Censored

The Iranian government, struggling to silence the many critical voices in the country, has arrested 11 journalists since Sunday, including former International Press Freedom Award recipient Mashallah Shamsolvaezin and the prominent writer Emadeddin Baghi, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported. CPJ condemned the arrests and called for the release of all detained...

Iranian authorities censored coverage of the death of a leading reformist cleric, shut down yet another reformist newspaper this week, and continued to arrest journalists in recent days, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported. The BBC reported on Monday that the Iranian Labor News Agency was warned by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to report less on...

Iranian authorities decided on Monday to shut the reformist daily Hayate No. The Press Supervisory Board revoked the licence of the Tehran-based daily Hayate No “for working outside the regulations,” the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported quoting local news reports. The agency provided no details of the alleged violations. Hayate No is considered supportive of...

A court in N’Djamena Saturday ordered the automatic seizure of all issues published by the privately-owned weekly La Voix, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has reported. “This is a political decision, one that is marred by irregularities,” said one of the newpaper’s lawyers, Jean-Bernard Padaré. La Voix hopes to continue publishing. The court could not legally order the newspaper’s closure so it...

The November 29 presidential election in Equatorial Guinea, in the absence of any independent media, has been witnessing one-sided coverage by the state-owned media, according to Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF). After winning the 2002 election with 97.1 per cent of the votes, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has “promised” to win this one with more than 97 per cent again. “It is no surprise that...

Officials from the Odessa Public Utility Service and mayor’s office have been physically obstructing the work of several Ukranian television and radio stations on the grounds of alleged building renovation, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported quoting local news reports. On Monday, city officials first barred reporters from entering their offices in the Odessa...

Six private newspapers in Gabon have been suspended by the government-controlled media-monitoring body, the National Communications Council. The council announced the suspensions, which range from one to three months, on Tuesday evening on state-run TV, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported. The papers have been suspended for “violating the ethics of journalism”...

Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has expressed concern over two rulings in Pakistan clamping down on electronic media that represent a very serious backward step. Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has ordered some radio stations not to broadcast BBC Urdu-language news programmes, while Parliament is preparing to ratify drastic censorship dating from the era of General Pervez...

Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) on Tuesday condemned the decision of a court specialising in press offences that sentenced journalist Munir Al-Mawari of independent weekly Al-Masdar in his absence to two years in prison for libelling President Ali Abdallah Saleh and also banned him for life from working as a journalist. The newspaper’s editor, Samir Jubran, was sentenced in the same case on...

Chinese police have reportedly arrested two Uighur journalists who published online about Uighur issues in Xinjiang, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Friday. Chinese authorities blamed local and international Uighur websites for fueling July's ethnic violence, according to international news reports. Security officials arrested website manager Hailaite Niyazi in his...