Prime Minister Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
c/o HE Permanent Representative to UN
Email: malaysia@un.int

17 February 2006

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 102 countries, to express our serious concern at the closure of the Sarawak Tribune newspaper for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that were first published in Denmark and have caused a storm of Muslim protest around the world.

According to reports, on 9 February the cabinet ordered the indefinite suspension of the regional daily Sarawak Tribune, which had reprinted the cartoons on 4 February. The authorities also declared it an offence for anyone to publish, produce, import, circulate or possess the caricatures. Though protests against the caricatures in Malaysia have been peaceful, officials said that the paper had been insensitive and irresponsible and had contributed to public disorder. The newspaper dismissed the editor responsible for publishing the cartoons.

While appreciating that the cartoons have caused offence to many Muslims in Malaysia and elsewhere, we respectfully remind you that the decision as to whether or not to publish such material is an editorial decision and not one with which the state should interfere.

We respectfully remind you that the closure of Sarawak Tribune is a breach of the right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by numerous international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 19 of the Declaration states: ’Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers.’

We respectfully call on you to do everything possible to ensure that the banning order on Sarawak Tribune is immediately lifted and that it is permitted to publish free from state intervention. We urge you and your government to set an example to the Muslim world by demonstrating tolerance and engaging in dialogue, rather than succumbing to censorship and repression.

We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely,

Gavin O’Reilly
President
World Association of Newspapers

George Brock
President
World Editors Forum

cc : Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations
Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General, UNESCO

WAN is the global organization for the newspaper industry, with formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. The organization groups 18,000 newspapers in 102 countries, 11 news agencies and nine regional and world-wide press groups. WAN is non-governmental and non-profit.