Index on Censorship » activist

Iran: Elderly revolutionary icon sentenced to eight years in jail

Alice Purkiss — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:56:42 +0000

An 80-year old head of a banned opposition party in Iran has been ordered to serve eight years in prison. Ebrahim Yazdi, activist and former foreign minister, was convicted in December 2011 on charges of “attempting to act against national security”. Yazdi, who is currently suffering with cancer and a heart condition was informed on 16 April by Evin prison that he had 20 days to surrender to serve the 2011 sentence. The elderly activist, who was a key figure in the 1979 Islamic revolution, refuses to acknowledge that the charges against him are valid.

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Kazakhstan: Labour rights lawyer Natalia Sokolova released, but with restrictions

Alice Purkiss — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:39:15 +0000

A union lawyer freed from prison by authorities in Kazakhstan on 7 March has been banned from resuming her activism. Natalia Sokolova was found guilty of “inciting social discord” and “actively participating in illegal gatherings” after speaking out on issues such as wage disparity and defended oil workers’ rights. On 6 March, Sokolova’s six year prison sentence was commuted to a three year suspended sentence, but the activist is banned from “civic” activity and from holding office in a public association for three years.

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Belarus: Activist “beaten by police” before being jailed

Alice Purkiss — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:25:54 +0000

A Belarus ian opposition activist has claimed he was beaten and detained by police before being sentenced to 15 days in prison. Kastus Zhukouski was charged with insulting police and resisting arrest. The activist said he noticed a police car outside his house on Wednesday, containing several officers wearing special security uniforms. As Zhukouski began to film the car, he was attacked by three people from behind a dumpster and two others from the car. In court, Zhukouski complained of headache, nausea and pain in his neck, legs and hands. The judge ruled he should be taken to a clinic for an examination and treatment before the trial resumes.

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Vietnam: Lawyer jailed after calling for democratic reform

Intern — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:57:48 +0000

A lawyer has been sentenced to seven years in prison and a further three years’ house arrest. Cu Huy Ha Vu’s trial lasted for one day, during it one of his lawyers was ejected and another three walking out in protest. The court convicted him of defaming Vietnam and producing propaganda against the state. Vu has called for an end to the country’s one-party system and has twice tried to sue the Vietnamese prime minister. He is the son of a famous Vietnamese poet who was a revolutionary leader in the Ho Chi Minh government.

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Uzbekistan: Human rights activist convicted of libel

Index on Censorship — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:30:30 +0000

Human rights campaigner Surat Ikramov was found guilty on libel charges on 28 September for an article he published about the suspicious death of singer Dilnura Kadyrjanova in 2007. Ikramov, head of the Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Activists of Uzbekistan, was fined 100,000 som (around $60) and ordered to publicly refute the article by publishing approved corrections. Authorities claimed the death of Kadyrjanova, who had been the mistress of a prominent police chief, was suicide. Ikramov’s report suggested that the police chief had used his position of power to prevent a full murder investigation.

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Russia: Gay rights activist released

Intern — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:38:35 +0000

A Russian gay rights activist who went missing from a Moscow airport last week, said he was kidnapped by state security agents. Nikolai Alekseyev was told he would have to undergo further security checks as he prepared for his flight to Geneva on 15 September. He was then driven to a police station in Kashira where he was detained for two days. The men holding him demanded that he withdraw a complaint from the European Court of Human Rights against Moscow’s ban on gay rights rallies. He refused to sign any documents. News agencies received text messages that appeared to be from the activist saying he was seeking political asylum in Belarus. Alekseyev later confirmed these were sent by his captors. He was released on 18 September.

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Kuwait: Journalists acquitted of libel and charges

Intern — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:50:09 +0000

A court in Kuwait City has acquitted a journalist prosecuted for insulting Kuwait’s Prime Minister. Journalist Mohammed Abdel Qader Al-Jassem and activist Khaled Al-Fadala, had their charges dropped on 12 July . Al-Jassem was accused of libelling the prime minister on a talk show entitled “Who is to blame, the government or the parliament?”. Al-Fadala’s case was initiated following an official complaint from the prime minister following the activist’s claim that the prime minister was an “enemy of freedom of expression” in Kuwait. Al-Jassem was jailed after he was convicted of slander in April 2010 in a separate case.

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China activist formally arrested

Index on Censorship — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:49:13 +0000

One of China’s most prominent political activists has been formally arrested for inciting subversion. Liu Xiaobo is accused of spreading rumours and defaming the government, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. Mr Liu’s arrest comes six months after he was taken into custody. Read more here

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