News

A Moroccan court has imposed fines and damages on three independent dailies for "publicly harming" Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, above, and "injuring his dignity." The Ain Essaba'a Misdemeanour Court in Casablanca ordered each of the three newspapers— Al-Massae, the country's leading daily, Al-Jarida Al-Oula and Al-Ahdath Al-Magrebia—to pay a fine of 100,000 dirhams (US$12,484) and damages of one...

Rwandan information minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, has threatened to reimpose the ban on Kinyarwanda-language broadcasts by BBC if the British radio did not change its editorial line. Broadcasts only resumed on June 23 after a two-month interruption. Rwandan pro-government daily the New Times reported in an article on June 26 that the minister had said BBC was guilty of “bad faith” and that if the...

Honduras President Manuel Zelaya’s ouster Sunday by the Army has been followed by a curfew during which the broadcasts of several radio and TV stations were suspended, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has reported. As soon as the curfew had been decreed, the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) notified cable TV operators of a ban on broadcasting certain international TV stations such...

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) expresses deep dissatisfaction over the increasing frequency of convictions for press misdemeanours in Egypt. The latest occurrence involved the criminal court sentencing of Yasser Barakat, editor-in-chief of the Al-Mogaz newspaper, to six months in prison and a fine of LE 20000 (approx. US$3500) in an insult and libel case filed by MP...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has welcomed the decision to lift the ban on the Arabic version of the Gulf News newspaper after the authorities stopped its publication on Sunday June 21. "We welcome the lifting of the ban which was a serious violation of press freedom," said Paco Audije, IFJ Deputy General Secretary on June 23. "It is not for governments to tell newspapers what...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the Hamas government in the Gaza strip to release Palestinian journalists who have been arbitrarily detained by their respective security forces. "We condemn this latest crackdown against journalists in Palestine," said Paco Audije, IFJ Deputy General Secretary. "Our colleagues must not...

Hang Chakra, editor-in-chief of the opposition Khmer-language daily Khmer Machas Srok, has been sentenced to one year in prison stemming from his reports on alleged government corruption. According to the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), a Cambodian court ruled Saturday that Hang Chakra violated criminal disinformation laws by publishing a series of articles that accused officials working...

The World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the leading international associations for print and digital news publishing, have merged into a new organisation, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). The combined new organisation will represent more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3000 companies in more than 120 countries. WAN-IFRA is dedicated...

Press freedom groups have urged Iranian authorities to release all of the roughly 40 journalists and media workers who have been detained in the aftermath of the country's disputed June 12 presidential election. Iranian news organisations identified two more detained journalists in reports on Thursday. Multiple news reports named the two as cartoonist Behzad Bashbo and television producer Khalil...

Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has condemned the charges of “violating public decency”, “inciting crimes” and “publishing court statements still under the seal of confidentiality” that were brought against Hanevy Ould Dehah, the editor of the website Taqadoumy, on June 24. Dehah, who has been held since June 18, was taken to Dart Naim prison after being charged. “We urge the authorities to...