US under fire in global press freedom report

Google -  AFP, 12 February 2014

Protestors hold up placards featuring a picture of former NSA contractor Edward

 Snowden and with the world Asylum on it during a march against the spying methods

 of the US in Hamburg, northern Germany on December 28, 2013 (DPA/AFP/File,

Bodo Marks)

Paris — Conflicts continued to weigh heavily on the media last year but press freedom was also under increasing threat from abuses by democracies like the United States, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday.

In its annual World Press Freedom Index, the Paris-based media rights watchdog warned of the "growing threat worldwide" from the "tendency to interpret national security needs in an overly broad and abusive manner".

The United States was singled out for its pursuit of intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, the conviction of WikiLeaks informer Bradley Manning and the secret seizure of phone records from the Associated Press.

The group, known by its French acronym RSF, said the United States had suffered "one of the most significant declines" in press freedom last year, dropping 13 places to 46th in the 180-country index, wedged between Romania and Haiti.

"Countries that pride themselves on being democracies and respecting the rule of law have not set an example, far from it," RSF said.

Syria remained especially deadly for journalists last year, with RSF reporting nearly 130 media professionals killed in the country since its conflict began in March 2011.

Syria's overall ranking of fourth from the bottom was unchanged, but RSF has raised concerns about a surge in kidnappings.

Armed conflicts hurt press freedom elsewhere, with Mali falling 22 spots to 122nd and the Central African Republic dropping 43 places to 109th.

The top-ranked countries were Finland, The Netherlands and Norway, unchanged from last year.

At the bottom again were Eritrea, North Korea and Turkmenistan, described by RSF as "news and information black holes and living hells for the journalists who inhabit them".

Britain dropped three places in the ranking to 33rd, with RSF blaming the "disgraceful pressure" it put on newspaper The Guardian over its reporting of Snowden's revelations of widespread spying by the US National Security Agency.

In Asia, Japan dropped five spots to 59th, with RSF criticising the adoption late last year of a new "intelligence protection" law that stiffens penalties for those who spill state secrets.

China, which dropped one spot to 175th, "continues to censor and jail dissident bloggers and journalists", RSF said.

Bulgaria remained the lowest-ranked European Union country in the index, but was "closely challenged" by Greece, which is ranked 99th after years of financial pressure on the media and some violence against journalists.

The report also highlighted "noteworthy rises" in countries where "violence against journalists, direct censorship and misuse of judicial proceedings are on the decline" -- including in Panama, Ecuador, Bolivia and the Dominican Republic.

Here are some selected rankings from the index:

1. Finland

2. The Netherlands

3. Norway

...

14. Germany

16. Ireland

18. Canada

23. Belgium

28. Australia

33. Britain

39. France

42. South Africa

46. United States

59. Japan

109. Central African Republic

111. Brazil

112. Nigeria

122. Mali

127. Ukraine

140. India

148. Russia

152. Mexico

154. Turkey

158. Pakistan

159. Egypt

...

177. Syria

178. Turkmenistan

179. North Korea

180. Eritrea

Related Article:

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“…  Government

Let us speak of government. We're not speaking of your government, but of any government - the way it works, how it survives, how it has survived, the way it campaigns, and how it elects leaders. It's going to change.

Years ago, I told you, "When everybody can talk to everybody, there can be no secrets." Up to this point on this planet, government has counted on one thing - that the people can't easily talk to each other on a global scale. They have to get their information through government or official channels. Even mass media isn't always free enough, for it reports that which the government reports. Even a free society tends to bias itself according to the bias of the times. However, when you can have Human Beings talking to each other all at once, all over the planet without government control, it all changes, for there is open revelation of truth.. …”

Canadian hailed for helping Russian skier finish

Googe – AFP, 12 February 2014

Russia's Anton Gafarov is helped by Canadian coach Justin Wadsworth after

 crashing in the men's cross-country skiing semi-finals during the Sochi Winter

Olympics on February 11, 2014 (AFP, Kirill Kudryavtsev)

Sochi — A Canadian coach was applauded on Wednesday for showing the true spirit of the Olympics when he helped a Russian cross country skier to finish after breaking a ski in a crash.

Russia's Anton Gafarov was competing in the semi-finals of the men's sprint on Tuesday when he fell on a high speed hairpin bend that caused problems throughout the competition.

His left ski badly damaged, Gafarov still tried to limp to the finish but then the ski disintegrated entirely.

With Gafarov facing the prospect of skiing on one leg to the end, a Canadian coach rushed to his aid and gave him a ski which Gafarov used to ski to the finish several minutes behind the leaders.

"It is entirely to be applauded, and that's one of the things why we all love the Olympics," said International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams.

"As well as being an amazing elite sport, there is something special as well, there are values underlying it as well," he added.

Sochi 2014 spokeswoman Alexandra Kosterina added: "It is just the essence of the Olympic Games, the Olympic spirit, in its core. So I think that is great."

The coach was named as Canadian cross country ski coach Justin Wadsworth.

"It was like watching an animal stuck in a trap. You can't just sit there and do nothing about it," Wadsworth was quoted as saying by the Toronto Star.

Quite why no Russian coach was on hand to help the unfortunate Gafarov -- and that it needed a foreigner to come to his rescue -- remains a mystery.

"I just had one aim -- to get to the end," Gafarov told Russian sports website sportsdaily.ru. "Some foreigner then gave me skis from a different firm."

Gafarov finished the race to huge cheers from Russian supporters but visibly upset after missing out on his chance for a place in the final.

He blasted the track as "unfit for the Olympics", saying he had fallen as his ski had ploughed into a clump of snow that had not been removed.

US bans commercial ivory trade

Google – AFP, 12 February 2014

File picture shows an ivory Buddha carving on display at an ivory shop in

Beijing (AFP/File, Wang Zhao)

Washington — The United States banned the domestic trade of elephant ivory as part of a new drive to help African countries stem the rising threat to wildlife from poachers.

The White House administrative action prohibits all commercial imports of African elephant ivory, including antiques, and all commercial exports, -- except for bona fide antiques and certain other items.

The outlawed ivory trade is mostly fueled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns are used in traditional medicine and to make ornaments.

Poaching has risen sharply in Africa in recent years where, besides targeting rhinos, gangs have slaughtered whole herds of elephants for their tusks.

File picture shows a Kenya Wildlife Services

 (KWS) ranger standing guard over an ivory

 haul seized as it transited through Jomo

 Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi (AFP/File,

Tony Karumba)

"This ban is the best way to help ensure that US markets do not contribute to the further decline of African elephants in the wild," the White House said in a statement.

It said federal departments and agencies would immediately take actions to, among other things, clarify what constitutes an antique.

"To qualify as an antique, an item must be more than 100 years old and meet other requirements under the Endangered Species Act."

"The onus will now fall on the importer, exporter, or seller to demonstrate that an item meets these criteria."

Other measures include limiting to two the number of African elephant sport-hunted trophies that can be imported by an individual each year.

The crackdown on ivory is a key aspect of a new national strategy for combating wildlife trafficking, also unveiled Tuesday, that has been in the works for some time.

During a trip to Tanzania last year, President Barack Obama signed an executive order for a $10 million program to reduce the practice in Africa.

That led to the setting up of a task force to develop the strategy to crack down on the lucrative trade -- estimated to be worth between $7 and $10 billion a year.

"The United States will continue to lead global efforts to protect the world's iconic animals and preserve our planet's natural beauty for future generations," the White House said.

Senior administration officials said the United States is one of the world's largest markets for wildlife products, both legal and illegal.

"Much of the trafficking in ivory and other wildlife products either passes through or ends up in the United States and so we are committed to putting an end to the illegal trade in elephant ivory and also other wildlife products," one official told reporters on a conference all.

Three tonnes of illegal ivory are displayed

 on February 6, 2014 in front of the Eiffel

tower in Paris (AFP/File, Bertrand Guay)

Another said that, under the ban, it would be legal to own items made from ivory and gift these to your children or children -- but it would not be legal to sell them.

"We are facing a situation where rhino horn is worth more than its weight in gold. Elephant ivory is going for as much as $1,500 a pound," the official said.

"So we believe that an outright ban on domestic trade in ivory and rhino horn is appropriate because it will help us be more effective in law enforcement and it will demonstrate a US leadership worldwide."

"We can't ask other consumer nations to crack down on their domestic trade and markets unless we're prepared to the same here at home."

The official said there are less than half a million elephants on the African continent today and "estimates are that we are losing as many as 35,000 elephants per year."

Related Articles:

UN Security Council declares war on ivory poachers, traffickers

African and Asian states vow to crack down on illegal ivory trade

Gay NFL draft prospect Michael Sam praised by Michelle Obama

BBC News, 10 February 2014

Michael Sam is a former defensive lineman for the University of Missouri

Related Stories

• Openly gay in the NFL
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American footballer Michael Sam, who aims to become the NFL's first openly gay player, has won praise from First Lady Michelle Obama.

The 24-year-old former University of Missouri athlete revealed his sexuality on Sunday.

Mrs Obama took to Twitter to call Sam "an inspiration to all of us".

The National Football League has also welcomed the defensive lineman's announcement, saying Sam has "honesty and courage".

Mrs Obama said of Sam: "We couldn't be prouder of your courage both on and off the field."

'Great example'

In the interview that aired on ESPN on Sunday, Sam said: "I came to tell the world I'm an openly gay man.

"If I work hard, if I make plays - that's all that should matter."

The athlete completed his college football career in December and is expected to be drafted by an NFL franchise in May.

He is said to have revealed his sexuality to his former college teammates at the University of Missouri's Mizzou Tigers, but admitted doing so publicly was "a weight off his chest".

"I probably may be the first but I won't be the last," he added. "And I think only good things will come from this."

Former college coach Gary Pinkel supported Sam on Monday, telling US media the athlete is "a great example of just how important it is to be respectful of others".

"He's taught a lot of people here first hand that it doesn't matter what your background is, or your personal orientation, we're all on the same team and we all support each other," Mr Pinkel added.

Adverse effects?

Should Sam be drafted as expected and make an NFL roster in the 2014 season, he would become the first openly gay player to compete in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues - football, baseball, basketball and hockey.

Sportsmen who have come out

• Gareth Thomas: Former rugby union player, came out while still playing
• Thomas Hitzlsperger: Former Aston Villa midfielder, now retired
• Justin Fashanu: Former Norwich City striker, came out while playing
• Ian Roberts: Former Australia rugby league star, came out after retirement
• Steven Davies: Surrey cricketer, still playing
• Orlando Cruz: Puerto Rican featherweight boxer
• Jason Collins: NBA star, has not played since coming out

However, Sports Illustrated quotes anonymous coaches and scouts as saying that Sam's NFL draft outlook will now be adversely affected.

"In blunt terms, they project a significant drop in Sam's draft stock, a publicity circus and an NFL locker room culture not prepared to deal with an openly gay player," says the report.

In April 2013, basketball player Jason Collins came out during the sport's off-season but was not signed for the next campaign, meaning he never competed as an openly gay player.

Sam is expected to be a mid-draft pick when the NFL's teams hold their annual draft meeting, a process where players from America's college football system are signed for professional franchises.

Former players from the league have come out since retiring, but none have done so during their careers.

In a statement, the NFL said: "Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL.

"We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014."

Related Articles:

Rams select Michael Sam, NFL's first openly gay player

Dutch speedskater Irene Wust wins the women’s 3,000 - disappointment for Pechstein

Thomas Hitzlsperger announces he is gay in newspaper interview

Dutch speedskater Irene Wust wins the women’s 3,000 - disappointment for Pechstein

Deutsche Welle, 9 February 2014

Germany's veteran speedskating star Claudia Pechstein has failed in her first shot at a medal at the Sochi Games. The Netherlands, meanwhile, captured another speedskating gold.

Irene Wust of Netherlands captured gold in the women's 3,000 meters on the speedskating oval at the Sochi Olympics on Sunday, with a winning time of 4 minutes, 0.34 seconds over the seven and a half laps.

Martina Sablikova of Czech Republic, who won gold in Vancouver four years ago, took the silver medal, while Olga Graf of Russia captured the bronze, giving the host nation their first silverware at these Winter Games.

Wust's victory comes a day after Sven Kramer's victory in the men's 5,000 meters, as speedskaters from the Netherlands swept the entire podium in that event.

Germany's Claudia Pechstein, who had missed the 2010 Vancouver Games due to a controversial doping ban, failed to reach the podium, finishing with a time of four minutes, 5.26 seconds to come in fourth.

This had been seen as the German team's first good chance at a medal in Sochi. Pechstein, the world's most successful speedskater at the Olympics, with a total of five career medals, will get a second chance to take home some silverware at Sochi on February 19, in the women's 5,000 meters.

Austrian gold

In alpine skiing earlier in the day, Matthias Mayer of Austria pulled off an upset,winning the men’s downhill with a time of two minutes and 6.23 seconds. This was Austria’s first Olympic gold medal in the downhill, since Fritz Strobel did so at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

pfd/msh (AP, dpa)

Irene Wust (c), Olga Graf (l) and Martina Sablikova (r) (NOS/AFP)

Vladimir Putin on Sunday paid a flying visit to the Holland House in

Sochi and embraced Wüst (NOS)

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Dutch women sweep the board in 1,500m speed skating

Another triple: Dutch sweep the board in 500m speed skating sprint
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Putin has beer with Dutch king, speaks about Sochi Games features
Dutch prime minister discusses gay rights with Russia's Putin

Iran agrees to share information with UN nuclear body

Deutsche Welle, 9 February 2014

Iran has taken the first steps of an agreement with the UN's nuclear body over its controversial nuclear program. The country has agreed to supply information about detonators that could be used in weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Sunday Iran had agreed to begin addressing concerns that it may have started working on a nuclear weapons program. The agency said Tehran was ready to "provide information and explanations" for experiments with a type of detonator the agency says could be used to trigger a nuclear explosion.

In a 2011 report, the IAEA had said the detonators have little purpose other than for nuclear weapons, and that "Iran's development of such detonators and equipment is a matter of concern."

Tehran has long insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful, scientific purposes and that it has never attempted or wanted to seek a weapon.

Iran-IAEA cooperation

Supplying the detonator information is step seven of a broader cooperation that senior IAEA envoys forged with Iranian officials in Tehran over the weekend. A joint Iran-IAEA statement said the two sides held "constructive technical meetings" and that Tehran had already implemented six previous steps, including granting access to two nuclear-related sites.

Additional steps, which are to be completed by May 15, include providing inspectors access to the Saghand uranium mine and the Ardakan uranium ore milling plant. Iran will also share updated design plans about a proposed reactor the West has said could produce weapons material, as well as give details on the extraction of uranium from phosphates.

The IAEA, whose purpose is to prevent nuclear proliferation worldwide, has said it needs the information to get a better understanding of Iran's nuclear program. Their current investigation is to find out whether Tehran sought nuclear bomb technology in the past, and if it did, whether such work has been halted.

Iran has consistently denied the accusations about its nuclear program, but says it will work with the IAEA to clear up any "ambiguities."

Diplomatic settlement

The agreement to share the information with the agency comes ahead of negotiations between Iran and six world powers due to begin February 18. The talks are aimed at reaching a wider diplomatic settlement with Tehran.

A meeting in November with Iran and the six countries – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US – resulted in deal that curbs part of Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for the easing of certain sanctions.

Iran's implementation of its agreement with the IAEA is seen as a sign of how serious the country's new government is about easing concern over its nuclear ambitions.

dr/tj (AP, Reuters, dpa)

Justice Department to give married same-sex couples equal protection

The Washington Post, Sari Horwitz, Saturday, February 8, 2014

Eric H. Holder

The Justice Department on Monday will instruct all of its employees across the country, for the first time, to give lawful same-sex marriages sweeping equal protection under the law in every program it administers, from courthouse proceedings to prison visits to the compensation of surviving spouses of public safety officers.

In a new policy memo, the department will spell out the rights of same-sex couples, including the right to decline to give testimony that might incriminate their spouses, even if their marriages are not recognized in the state where the couple lives.

Under the Justice policy, federal inmates in same-sex marriages will also be entitled to the same rights and privileges as inmates in opposite-sex marriages, including visitation by a spouse, escorted trips to attend a spouse’s funeral, correspondence with a spouse, and compassionate release or reduction in sentence based on the incapacitation of an inmate’s spouse.

In addition, an inmate in a same-sex marriage can be furloughed to be present during a crisis involving a spouse. In bankruptcy cases, same-sex married couples will be eligible to file for bankruptcy jointly. Domestic support obligations will include debts, such as alimony, owed to a former same-sex spouse. Certain debts to same-sex spouses or former spouses should be excepted from discharge.

“This means that, in every courthouse, in every proceeding, and in every place where a member of the Department of Justice stands on behalf of the United States — they will strive to ensure that same-sex marriages receive the same privileges, protections, and rights as opposite-sex marriages under federal law,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is expected to say in a speech Saturday night at the Human Rights Campaign’s Greater New York Gala at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, where he will announce the new policy.

“This landmark announcement will change the lives of countless committed gay and lesbian couples for the better,” Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said in a statement. “While the immediate effect of these policy decisions is that all married gay couples will be treated equally under the law, the long-term effects are more profound. Today, our nation moves closer toward its ideals of equality and fairness for all.”

The department’s new policy comes three years after the Justice Department said it would not defend cases in court involving the Defense of Marriage Act anymore. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that DOMA was unconstitutional.

The ruling “marked a major victory for the cause of equal protection under U.S. law, and a significant step forward for committed and loving couples throughout the country,” Holder said Tuesday in Sweden, addressing the Swedish parliament.

In January, Holder intervened in the legal battle over gay marriage in Utah and announced that the more than 1,300 same-sex marriages that took place there in December and January are considered legal under federal law, even though a step by the Supreme Court cast doubt on the marriages and state officials would not recognize those unions.

The Justice Department has already approved policy changes by other federal agencies to extend federal benefits to same-sex married couples.

Last summer, the Office of Personnel Management announced that federal employees in same-sex marriages could apply for health, dental, life, long-term care and retirement benefits. The Department of Health and Human Services said that legally married same-sex seniors on Medicare would be eligible for equal benefits and joint placement in nursing homes around the country.

The Social Security Administration will pay death benefits to survivors of a same-sex marriage. The Department of Homeland Security will treat same-sex spouses equally for the purposes of obtaining a green card if the spouse is a foreign national. And the Internal Revenue Service has begun treating same-sex marriages equally for tax-filing purposes.

“We are, right now, in the middle of marking a number of 50-year anniversaries of key milestones in the Civil Rights Movement,” Holder will say, according to advance remarks provided by the Justice Department. “And yet, as all-important as the fight against racial discrimination was then, and remains today, know this: my commitment to confronting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity runs just as deep.”

Holder made a similar statement in favor of expanding LGBT rights in Sweden.

The new policy will have “important, real-world implications for same-sex married couples that interact with the criminal justice system,” Holder said.

The Justice Department will also recognize same-sex couples in a number of key benefits programs it administers, such as the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program, which provides death benefits and educational benefits to surviving spouses of public safety officers.

“This program is one way that we, as a country, stand by the families of those who put themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe and we must never do that selectively,” Holder will say. “When any law enforcement officer falls in the line of duty or is gravely injured, the federal government should stand by that hero’s spouse — no matter whether that spouse is straight or gay.”

As he did earlier this week in Sweden, Holder will compare the struggle for LGBT equality to the 1960s civil rights movement for African Americans. 

“The gains made during that period continue to be a source of great pride — not just for our country, but also for the building where I work,” Holder said. “Then, as now, nothing less than our country’s commitment to the notion of equal protection under the law was on the line. And so the Justice Department’s role in confronting discrimination must be as aggressive today as it was in Robert Kennedy’s time. As Attorney General, I will not let this Department be simply a bystander during this important moment in history.”

Related Article:

Rouhanicare: Iran's president promises healthcare for all by 2018

Five million vulnerable Iranians the first to be protected under plan apparently inspired by Obamacare

theguardian.com, Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Thursday 6 February 2014

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani (left) gives a live interview on state television
during which he announced his healthcare initiative. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, has promised healthcare for all Iranians in the next four years in a move reminiscent of Barack Obama's patient protection and affordable care act, dubbed Obamacare.

In an interview broadcast live on national television on Wednesday, Rouhani said he wanted all Iranians to be protected under a nationwide health insurance programme. He said at least five million citizens who are the most vulnerable will be the first people to benefit from the initiative.

Rouhani's official English-language Twitter account was the first to make a link between the Iranian president's plan and that initiated by his US counterpart. The government "will extend medical insurance to all Iranians. First step will be to cover 5mn uninsured Iranians by the social safety net #RouhaniCare," read the president's tweet.

"Our people face a number of difficulties in their health protection and when they enter a state-run hospital they usually have to obtain their medicine, tests and medical equipment from other places," Rouhani said in the interview. "We have to make sure our hospitals can give people all the services they need so that they are not left confused."

The Iranian president said his healthcare plan would be partly funded by cuts to government subsidies.

Other Obama-related gestures have also inspired the Iranian president and his supporters. A music clip released on the internet in November and endorsed by Rouhani reminded many of Obama's 2008 campaign video Yes We Can.

Rouhani's interview, initially scheduled right after the 9pm news bulletin, was broadcast with an hour's delay after an apparent row between the broadcaster and the president's office over who could interview him.

The head of Iran's national broadcaster, IRIB, implied later that Rouhani had handpicked the two interviewers who questioned him.

When the president failed to address the nation on schedule a news ticker announced delays due to technical problems.

Rouhani's Twitter account reacted immediately by blaming IRIB's head, Ezatollah Zarghami, saying he had prevented the live broadcast. "Head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Zarghami, prevented live discussion w/ people on #IRIB1 which was scheduled for an hour ago", read a tweet.

The government's official news agency, IRNA, also blamed Zarghami, saying he had prevented the broadcast for unknown reasons.

When Rouhani finally appeared in front of cameras, he apologised for the delay but refused to clarify what had happened backstage.

In a letter to the IRIB's watchdog, Zarghami asked whether the head of the government could select his own interviewers, implying that was what had stirred the row. The dispute dominated Thursday's front pages in Tehran.

In his late-night interview, Rouhani apologised to Iranians for his government's failure in distributing food rations, known as commodity baskets, to people.

IRIB is independent of the Iranian government and its head is appointed directly by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is the only legal TV and radio broadcaster inside the country but millions of Iranians watch foreign-based channels via illegal satellite dishes on rooftops.

IRIB is close to the country's conservative political faction, especially the elite revolutionary guards. Questions posed to the president on the national TV are usually not controversial and rarely challenge him.

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Leading authors urge Russia to repeal "chokehold" anti-gay laws

Google – AFP, 6 February 2014

People protest in Madrid on February 5, 2014 against anti-gay laws in Russia and

particularly the implementation in Sochi of a Russian law against"gay propaganda"

during the upcoming winter Olympic games (AFP, Curto De La Torre)

London — More than 200 leading international authors including Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood and Jonathan Franzen on Thursday slammed Russia's anti-gay and blasphemy laws as a "chokehold" on creativity as Sochi prepared for the Winter Olympics.

In an open letter published in Britain's Guardian newspaper, the writers said recent legislation outlawing religious insult and the "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" among minors, along with the recriminalisation of defamation, "specifically put writers at risk".

They vowed not to stand by "as we watch our fellow writers and journalists pressed into silence or risking prosecution and often drastic punishment for the mere act of communicating their thoughts".

"A healthy democracy must hear the independent voices of all its citizens; the global community needs to hear, and be enriched by, the diversity of Russian opinion," it said.

"We therefore urge the Russian authorities to repeal these laws that strangle free speech."

Four Nobel laureates; Gunter Grass, Wole Soyinka, Elfriede Jelinek and Orhan Pamuk all signed the letter, along with other well-known authors including Carol Ann Duffy, Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan and Neil Gaiman.

Demonstrators hold up a poster showing Russian President Vladimir Putin

 riding on a toy horse during a protest in front of the Russian Orthodox Church in

Hamburg, northern Germany, on February 1, 2014 (DPA/AFP, Axel Heimken)

Rushdie told the Guardian that the campaign was "incredibly important to Russian writers, artists and citizens alike".

"The chokehold that the Russian Federation has placed on freedom of expression is deeply worrying and needs to be addressed in order to bring about a healthy democracy in Russia," said the Satanic Verses author.

Russia paraded the Olympic torch through the Black Sea resort of Sochi for the first time Wednesday, two days before the opening of the Winter Games.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed that Russia will ensure hospitable and top class Games for everyone but the $50 billion project has been overshadowed by Russia's law outlawing "gay propaganda" to minors.

Gay rights group All Out organised protests in 19 cities around the world on Wednesday -- including Saint Petersburg in Russia but not Sochi itself -- and urged sponsors to "break their silence" on the controversial legislation.

Ban Ki-moon speaks to the IOC's general assembly before the 2014

Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Photograph: David Goldman/AP

Related Article:

Ban Ki-moon condemns persecution of gay people in Russia

UN denounces Vatican over child abuse and demands immediate action

Devastating UN report demands Vatican 'immediately remove' all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers

theguardian.com, Agencies in Vatican City, Wednesday 5 February 2014

Pope Francis meets bishops at the end of his weekly general audience.
Photograph: Alessandra Tarantino/AP

A UN human rights committee has denounced the Vatican for adopting policies that allowed priests to rape and molest tens of thousands of children, and urged it to open its files on the paedophiles and the churchmen who concealed their crimes.

In a devastating report on Wednesday, the UN committee also severely criticised the Holy See for its attitudes toward homosexuality, contraception and abortion and demanded that the Vatican "immediately remove" all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers and turn them over to civil authorities.

The committed said the Holy See should also hand over its archives on sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children so that culprits, as well as "those who concealed their crimes", could be held accountable.

The watchdog's exceptionally blunt paper – the most far-reaching critique of the church hierarchy by the world body – followed its public grilling of Vatican officials last month.

"The committee is gravely concerned that the Holy See has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators," the report said.

The Vatican was expected to issue a statement on the report later on Wednesday.

The UN committee on the rights of the child said the Catholic church had not yet taken measures to prevent a repeat of cases such as Ireland's Magdalene laundries scandal, where girls were arbitrarily placed in conditions of forced labour.

It called for an internal investigation of the laundries and similar institutions so that whose who were responsible could be prosecuted and that "full compensation be paid to the victims and their families".

A commission created by Pope Francis in December should investigate all cases of child sexual abuse "as well as the conduct of the Catholic hierarchy in dealing with them", the report said.

Abusers had been moved from parish to parish or other countries "in an attempt to cover up such crimes", it added.

"Due to a code of silence imposed on all members of the clergy under penalty of excommunication, cases of child sexual abuse have hardly ever been reported to the law enforcement authorities in the countries where such crimes occurred," the UN body said.

At a public session last month, the committee pushed Vatican delegates to reveal the scope of the decades-long sexual abuse of minors by Roman Catholic priests that Pope Francis called "the shame of the church".

The Holy See's delegation, answering questions from an international rights panel for the first time since the scandals broke more than two decades ago, denied allegations of a Vatican cover-up and said it had set clear guidelines to protect children from predator priests.

Related Article:

Pope widens criminal punishment for child abuse in Vatican