On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO India in association with DEF, along with media partners The Statesman and Go News, organised a dialogue on ‘Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s Role in Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies’ in New Delhi on May 3, 2017. The forum facilitated a rich discussion between eminent panelists — CoFounder of Internet Freedom Foundation Apar Gupta, Member of Media Freedom Committee Geeta Seshu, Deputy Director General at Cellular Operators Association of India Vikram Tiwathia and DEF Founder-Director Osama Manzar. The session was moderated by Founder of Go News Pankaj Pachauri.
A report titled ‘New Fronts, Brave Voices: Press Freedom in South Asia 2016-17’ — jointly produced by UNESCO and the International Federation of Journalists — and another report published by DEF, titled ‘Anatomy of Virtual Curfews: Human Rights vs National Security’ was launched on this occasion.
‘Anatomy of Virtual Curfews: Human Rights vs National Security’ was produced by DEF under the Impact project, supported by the European Union and the Association of Progressive Communication under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). The report highlights issues related to the infringement of fundamental and human rights on account of arbitrary shutdowns of th