Moscow prosecutors have closed the criminal investigation into the March death of Kommersant defence correspondent Ivan Safronov because of “an absence of foul play,†the business daily reported Wednesday. The Central Administrative District prosecutor concluded that Safronov took his own life “for subjective, private reasons,†Kommersant said. The prosecutor’s office disclosed few
(HRinfo/IFEX) - HRINFO has expressed deep concern over a new sentence passed by the Ras Kheima court against writer Khalid El-Asly, of the Majan website ( http://www.majan.net ), and the site's head administrator Muhammed Shouhi. Both were sentenced to five months in prison. This is the second case launched against the website. A further two complaints have been filed but thus far have not been...
(SEAPA/IFEX) - The Burmese junta has been tapping land lines and cutting off mobile phone connections of journalists and democracy activists in the highly restrictive and secretive country since 8 August 2007, according to information only recently leaked by a source of the global organisation of exiled journalists, Burma Media Association (BMA). It would appear that, despite already having full...
Today is a sad anniversary for the media and journalists in Central Asia as it was exactly a year ago that it emerged that Ogulsapar Muradova had died as result of mistreatment in a prison in Turkmenistan and Jamshid Karimov was reported missing in the central city of Jizzak in Uzbekistan, resurfacing two weeks later in a Samarkand psychiatric hospital to which he had been confined against his...
Pakistani journalists were among those beaten up by security personnel during the Monday morning arrival of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad. According to reporters at the scene, the violence went far beyond the pushing and shoving that can occur at such breaking news events. A Pakistani Police car follows buses carrying journalists and the staff members of the former prime minister
A Moroccan journalist sentenced to eight months in prison in August for publishing secret military intelligence documents was released on probation Tuesday by the appeals court in Casablanca. "I am happy to be free and to rejoin my family after being unjustly deprived of my freedom for several weeks," Mustapha Hurmatallah said after emerging from Casablanca's Okacha prison. A visibly relaxed Allah
(BIANET/IFEX) - The Istanbul 12th Penal Court has decreed that "Gündem" newspaper be suspended for 30 days as punishment for publishing two articles by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Murat Karayilan. The newspaper was charged with spreading PKK propaganda, under the Anti-Terrorism Law. Editor-in-chief Yüksel Genc pointed out that the newspaper was being punished under a law that President...
(MFWA/IFEX) - On 9 September 2007, Mam Sait Ceesay, a former editor of the pro-government Banjul-based daily "Daily Observer", and Malick Jones, a journalist with the state-owned Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), were arrested and detained by the Gambian Police Force. MFWA sources reported that, although no official reasons have been assigned for the arrest and subsequent detention of...
Reporters Without Borders today said it was “worried and exasperated” about the continuing threats against the members of Journalist in Danger (JED), its partner organisation in Democratic Republic of Congo, who have to endure a constant climate of fear and danger. “Aside from making life impossible for a small group of courageous journalists, these repeated threats shows how dangerous it is to...
(BIANET/IFEX) - The Istanbul 10th Penal Court has sentenced "Hürriyet" newspaper journalist Sebati Karakurt to an advance payment of 455 YTL (approx. US$350). Karakurt is being tried for an interview he conducted with Kurdish Kongra-Gel militants on Kandil Mountain in Northern Iraq. He faces a possible prison sentence. Hasan Kilic and Necdet Tatlican, editors at the newspaper, have been ordered by...
