It does not matter if you agree with Geert Wilders’s film, Fitna, or his politics. He must not be prosecuted for expressing his views, writes Oliver Kamm
Carlos Flores Borja, winner of the Guardian Journalism award at this year’s Index on Censorship Free Expression Awards Ceremony, has been told that he will not be allowed relaunch of Amazonian community radio station Radio La Voz de Bagua, in spite of promises from President Alan García.
Carlos Flores Borja, the manager of Amazonian radio station travelled to Lima last week because he had been given an appointment with transport and communications minister Enrique Cornejo on 11 August to discuss the reopening of the station, which the government closed 14 months ago.
But in the end, Flores was received by deputy minister Jorge Cuba Hidalgo, who told him that the station will remain closed.
The 10th annual Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards honour those who, often at great personal risk, have given voice to issues and stories from around the globe that would otherwise have passed unnoticed (more…)
Belarus’s Supreme Court has stripped the Belarusian Association of Journalist’s (BAJ) ability to offer protection to journalists who are not officially authorised, such as opposition newspapers, websites and foreign news outlets.These journalists could now face 15 days in jail. BAJ president Zhanna Litvina said yesterday that this will discourage independent media coverage in the run-up to the elections. This comes a week after Charter97, an opposition website and are a nominee for this year’s Index On Censorship Freedom of Expression awards had its offices raided and its head of press beaten.
Imprisoned newspaper editor Eynulla Fatullayev has lost an appeal against his drugs conviction. Baku Appellate Court dismissed Fatullayev’s plea to have his sentence reduced by two months. Fatullayev had the term of his detention prolonged by eight weeks earlier this month when 0.223 grams of heroin was found during his cell. In October 2007, Fatullayev, then editor of the central Asian country’s two largest independent newspapers, Gundelik Azerbaijan and Reakniy Azerbaijan, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for terrorism and other charges. Human Rights Watch said that this reflected growing hostility from the state towards freedom of expression. Fatullayev has been supported by a number of media rights campaigners in Azerbaijan since his arrest, including the chair of the Media Rights Institute Rashid Hajili, who has been nominated for the Law and Campaigning Award at this years Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards.
The 10th Annual Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards honour those who, often at great personal risk, have fought to expose censorship and abuse. Read the full shortlist here.
The night is also Index’s most important fundraising event. Your support in the auction will help fund our work for the next 12 months, so bid early and bid high! (more…)
