2005-2014

A reporter-cameraman of a privately-owned TV station in Madagascar was shot dead while covering an anti-government demonstration outside the presidential palace in capital Antananarivo on February 7. The 25-year-old Ando Ratovonirina of Radio et Télévision Analamanga (RTA) was among the scores of people who were killed or wounded when security forces opened fired on the protesters, according to...

On two occasions, police officers in Tijuana, Baja California, northwestern Mexico, have raided the offices of the local weekly Balún Canán without a search warrant and have threatened and assaulted reporters, ARTICLE 19 and the Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS) have reported. In an interview, Juan Alfonso Ojeda, the editor and founder of Balún Canán, told CENCOS and ARTICLE 19 that...

Noor Hassan, a reporter for the Royal News television channel, was abducted on February 8 in Swat, the epicentre of fundamentalist militant insurgency in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP). He was released the next morning in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) has reported. Hassan told PPF that he, along with Royal TV reporter Mohammed Ilyas...

Two publications which recently came into the Swazi media scene have been threatened with closure for failure to register with government, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has eported. By law, all publications in Swaziland, including newspapers and magazines, are required to register with the government. Registration is accompanied by a bond of US$100. One of the publications, CAP...

The process to award four community radio licences, approved by the Swazi government in October 2008, has plunged into controversy and uncertainty, according to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). This follows a statement issued on February 5 by the Swaziland Radio Regulator stating that the four applicants short-listed for the licences have been disqualified as opposed to having their...

Botswana's new Media Practitioners Act is a threat to the rights and free operations and existence of the media in the country, free speech groups have said. While the law says it is aimed at preserving media freedom, upholding standards of professional conduct and promoting ethical standards and discipline, these good intentions are undermined by many sections of the law which we believe restrict...

ARTICLE 19 has written to Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King of Bahrain, asking him to ensure that women's rights activist Ghada Jamsheer is protected from harassment and guaranteed her right to free expression. Jamsheer is leader of the Women's Petition Committee, which works to protect women and advocate for improved women's rights in the country's sharia courts. She has been repeatedly...

A Brazilian judge has issued an order calling for the closure of the investigation into the death of journalist Vladimir Herzog. Herzog died while Brazil was under military rule (1964-1984). Federal Justice Paula Mantovani Avelino's decision rejects requests by state prosecutors who have argued that Herzog's murder could be considered a crime against humanity, the Associação Brasileira de...

South African President Kgalema Motlanthe has reportedly refused to sign the Films and Publications Amendment Bill, questioning its constitutionality and returning it "untouched" to Parliament, according to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). The controversial bill, drafted by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and initially meant to fight child pornography, has been referred back to...

An Argentine radio station political commentator has been fired allegedly motivated by pressure from the Cristina Kirchner government over a controversy unleashed in the country's news media. Journalist Nelson Castro had signed a contract to host the program "Puntos de vista" (Points of View), aired by Radio del Plata radio station, through to the end of 2009, but it was cancelled after he...