Archive for July, 2010

Turks march against government censorship of the Internet

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Web users have stepped away from their keyboards and on to the streets in Istanbul. Yaman Akdeniz reports
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Ivory Coast: Nouveau Courrier journalists to be released

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Three journalists who were arrested after they published an official government document on corruption were due to be released yesterday. The editor, managing editor and publisher of the Nouveau Courrier d’Abidjan were acquitted of charges relating to theft of official documents but charged with a lesser offence and fined five million CFA francs (7,500 euros).

Malaysia: protesters convicted for cow’s head rally

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

On 27 July, a Selangor court imprisoned a man for a week and fined 11 others after they protested against the construction of a Hindu temple with a severed cow’s head. All 12 pleaded guilty to the charge of “illegal assembly” and were fined 1000 ringgit (£202) whilst two men were also convicted of sedition and fined a further 3,000 ringgit (£606) for stamping and spitting on the cow’s skull. The rally took place in August 2009, in response to a proposal to build a Hindu temple in a Muslim neighbourhood.  An alternative site was eventually chosen for the place of worship.

Pakistan: Permanent Facebook ban sought

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

The Chairman of Pakistan’s Judicial Activism Panel, Azhar Siddique, has appealed to the Lahore High Court to permanently ban Facebook. The petition was lodged in wake of an “anti-Islam competition,” entitled “Everybody Burn Koran Day,” being hosted on the website. He additionally called upon authorities to outlaw displaying, publishing or televising blasphemous material of any religion.

Burmese Arts Festival fundraiser

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010


On 14 July, 87-year-old Burmese author Nan Nyunt Swe died — but his son Zarganar, one of the country’s most popular comedians, was unable to attend his funeral, and may not even have been informed of his death. Zarganar is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for criticising the government¹s handling of the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. Not only that, but since 2008 he has been held in a prison so far from his home that it effectively cut him off from contact with his family. Just last month the authorities felt it necessary to forbid his family from travelling the 1500 km to visit him.
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US Congress passes libel tourism bill

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

The US Congress has approved a bill aimed at protecting US writers from libel tourists using English courts to pursue defamation claims. The SPEECH (Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage) Act now goes to President Obama to be signed into law.
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UK: First libel supreme court hearing

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

The first libel case in the new Supreme Court, Joseph v Spiller was heard on 26-27 July. The case concerns Motown tribute act, the Gillettes, who sued after their former agent Jason Spiller posted on his website that the band were not professional and that they consider contractual terms and conditions to “hold no water in legal terms”. William Bennett, representing Craig Joseph, a singer for the group who arranged their bookings, has argued that a “fair comment” defence should be rejected because the “comment” related to a false fact and no reference was made in the post to the truthful facts upon which the comment was based. In contrast lawyers for the agent, Spiller, contended that the false fact was not materially detrimental to Joseph and thus the defence should not fail. He further appealed to the justices to clarify and simplify the meaning of the “fair comment” defence, including renaming it “comment” to avoid misleading juries, since the defence protects both fair and unfair comments equally. A ruling, which could have serious effect on future definitions of fair comment, is expected in August or early September.

Wikileaks breaks down the door

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

The whistleblowers’ website goes mainstream — reconfiguring ideas of journalism, transparency, openness and security in the internet age. Jillian C York reports
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