Invitation to Reporting on Torture: Challenges and Opportunities for the Media

REPORTING ON TORTURE: Challenges and Opportunities for the Media

Panel discussion and reception

8 December 2016, 18:00–20:00, followed by a drinks reception

Matrix Chambers | Griffin Building | London WC1R 5LN

The important role the media can play to report on and investigate torture will be explored in presentations and discussion convened by international human rights organisations REDRESS and Lawyers for Justice in Libya. The panel will highlight the challenges and opportunities for the media, and will be comprised of highly experienced journalists and human rights experts working in this field.

Despite prohibition in the strongest terms by international law, torture remains highly prevalent, with cases reported in all regions of the world every year. Through accurate reporting, journalists can increase awareness about the prevalence and perpetrators of torture, and who is being targeted and why. Journalists can also highlight the impact of torture on survivors and their communities and the importance of overcoming the many barriers to achieving justice. But many torture cases go unreported in the media. Key challenges faced by journalists include survivors’ reluctance to come forward and governments’ efforts to silence the truth, including by threatening journalists.

The event marks the recent launch of the Reporting on Torture journalist handbook, developed by REDRESS in partnership with four other human rights organisations working to eradicate torture in a range of countries: the Independent Medico-Legal Unit in Kenya; the National Coordinator for Human Rights in Peru; Advocacy Forum-Nepal and Lawyers for Justice in Libya.

Hard copies of the handbook will be available to attendees and can be downloaded in English, Arabic, Spanish, French and Nepali at http://www.redress.org/reports

Chair

Mr Guy Vassall-Adams QC, leading practitioner in media law, public law and human rights at Matrix Chambers

Speakers

Mr Ian Cobain, senior investigative journalist with The Guardian

Ms Fiona Lloyd-Davies, photojournalist and documentary filmmaker for the BBC, Channel 4 and Al Jazeera English

Mr Olivier Acuña Barba, Mexican investigative journalist and former executive producer for the television network TeleSUR

Mr Jürgen Schurr, Head of Law and Policy at REDRESS and Head of REDRESS Nederland

Mr Thomas Ebbs, Deputy Director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya

Full biographies of the chair and the speakers are available at: www.redress.org/events–conferences/events

The drinks reception will take place from 20h00 to 20h45.

To RSVP, please contact Eva Sanchis, REDRESS’ Communications Officer, at /" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://eva@redress.org&source=gmail&ust=1480072361561000&usg=AFQjCNGMoMPnqJTFa-Xz1h8o-Bk1AadC3g">

Sallie Robins

Author Sallie Robins

 MJA Administrator

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