2005-2014

One year ago, a court in the western autonomous region of Karakalpakstan sentenced journalist Solidzhon Abdurakhmanov to 10 years in prison on a charge of “possession of drugs for the purpose of sale,” a sentence that was upheld a month later by the supreme court despite the inconsistencies of the prosecution case and complete lack of evidence against him. Now aged 59, Abdurakhmanov has been held...

Prison sentences were given to journalists at the Azeri weekly newspaper Nota on defamation charges Thursday, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported. Nota Editor-in-Chief Sardar Alibeili and reporter Faramaz Novruzoglu (also known as Faramaz Allahverdiyev) were given three-month prison terms, and staffer Ramiz Tagiyev was conditionally sentenced to six months of...

Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) has condemned a October 7 police raid on the Tamil daily Dinamalar in Chennai and the arrest of its editor, B Lenin, over an article about Tamil actresses suspected of prostitution. Charged under the Tamil Nadu Women Harassment Act, he could remain in detention until October 21. “The police raid on Dinamalar was abusive and disproportionate and B Lenin’s arrest...

A Ljubljana appeal court has decided to lift an injunction against the Slovenian daily Dnevnik that barred it since August 2009 from publishing any news or negative comments about the person or professional activities of Italian businessman Pierpaolo Cerani, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has reported. The daily’s editor Ali Zerdin told the Paris-based RSF that the ruling on October 7 was “an...

A court in the western Venezuela state of Táchira has ordered that journalist Gustavo Azócar should remain in custody despite ordering the annulment of a criminal case against him, according to Reporters sans Frontières (RSF). He is the only journalist currently in prison in Venezuela. Reporters Without Borders said it feared that the journalist was being hounded for his critical stance towards...

Soldiers in Conakry have been addressing journalists in a very threatening manner, with such comments as “If you go out the door, I’ll cut your tongue out,” “The next time things happen, we’ll know where to find you” and “We know you, we’ll make you pay.” Ten days after army Red Berets dispersed an opposition protest with a great deal of bloodshed in Conakry on September 28, Reporters Sans...

Algerian journalist and rights activist Hafnaoui Ghoul is on trial for writing articles critical of local authorities in Djelfa province, says the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Ghoul, a freelance journalist and human rights activist affiliated with the ‎Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights‎, is facing numerous charges—criminal defamation, insulting government agencies, and...

The government’s decision to prosecute the company that published the new cartoon magazine Gedung Kartun for not having a permit is a setback for press freedom in Malaysia, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) has said. The decision was announced by Jamilah Taib, the head of the interior ministry’s communication unit. The company insists it did get a verbal go-ahead. “We urge the interior ministry to...

Iranian authorities decided to revoke the licences of three reformist newspapers on Sunday and Monday, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported. The Press Supervisory Board revoked the licences of the Tehran-based dailies Farhang-e Aashti and Arman on Sunday, according to local and international news reports. On Monday, the same state agency’s offices in Fars province...

Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) has called for the acquittal of all the writers, bloggers and pro-democracy activists who are about to be tried in various courts after unexplained delays, with a danger of long jail sentences being imposed. Vu Hung’s trial in Hanoi Wednesday and Pham Van Troi’s trial the day after are expected to be held without guarantees for defence rights. Six other activists...