, mail or e-mail and if they are caught a fourth time, their connection will be suspended for a year.

Pakistan’s submissions on defamation of religions adopted the exact wording of Irish legislation on blasphemous libel.

The Irish government’s amendment on “blasphemous matter”, introduced in the Defamation Bill 2006, is contrary to the right to freedom of expression under international human rights law, says ARTICLE 19.

Freedom of the Press 2007: Ireland

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 5 March 2007 CPJ press release: Journalist arrested in Ireland; two others investigated New York, March 5, 2007 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arrest of freelance reporter Mick McCaffrey and the criminal investigation of Irish Times journalists Geraldine Kennedy and Colm Keena for allegedly publishing private […]

(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is an IFJ media release: IFJ Urges Defeat of Planned Irish Privacy Law that Will Stifle Journalism The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its regional European group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), today called on the Irish government to abandon plans for a draconian privacy law due to come […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release: ARTICLE 19 SUBMISSION ON DEFAMATION IN IRELAND ARTICLE 19 last week filed a submission on the Report of the Irish Legal Advisory Group on Defamation (1) which recommends far-reaching reform of the present, outdated Irish law on defamation. ARTICLE 19 largely endorses the recommendations […]

(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a 20 November 2003 WAN and World Editors Forum (WEF) letter to Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern. A similar letter was also sent to Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell: Mr Bertie Ahern, T.D. An Taoiseach Department of the Taoiseach Government Buildings Upper Merrion Street Dublin 2 […]

(IPI/IFEX) – The following is an IPI letter to Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern Department of the Taoiseach Government Buildings Upper Merrion St. Dublin Ireland Fax: (+353) 1 678 97 91 Vienna, 13 October 2003 Your Excellency, The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, leading journalists and media executives […]

(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a media release by the IFJ’s regional group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ): European Journalists Support Irish Fight To Maintain Open Government Leaders of the European Federation of Journalists are backing a campaign in Ireland against attempts to change the country’s freedom of information law, which they say puts […]

(IPI/IFEX) – IPI condemns in the strongest possible terms the decision by the Censorship of Publications Board to ban “In Dublin” magazine for six months. IPI is dismayed that a progressive and democratic country like Ireland still maintains an institution such as the Censorship of Publications Board, the mere existence of which runs counter to […]

**For background to previous attacks on Guerin, see IFEX alert dated 9 February 1995** On 26 June 1996, journalist Veronica Guerin was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle as she was waiting outside a hotel in Dublin. Guerin, who was a correspondent for the Irish daily “The Independent”, had recently obtained an exclusive […]