Category Archives: Freedom

Thank you Mr Chair, I wish to thank the Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFOM), dear Teresa Ribeiro, for your report.

The report had a necessary and justified focus on the impact of Russias illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. It was another stark reminder of what has been happening over the last 85 days.

It reminded us of the journalists that have been killed in Russias premeditated and unjustified war. Like the RFOM, we offer our heartfelt condolences to their family and friends.

We are also reminded of the reports of the disappearance, detention and abduction of Ukrainian journalists or their relatives by the Russian military. We recall, with horror, the reported case of the Ukrainian interpreter and fixer for Radio France left in an icy cellar, repeatedly beaten with an iron bar and rifle butts, tortured with electricity, deprived of food for 48 hours and subjected to mock execution.

The three eminent independent experts who authored the recent Moscow Mechanism report referenced that case when noting they had received several credible reports according to which Russian forces arrested civilians, including journalists, without any procedure, and ill-treated them by methods that amount to torture. The experts conclusion? That this constitutes a war crime.

We are also reminded of the case of Vladsylav, a freelance journalist sentenced to six years in prison on politically motivated charges, who is reported to have been mistreated and abused while in prison. Yesterday, the RFoM highlighted the abduction of Oleksii Vorontsov, engineer of public broadcaster UA:Kherson, and, rightly, called for his immediate release.

Mr Chair, the RFOMs report today also highlights that inside the Russian Federation we are seeing the most severe crackdown on free speech and media freedom of the last 25 years. The impact of this crackdown is also felt in the temporarily Russian controlled territories of Ukraine, including illegally annexed Crimea, where Ukrainians are subject to the ever-increasing restrictions on media freedom imposed through Russias legislation. The actions of the Russian Government are at odds with their obligations under international law and their OSCE commitments. They are at odds with a proper functioning democracy. OSCE participating States agreed in Budapest in 1994 that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and a basic component of a democratic society. People must be allowed to discuss and debate issues freely, to challenge their governments, and to make informed political decisions. The media crackdown in Russia, as described by the RFOM in her report, means that such a free and informed debate is simply not happening in Russia.

Mr Chair, I was not surprised that, just before my intervention, Russia that criticised the RFoMs work and her report. Thats because they know, in their heart of hearts, as we do, that facts matter. And that in protecting and supporting freedom of expression and media freedom, the RFOM helps defend and promote facts. This is in stark contrast to the Russian Government and their approach of misinformation and disinformation.

We also note the RFOMs comment that the dreadful freedom of expression and media freedom situation in Belarus again warrants separate mentioning. Like the RFOM we remain worried that journalists are being sentenced, arrested or detained for simply doing their work. And that the practice of continued arrests and convictions of journalists on trumped-up charges is a grave danger to media freedom in the country. The actions of the Lukashenko regime are not compatible with Belarus international obligations and OSCE commitments on freedom of expression and media freedom.

The RFOMs report highlights the importance of freedom of expression and media freedom to the OSCEs concept of comprehensive security. We believe the slogan to commemorate 25 years of the RFOM - no security without media freedom - is particularly apt at this time of crisis in the OSCE region. Promoting media freedom across the whole OSCE region is a priority for the UK. That is why we greatly value the RFOMs important work across the whole region, including in the Western Balkans and Central Asia, and on key topics such as the safety of journalists, on restrictive measures at the national level that limit media freedom, and on the dangers of misinformation and disinformation.

Teresa thank you for your efforts and that of your office. Your work is of the utmost importance as we collectively address the terrible impact of Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine. The United Kingdom continues to offer our full support for the important work undertaken by you, and your excellent staff.

Thank you Mr Chair

Originally posted here:

Report by OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media: UK response, May 2022 - GOV.UK

UTAH (ABC4) Wednesday, the Candy Bomber plane arrived in Utah in celebration of the life of Berlin Candy Bomber, Col. Gail Halvorsen, who died earlier this year at the age of 101.

A C-54, just like the one Halvorsen used, was flown in from the Canyonlands through the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon with a 10-person flight crew. It was led by pilot Timothy Chopp, the president of the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation, who flew on the Spirit of Freedom with Halvorsen since 1994, performing candy drops around the world.

Friends and family shared memories of Halvorsen and what this event meant to them.

Not only just to honor him, which is well worth it, but also to bring a feeling of I can do something like that, I can make a good choice, I can serve somebody else, said Denise Williams, his daughter.

A lifelong Utahn, Halvorsen became a U.S. Army Air Force pilot at 22 years old in 1942. A few years into his service, he took on a mission of his own initiative that started with one simple act of kindness.

He reached out to them and really by two sticks of gum, changed the course of history, James Stewart, Executive Director of the Gail S. Halvorsen Aviation Education Foundation.

This would later grow into something even more. Halvorsen would become known as the Candy Bomber and inspire thousands across the world by dropping parachutes of candy to German children during the Berlin airlift.

The plane today was one of the last airworthy C-54s, according to Linnea Weller, the event director with the Halvorsen Foundation. Another aspect that makes it unique is its onboard museum, full of pictures of the candy bomber and Berlin airlift. Chopp says theyve been looking for a replacement for the original aircraft since it was destroyed by a tornado two years ago and today was a monumental moment.

The night that Gail passed away, the family allowed me to use the telephone and tell him how I felt about him. So, this was sort of an extension to say goodbye, so thats how we feel, Chopp said.

Family and friends say Halvorsen continues to inspire them daily, and his legacy will live on.

We know our father is here with us too, its a beautiful, beautiful expression of the efforts of so many people, said Williams.

There are two more events coming up later this week in remembrance of the candy bomber:Friday, May 20New Provo Airport Terminal10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Open House Tour Spirit of Freedom C-54 & Spirit of the Candy Bomber C-17 (Register for tour times) Static Aircraft Display

5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. C17 Naming Ceremony USAF band and unveiling of the newly painted C-17 aircraft: Spirit of The Candy Bomber

Unveiling and walk-through of C-17 Globemaster III named in honor of Col Gail Halvorsen. This C-17, which is set to be named The Spirit of the Candy Bomber, has played a significant role in evacuating civilians from Afghanistan, and moving supplies and humanitarian aid to Europe in support of Ukraine.

Saturday, May 21 9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Spanish Fork Airport

Performance by the Air Forces Band of the Golden West. Side-by-side flyover of the Spirit of the Candy Bomber and the Spirit of Freedom. Will feature displays, activities, musical performances, food trucks, a sneak peek at the future Halvorsen Heritage Center, and a Spirit of Freedom candy drop.

Find more details about Col. Halvorsens story and register for the event here.

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Spirit of Freedom arrives to honor Candy Bomber - ABC4.com

An F-16 demonstration team pilot wipes sweat from his head at Misawa Air Base, Japan, April 18, 2018. A draft memo shared on social media indicates that airmen may soon be allowed to wear wider mustaches. (Sadie Colbert/U.S. Air Force)

Airmen aspiring to mustachioed greatness, your time may have finally come.

Draft guidance would allow Air Force members to grow their mustaches a quarter-inch past the corners of their lips, loosening a current policy that requires mustaches to be close-cropped and fit within the width of the top of the mouth.

The grooming policy has been lambasted for years by some airmen, particularly ones with small mouths, as too limiting. A draft memo of the proposal surfaced on the popular Amn/NCO/SNCO Facebook page Tuesday.

The memo indicated that the changes are ready for senior enlisted leader review.

A screenshot from social media shows a draft Air Force graphic illustrating the widest allowable width for mustaches for male airmen. The proposal would increase permissible mustache width by a half-inch total. (Facebook)

These are the internal, working draft policy documents that may change upon final approval, Air Force spokeswoman Tech. Sgt. Deana Heitzman said in an email to Stars and Stripes, adding that the service is working on updates in the near term.

Screenshots of the memo drew more than 260 comments on the Facebook page, many in enthusiastic support.

No portion of the mustache will go beyond a horizontal line extending across the corners of the mouth, the memo states.

That would seem to rule out handlebar mustaches, though a commenter or two proposed ways to make that happen without running afoul of the proposed rule.

The mustache update would follow other recent hair-related Air Force revisions, one allowing men to have bulkier hairstyles and another letting women wear longer braids, ponytails and bangs.

Some pointed out that the mustache update, while welcome, falls short of the common plea for the Air Force to finally authorize full beards.

Others looked at the bright side of gaining a quarter-inch of hair on each side of their mouth.

We are a half inch closer to beards boys! one commenter said.

Beards have been a no-go for decades in the military services, which have cited the need for a proper seal on gas masks or in-flight breathing equipment. However, the Pentagon has made exceptions for medical and religious purposes.

Most recently, Marine Capt. Sukhbir Singh Toor, an active-duty artillery officer, sued the Marine Corps over his demand to keep his beard, which he said he considers a core tenet of the (Sikh) faith.

The Air Force has granted full beard waivers before, as in the case of Staff Sgt. Garrett Sopchak, an aerospace ground equipment craftsman with a belief in Norse heathenism, which embraces gods like Odin and Thor.

The service confirmed that the document is genuine but has remained tight-lipped about whether the changes will happen as written.

Mustaches are a tradition for many airmen, who commemorate World War II and Vietnam War triple-ace fighter pilot Brig. Gen. Robin Olds with annual mustache march celebrations.

The pilot sported a legendary mustache while flying combat missions, though it flouted long-standing regulations. His facial hair has become iconic for airmen, many of whom hold lighthearted mustache-growing competitions in his honor.

See more here:

More mustache freedom? Air Force proposal would give facial hair room to grow - Stars and Stripes

AUSTIN CHANNING BROWN, author of Im Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, posted once that she didnt need more friends but rather wanted partners in the struggle for justice.

As a white Midwesterner, Id thought of racial injustice as an individual problemindividuals not liking other individuals who didnt look like them. Therefore, the answer to racism was friendship. I worked at churches that celebrated calls to the common table in worship, absent confession or repentance, to sanctify my individualistic take on race. Browns words shook methis activist wants co-laborers, not friends? What even is the work if its not friendship?

While Andre Henry is Black and grew up in the South, he and I were raised on the same milk of individualistic race relations. In his debut book, All the White Friends I Couldnt Keep, Henry narrates his journey out of the colorblind evangelicalism of his childhood to being an artist, activist, and community organizer for systemic racial justice.

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Andre Henry Helps Us Find the Freedom to Flourish - Sojourners

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Life in Berlin is suffocating: Secret police and traitors are everywhere. No more discussing politics or checking news online. An authoritarian regime rules in parts ofEurope since the millennium bug caused extensive power blackouts and unrest. Youve befriended Alissa and Mia, two freedom activists from Berlin at a conference. Now, Mia has disappeared. You live in a free zone with the internet at your disposal. Answer Alissas call for help in your chat and find Mia. #freedomisntfree

Play on Facebook Messenger:m.me/PLAY.freedomisntfree.DW

Play on Telegram:t.me/Alissa_DWbot

Facebook Messenger (left), Telegram (right)

Freedom isnt free is a bot-based text adventure; a game to be played on messenger apps such as Telegram and Facebook Messenger.The player enters a chat and is asked for help in solving tasks such as finding the best route to a meeting place. Players research for information online something which their chat partner cant do due to living in an unfree society. Whilst playing, the user gains an understanding of the restraints and difficulties their chat partner faces due to the reign of the repressive regime. A chat bot with an artificial intelligence system drives the conversation. Its machine learning algorithm allows the bot to improve its conversational skills with each playing experience.

Do you know #BlackLivesMatter or #Metoo? Raising awareness is a vital first step in overcoming human rights violations. Free access to unbiased information is another key component. Information helps empower people around the globe.

Deutsche Welle (DW) provides journalistic content in 32 languages, giving people worldwide the opportunity to form their own opinions. DW aims to foster a peaceful, stable global community. Therefore DW reporting often focuses on topics such as freedom and human rights.

Beyond journalistic reporting a game is a way to get people emotionally involved and interested. Playing a game provides an interactive learning experience. The player tries, makes experiences and also fails. This provides a better understanding of complex issues than merely consuming information. So called serious games aim to entertain and convey difficult topics such as death and mourning or the Third Reich.

To create a serious game on a small budget a small team of journalists from Deutsche Welle collaborated with the gaming experts at theDE:HIVE Game Hub at Berlin's HTW - University of Applied Sciences.

The game lab DE:HIVE at the HTWBerlin combines research, teaching and entrepreneurship. Researchers, founders and students work on the topic of games and their social and artistic perspectives. Funded as part of the cross:play project, the gaming experts from DE:Hive were able to work on the messenger game with the editors of DW. How can language-based interaction formats be used in journalistic work? That was one of the questions the team wanted to answer using the example of this messenger game.

Freedom isn't free

A DW game in cooperation with the DE:HIVE Game Hub of the HTW Berlin, funded as part of the cross:play project by:

The team:

Philip Kretschmer (Lead game developer & producer): Freelance journalist working for DW Digital

Lenja Kaufmann (Game developer): Freelance game developer & programmer

Anna-Lena Klapdor (Script & worldbuilding): Script writer and story developer

Wafaa El-Badry (Script & worldbuilding): DW journalist

Maximilian Warsinke (Game developer): Creative assistant Game Design at HTW Berlin

Stefanie Suren (Executive producer): Head of DW Digital

Contact:

DW Producer-Team (freedomisntfree@dw.com)HTW/cross:play: Anna Hentschel (anna.hentschel@htw-berlin.de)

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Freedom isnt free: Can you outsmart an oppressive regime? Play a DW game to find out - DW (English)

Filmmaker Ketan Mehta will helm a biopic on his aunt and freedom fighter Usha Mehta. The film titled Freedom Radio will be produced by Anubhav Sinha under his production banner Benaras Mediaworks.

Usha Mehta was a freedom fighter who started a secret radio station during the Quit Indian Movement in 1942. The radio broadcast messages from Mahatma Gandhi and other prominent leaders across India.

Talking about making the biopic, Ketan Mehta said in a statement, Developing this story has been pure joy. Sifting through her (Usha Mehta) personal diaries, and delving into my own memories have been a crucial part of work.

Mehta also shared that Freedom Radio is a film about the spirit of freedom. It will be set in the pre-independence era, and will chronicle how the youth of the country stepped up when top leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, among others, were put in jail by the British.

Ketan Mehta said he is happy to collaborate with Anubhav Sinha for the film as he feels that the latter understands the vision of a filmmaker.

Commenting about coming on-board Freedom Radio as a producer, Sinha said, Its been a sheer joy working with Ketan on this project. I was taken in by Usha Mehtas courage and grit. Its the kind of patriotism that we need to revisit in todays day and age.

The cast of the film is yet to be announced.

Read more:

Ketan Mehta, Anubhav Sinha join hands for freedom fighter Usha Mehtas biopic: Was taken in by Usha Mehtas courage - The Indian Express

York welcomed a royal visitor today (Thursday, 19 May).

Three weeks after the city stripped Prince Andrew of his Freedom of the City, Princess Anne was in town as an Army regiment exercised their Freedom of York.

The Princess Royal took the salute as 2 Signal Regiment paraded along Duncombe Place.

The Lord Mayor of York, Cllr Chris Cullwick was alongside her, and made a speech about the regiments long association with the city. It was awarded the Freedom of the City after soldiers did so much to help during the floods of November 2000.

Other VIPs present were the Lord-Lieutenant Of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner, the General Commander of 1 (UK) Division Major General Charles Collins and both the Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer of North Yorkshire.

A good crowd lined both sides of Duncombe Place to watch the spectacle. The National Anthem was played, the princess took the salute, then inspected the troops. The regiment then went on to parade through York.

Princess Anne also made a private visit to York Minster. She met members of the Chapter of York, 2 Signal Regiment, representatives from the Kohima Educational Trust and members of 37 Signal Regiment.

Leo Davidson, 11, the son of Staff Sergeant Julius Davidson, Royal Corps of Signals, presented her with a posy.

Princess Anne also met stone mason Richard Bossons, the designer and carver of York Minsters new statue of the Queen.

She viewed progress on the statue which is due to be installed in an empty niche at the West Front of the cathedral in the autumn.

The Princess arrived by helicopter at Bootham School. There she was met by the head, Helen Todd, with pupils who presented her with a posy.

See the rest here:

Watch: Princess Anne in York as regiment enjoys Freedom of the City - YorkMix

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2022 Liberation Day Parade to mark 76 years of freedom - Saipan Tribune

By Arno RosenfeldMay 17, 2022

The Jewish Rally for Abortion Justice drew roughly 1,500 Jews to the National Mall Tuesday, where rabbis and activists proclaimed that the anti-abortion movement does not have a monopoly on faith.

Organized by the National Council of Jewish Women, the crowd drew from Jewish communities as far away as Chicago.

Whose religious freedom are you trying to protect? NCJW chief Sheila Katz asked of those who are seeking to outlaw abortion. Not ours.

The rally had been planned months before the leak earlier this month of a draft Supreme Court opinion that showed a majority of justices poised to overturn Roe, the 1973 decision that found a constitutional right to abortion. But registration exploded after Politico published the draft.

Renee Bracey Sherman, founder of We Testify, said that when she had an abortion the nurse who helped her through the process was an Orthodox Jew. People of faith Jewish people support and love people who have abortions, Sherman told the crowd.

Despite other opportunities to protest over the last two weeks, many in attendance said that it was important to show up at an explicitly Jewish event. Here are what some of them had to say.

Andrea Barron wandered through the crowd at the Jewish Rally for Abortion Justice on the National Mall Tuesday morning carrying a handmade sign that read: Jewish Women for Abortion Rights: Its in the Bible.

Its very important that people know its in the Bible, said Barron, who lives just outside Washington, D.C.

Barron said she brings her sign to the Supreme Court twice a week, where she hands out a flyer to anti-abortion protesters with information about Jewish views on abortion. She found a more sympathetic audience at the gathering on Tuesday, on a grassy field in the shadow of the Capitol.

My Judaism is really central to my morals, said Jake, 20, who attended with other members of George Mason Universitys Hillel and declined to provide a last name. Fighting with Jews and as a faith group is really important.

Susanne Perla said that she supported abortion rights but was turned off by the inclusion of what she described as anti-Israel groups at some other feminist events, like the Womens March in 2017.

I figured that here I can express my opinion with this group and there wasnt going to be any antisemitism, said Perla, who attended the rally with her husband and teenage daughter.

Several women waved signs from Hadassah, the Jewish womens group that co-sponsored the rally, reading: Pro-Choice, Pro-Woman, Pro-Israel.

Amanda Herring, director of Jewish life at the Edlavitch JCC in Washington brought a shofar and her 16-month-old son Abraham to the event. She blew the shofar as the crowd applauded various speakers.

Jewish law says that a womans life takes priority over a potential life, said Herring, 32. Im protecting my Jewish religious rights and protecting women.

Michelle Rechtman, a communications major at The George Washington University, said the Jewish nature of the gathering showed that religious freedom should represent all religions.

Abortion is a Jewish value and a right, said Rechtman, 21.

A handful of counter-protesters affiliated with the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation walked around the periphery of the crowd carrying signs and trailed by police. This rally does not express opinions of the Torah, one of the signs read.

Others said the fact it was a Jewish event was not central to their participation. Carolyn Bow, 57, took a 6 a.m. train from Richmond, Virginia to attend the rally with a Jewish friend. I wanted to come up in some way, shape or form, said Bow, who was raised Catholic.

Tessa Spear, 18, traveled from Brooklyn, New York, on a bus with members of Congregation Beth Elohim. I wanted to feel like I was doing everything I could because its really important, said Spear. It is not important for me that its specifically a Jewish event but I think thats great because it pushes back against religious positions around pro-life.

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'Whose religious freedom?': Scenes from a Jewish rally for abortion rights - Forward

Netflix has changed its corporate culture memo to warn employees that it will include content with viewpoints they may find harmful. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Netflix has changed its corporate culture memo to warn employees that it will include content with viewpoints they may find harmful.

Anyone looking for a job at Netflix will be greeted with something different when they check out the company's statement on its internal culture. First reported by Variety, Netflix has added a section on "Artistic Expression," that commits to allowing audience members make their own choices.

"We program for a diversity of audiences and tastes," the statement reads. "And we let viewers decide what's appropriate for them, versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices. "

The memo goes on to say that employees may have to work on content that they "perceive as harmful," warning that if this is difficult for them to accomplish, "Netflix may not be the best place for you."

This is a relatively major change compared to an archived version of the statement from as recently as April, that doesn't have much to say about the actual content on the platform, and is more focused on interpersonal relationships at the company.

There are a few other important changes, too. One section reads "Representation Matters," where the company promises to improve "so that everyone feels a sense of belonging at Netflix." And another section addresses "Ethical Expectations," where the company says it expects all employees to protect confidential information "whether or not it is marked 'confidential.' "

Last fall, Netflix fired B. Pagels-Minor, a leader of the company's internal transgender and non-binary employee resource group, for allegedly leaking internal data about metrics and money that eventually made it to an article on Bloomberg News. Pagels-Minor told NPR that they collected the data for an internal memo, but denied leaking it. This was happening as Netflix was facing criticism for comments about trans people made in the Dave Chappelle special The Closer. The tensions at the company eventually led to Netflix employees staging a walkout.

Netflix has lately been struggling to keep its place at the top of the ever-crowded streaming battles. In April, the company lost subscribers for the first time in a decade, citing password sharing as the main reason. That same month, the company laid off members of its fan-focused editorial arm, Tudum, after courting many women of color to join the team. Now there are reports that the company is planning on rolling out a lower-priced tier that includes commercials.

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Netflix alters corporate culture memo to stress the importance of artistic freedom - NPR