May 31st, 2011
According to Pakistani news sources, the body of the Pakistan bureau chief for Asia Times Online, has been
found. He had been
missing since Sunday. Previous reports said that he was under the custody of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. Human rights groups
claim that the agency has abused and tortured journalists in the past. Saleem Shahzad’s disappearence followed after warnings from Pakistani security agencies over articles that seemed damaging to Pakistan’s national interest and image. Shahza recently covered the Pakistan Taliban’s
attack of a naval air force base in Karachi on May 23.
October 6th, 2010
A teenage blogger who has been detained for nine months has been
accused of spying for the American Embassy in Egypt. Tal al Mallohi, who is currently being held in Duma women’s prison near Damascus, was arrested by Syrian Intelligence Services in December 2009, in connection with a street attack on security services. She is accused of providing information that led to the incident. Mallohi has been
denied access to a lawyer, and has had her computer and other personal possessions
confiscated from her parents’ house. Her family have not been allowed to contact her. She is expected to appear in court in the next few days.
April 6th, 2010
The publisher of the new book about Mohamed ElBaradei, the former UN nuclear watchdog, was
arrested by the Egyptian authorities on Saturday. Egyptian officials
raided Ahmed Mahanna’s house a week after he released a book lauding ElBaradei who has launched a campaign for political reform and hinted he may challenge Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak in an election due in 2011. Egyptian officials did not state a reason for detaining Mahanna, who was released the next day.
