30 May 12 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
Israel’s Attorney General will indict a journalist from daily newspaper Haaretz, for possession of classified documents. The State Prosecutor’s Office claims that Uri Blau had thousands of top secret and military documents in his possession, which are believed to have been stolen by former IDF soldier Anat Kamm. Blau will be charged with “aggravated espionage” under Israel’s Penal Code, for which he faces a maximum of seven years in prison.
30 May 12 | Africa, Index Index, minipost
A journalist has been arrested in Malawi for writing an article on a same-sex engagement ceremony. Clement Chinoko, who works for Blantyre Newspapers Limited, was arrested on 26 May after an article appeared in the Malawi’s Sunday Times on 20 May detailing the engagement of two women in the southern city of Blantyre. The journalist has been charged with “conduct likely to cause breach of peace” and police spokesman Nicholas Gondwa has claimed the article is a fake. Chinoko has not yet been taken to court or been released on bail. Earlier this month, Malawi’s President Joyce Banda announced plans to repeal the country’s laws against homosexuality.
29 May 12 | Africa, Index Index, minipost
Ethiopian Police have detained two journalists who were working for US funded broadcaster Voice of America (VOA). Peter Heinlein, a VOA correspondent, was arrested along with freelance reporter Simegnish Yekoye and an interpreter. The trio were detained whilst covering a demonstration of Muslims protesting against government interference in religious affairs. They are currently being held in a federal detention centre in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, but no charges have been filed. A police spokesperson said Heinlein was arrested after refusing to show his press accreditation.
23 May 12 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
The head of a new Palestinian news channel has been arrested on undisclosed charges in Israel. Bahaa Khairi Moussa, the general director of the Palestine Prisoner Channel, which covers the conditions faced by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, was arrested on Thursday (17 May). Saher al-Qassim, the news broadcaster’s executive director, believes the channel’s specialist coverage has lead to the arrest. Moussa’s whereabouts is currently unknown.
