Index on Censorship » human rights activist

Bahrain: Court fines daughter of opposition activist

Alice Purkiss — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:38:09 +0000

A prominent opposition activist has been fined for insulting a government employee in Bahrain. Zainab al-Khawaja, daughter of imprisoned activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who has been on hunger strike for over three months, was arrested last month after protesting for the release of her father during the Bahrain Grand Prix. Despite being fined 200 dinars ($530), Zainab al-Khawaja remains imprisoned on the charge of attempting to stage a protest. If convicted, the activist faces another charge or imprisonment. The case will be heard on 24 May.

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Bahrain: Nabeel Rajab granted bail, but remains in prison

Alice Purkiss — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:49:19 +0000

Prominent Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab is to remain in prison, despite being granted bail. Rajab, who was arrested earlier this month, was granted bail on the charge of “insulting an official authority”, but remains in prison on a second charge of “organising illegal demonstrations”. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights head faces two years in prison if convicted of the second charge. The first charge relates to four posts on Twitter which suggested the interior ministry had not carried out proper investigations into civilian deaths.

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China: Government implicated in cyber attacks

Intern — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:10:18 +0000

A string of highly sophisticated cyber attacks have been launched on the Gmail accounts of a number of Chinese activists as well as US and South Korean government officials. Suspicion s have been raised about the Chinese government’s involvement because of the nature of the targets and the lack of any apparent financial motive. The government has denied the allegations. The White House is currently investigating the situation alongside representatives from Google.

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Human rights activist detained in Qatar

Mohammad Fakhar Zaman — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:36:36 +0000

Blogger and human rights activist, Sultan al-Khalaifi, has been detained by security forces after criticising the country’s censorship rules on his blog. Khalaifi, who is founder of a rights group campaigning on cases of detention in Qatar, has been in detention since March 2 after being contacted by state security. According to his lawyer he has been detained on numerous occasions in the past.

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Detained Chinese activist beaten by authorities

Intern — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:47:21 +0000

Prominent Chinese activist, Chen Guangcheng, and his wife are reported to have been severely beaten by security officials after a secretly recorded video of their house arrest was publicly released. Guangcheng was released in September 2010, after completing a four year prison sentence for publishing a report about forced abortions and sterilisations carried out by authorities. Both Guangcheng and his wife, Yuan Weijin, have been under house arrest since his release from prison.

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Iran: Two imprisoned for “anti-government” activities

Intern — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:25:08 +0000

Prominent Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and human rights activist Shiva Nazar-Ahari have received prison sentences for their activities in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 presidential election. Nazar- Ahari has received a four-year prison sentence for “assembly and collusion against the regime”, while Sotoudeh has received an eleven-year sentence for “propaganda against the regime”, “acting against national security” and “not wearing hijab during a videotaped message”.

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DRC: Police on trial for activist’s murder

William Clowes — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:21:32 +0000

Eight police officers have gone on trial in a Kinshasa military court charged with the kidnap and murder of a human rights activist. Three of the accused are on the run and are being tried in absentia. Floribert Chebeya went missing in June after trying to meet chief of police General John Numbi. His body was found soon after in the back seat of his car. Chebeya was the head of Voice of the Voiceless (VSV). VSV says that General Numbi is the chief suspect but, although he has been suspended, he is not facing any charges.

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