News

On February 27, an Accra High Court exonerated Western Publications Limited, publishers of the Accra-based privately-owned Daily Guide newspaper, on libel charges brought against it by Ghana's Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni. The court, presided over by Justice KA Acquaye, awarded 1,000 GH Cedis (approx US$800) each in favour of the defendants, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)...

Faramaz Novruzoglu (Allahverdiyev), editor and head consultant for Nota newspaper, has received anonymous death threats. The IRFS Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety (IRFS) informed by Novruzoglu that unknown individuals called him and threatened him and his family members. Novruzoglu believes that these calls are related to his recent series of articles about the Antiterrorism Centre of the...

An Algerian court has fined Abdelouahab Souag, a journalist for the daily El Watan, 50,000 DA (approx 500 euros) for publishing articles on a Muslim cleric, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). According to press reports, Souag was fined 20000 DA (Eur 200) by a court in Mascara which also ordered him to pay 30000 DA (Eur 300) compensation to an Imam at Aïn Kahla Mosque...

Mfomfo Nkambule, a weekly columnist with the privately-owned Times of Swaziland newspaper, was fined on february 28 an undisclosed number of cattle by his chief for criticising King Mswati III in his articles as the authorities continue to harass the writer for his views, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has reported. Once Nkambule pays the imposed fine, the cattle would be given to...

Supporters of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) beat up the Post photojournalist Thomas Nsama on February 28, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has reported. The incident occurred at Chipata International Airport in Zambia's Eastern province. Nsama had gone to the airport to cover the arrival of Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC)...

MISA-Namibia has expressed surprise at a ban on chat shows by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). In a statement on 3 March 2009, Andrew Kanime, Acting Director General of the NBC, announced that the National Chat Show programmes hosted in the morning shall cease. Members of the public used to phone in to express views on and discuss a number of issues. The government and the ruling party...

Journalists were barred on March 4 from covering the proceedings of senate elections from the press gallery of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Assembly, the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) has reported. Security officials stopped journalists from entering the assembly hall soon after the polling began. The outraged journalists shouted slogans and staged a sit-in outside the main entrance...

The Court of Appeals (CA) in Manila has turned down a reconsideration motion filed by the president's spouse, Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, to stop the hearing of the class suit filed against him by 36 journalists and three media organisations, the Manila-based Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) has reported. On February 24, the CA's former Seventh Division affirmed its September 22...

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has censured the setback for press freedom and free speech in Mexico contained in new proposals made public by the federal Chamber of Deputies' Judicial Committee, chaired by Congressman César Camacho. According to the committee's bill shown to representatives of the IAPA recently, work carried out for years by the Chamber of Deputies' Special Commission...

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Belarusian authorities to renew work credentials for Andrzej Poczobut, a local correspondent for Poland's largest daily, Gazeta Wyborcza, and to investigate recent harassment of him and his family in the western city of Hrodno. Poczobut's credentials were pulled off after he reported on the policies of President Aleksandr Lukashenko and the...