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Since the fall of Saddam Hussein the press in Iraq - like the rest of Iraqi society - has been in a constant state of flux. The collapse of the old regime triggered a media free-for-all. Iraqis were soon able to choose from more than 200 publications, compared with just a handful during the Saddam era. But for every new publication that emerged, several others folded, largely owing to lack of...

The Information Ministry of Bangladesh imposed censorship on Bangladesh media immediately after president declared state of emergency in the country suspending all political activities and postponed the national election slated for Jan. 22. The Press Information Department (PID) under the Information Ministry, when asked late on Thursday night, told Xinhua that all private television channels have...

ISLAMABAD: Despite remaining independent, the media in Pakistan continued facing outbursts of intolerance by the security agencies and a section of the establishment and Pakistan topped the list of abductions and killings of journalists during the year, according to a report released by South Asia Free Media Association on Thursday. The tribal areas have been turned into no-go areas for...

New York, January 12, 2007—Unidentified gunmen killed a journalist today in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Khudr Younis al-Obaidi, a reporter for Al-Diwan newspaper, was shot by several men in a car as he walked along a street, The Associated Press reported. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating the circumstances of al-Obaidi’s death. “We condemn the murder of our colleague...

Iraqi journalists, members of parliament and government officials reached an unprecedented agreement about measures to protect and promote free and pluralistic media in Iraq during the International Conference on Freedom of Expression and Media Development in Iraq, held at UNESCO Headquarters from 8 to 10 January. The essential role of free, pluralistic and independent media in any democratic...

New Delhi, Jan. 12 (PTI): Two Indian TV channels censured by the government for airing footage depicting a man dressed as Mahatma Gandhi performing a pole-dance today expressed regret for their action, saying they aired the video to expose how the father of the nation was being insulted. "...our intention is not to denigrate the honour of our father of the nation, but to ensure action on the...

NEW DELHI: The South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), the SAARC-recognised body of journalists, on Thursday facilitated the formation of five national press commissions as well as a regional South Asia Press Commission. N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu , will head the India Press Commission, which will have 25 members. Eminent journalists S. Nihal Singh, B.G. Verghese, Vinod Dua, Kumar...

(CMFR/IFEX) - The journalists suing First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo for abuse of right and for violating their right to the free exercise of their profession, shrugged off Arroyo's motion to dismiss their complaint, and maintained that their suit is meant to defend press freedom and democracy against Arroyo's efforts to undermine both. Speaking through their lawyer, University of the...

(FMM/IFEX) - Indications of the growing deterioration of media freedom and a culture of impunity were evident in media reports yesterday. The FMM notes, with deep concern, news reports on the alleged ban by the Karuna paramilitary group on the sale of "Thinakkural" and "Sudar Oli" newspapers, as reported in the "Daily Mirror". This is not the first time the FMM has expressed its concern over the...

(RSF/IFEX) - On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the arrival of the first detainees at the US military base at Guantánamo Bay in eastern Cuba, RSF has reiterated its call for the release of Sami Al-Haj, a Sudanese cameraman with the Qatar-based satellite television station Al-Jazeera, who has been held without charge since 13 June 2002. Several hundred people who had been captured by the US...