State Control

Reporters Without Borders insisted today that Yahoo! was responsible for the conviction of Wang Xiaoning and Shi Tao and possibly other Chinese cyber-dissidents as well after the US Internet company called on 27 August for the dismissal of the lawsuit brought against it in the United States by relatives of these two imprisoned cyber-dissidents. “Wang and Shi were both convicted thanks to...

The Burmese junta is resorting to all methods possible to prevent journalists, including those working for the foreign media, from covering a wave of unrest in response to an increase in the price of fuel. “The military’s response to the wave of protests against price increases since 19 August has again been heavy-handed repression, intimidation and censorship of Burmese journalists,” Reporters...

(CNSNews.com) - American Internet companies' operations in China are back in the spotlight, as Yahoo fends off a lawsuit brought on behalf of imprisoned dissident journalists and press freedom groups, who are expressing concern about a new "self-discipline" pledge designed to tighten controls on Chinese bloggers. Yahoo on Monday asked an Oakland, Calif., court to throw out the case brought by a...

Hamas is planning to enforce a 12-year-old Palestinian press law designed to silence dissident journalists amid a crackdown that has raised fierce protests from the local media. "We are all bound by this 1995 press law, and its articles carry the force of the law," said a statement from what was described as Hamas's "information ministry" in the Gaza Strip, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP)...

The Burmese military dictatorship may be tightening the already restricted telecommunication channels in the country to prevent information about the ongoing mass protests and arrests in Rangoon from leaking out. Members of the Burmese National League for Democracy shout slogans during a protest in front of the Burmese embassy in Seoul August 8, 2007. The protest was held in conjunction with the...

Local journalists are being assaulted, detained and harassed by security forces in Bangladesh attempting to enforce the indefinite curfew imposed Wednesday on capital Dhaka and five other cities in response to growing unrest across the country. On Wednesday, the military-backed interim government announced an indefinite curfew in six urban centres that had been the scene of violent clashes between...

Twenty leading blog service providers in China, including Yahoo.cn and MSN.cn, have signed a “self-discipline pact” to end anonymous blogging. People use computers at an internet cafe in Suining, southwest China's Sichuan province, January 11, 2007. Under the new pact, blog service providers in China are being “encouraged” to register users under their real names and contact information before...

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the censorship of six privately-owned Arabic-language dailies during the past five days in an attempt by the security forces to suppress reports about the arrests of eight alleged terrorists. “The vice-president announced the official lifting of censorship nearly a year ago,” the press freedom organisation said. “Now we regrettably see that this practice...

The Chinese government’s announced crackdown on “false news” and “illegal news coverage” could be yet another direct threat to media freedom in China, Human Rights Watch has said. The crackdown adds to the Chinese government’s existing arsenal of vaguely-worded prohibitions, such as laws against “spreading rumours,” which help stifle independent reporting through the threat of serious legal...

The Roh Moo-hyun administration has decided to take disciplinary measures against South Korean journalists and their companies that do not abide by the "news embargoes'' set by government offices. The Government Information Agency (GIA) Tuesday unveiled a plan to implement it as early as next month, the Korea Times reported. Journalists who violate embargoes would be banned from interviewing...