ARCHIVES: State Control
Iranian authorities used force to contain demonstrations a week ago in the southwestern province of Khuzestan and banned news coverage of the bloody clashes that took place. Both the national and international media were prevented from covering the incidents. The crackdown has continued this week with several arrests of netizens and media contributors, according to Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF). The Iranian government hypocritically defends freedom of... MORE
A bombing in the Minsk metro on April 11, which killed 13 people, has prompted a new round of official warnings to the Belarus news media similar to previous attempts to intimidate and silence them, Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has said. “We urge the government to stop the almost daily harassment and threats against journalists who are just trying to do their job,” the press freedom organisation said. “The Minsk metro bombing must not be used as a pretext to... MORE
Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has called on the Syrian government to free nearly a dozen journalists and netizens it has imprisoned as it battles protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. “The terror and arbitrary rule must end,” the media freedom organisation said, “and all those held, as well as prisoners of conscience, must be released.” Among journalists and netizens arrested are Algerian freelance reporter Khaled Sid Mohand , who was making... MORE
A new requirement by the Egyptian military that local print media obtain approval for all mentions of the armed forces before publication is the single worst setback for press freedom in Egypt since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in February, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The director of the Morale Affairs Directorate of the Egyptian military, Maj. Gen. Ismail Mohamed Othman, sent a letter dated March 22 to editors of Egyptian publications demanding that they do not "... MORE
New York-based press freedom group Committee to Protect Journalists has called on authorities in Ethiopia to ensure that broadcasts of the German state-funded station Deutsche Welle, which had been jammed, be allowed to air freely. Local journalists confirmed a report by the Bonn-based international broadcaster that its programs were inaudible in Ethiopia last week until Friday. The management of Deutsche Welle told CPJ that the International Broadcasting Bureau, which provides non-military... MORE
A news blackout has been imposed by Iraqi authorities on events at Camp Ashraf, a camp in northern Iraq that houses 3,500 Iranian exiles. An attack by the Iraqi army yesterday reportedly resulted in the deaths of around 30 residents and many wounded. According to several news organisations, the camp is surrounded by armoured vehicles and army trucks. Journalists have been forced to remain at the camp gates. No media personnel have been allowed inside. Located 60 km west of the Iranian border... MORE
Two new Israeli laws affecting Israel's Palestinian Arab residents would promote discrimination and stifle free expression, Human Rights Watch said today. One would authorize rural, Jewish-majority communities to reject Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel and other "unsuitable" applicants for residency, and the other would chill expression regarding a key moment in the history of Palestinian citizens, Human Rights Watch said. "These laws threaten Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel and others... MORE
(Mizzima): The Burmese junta has announced that the press censorship policy will be relaxed in accordance with the country's new Constitution, according to media reports. "The first step will be made on the day the new government takes office. But, with freedom of the press, the publications need to take responsibility," the "Flower News Journal" quoted censorship board director Tint Swe as saying. No date has been set for the new government to take office, but lawmakers said it could be later... MORE
Bahraini authorities lifted a ban on the main opposition newspaper Sunday after its three top editors resigned to save the paper from a campaign to muzzle anti-government media and crack down on the Shiite opposition in the Sunni-ruled Gulf nation. Al-Wasat , the country's most popular newspaper, did not appear Sunday after Bahrain's Information Ministry ordered it to close down. Al-Wasat's online edition was also blocked. The state-run Bahrain News Agency accused the paper of "unethical"... MORE
Another new newspaper has been revealed in Zimbabwe, making a surprise arrival on the streets on Thursday, reports swradioafrica.com. Dummy copies of the paper titled The Mail were handed out free to the public on Thursday, ahead of the paper’s official launch, set for some time next week. The paper, carrying a headline story that says: “Restrictions on rallies biased,” appears to be a far cry from the state-sympathetic Herald. SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa explained that the... MORE
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