Index on Censorship » media censorship

Uzbekistan: Journalist hospitalised, ends hunger strike

Sarah Cox — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:45:59 +0000

Saodat Omonova, one of two women journalists protesting media censorship in Uzbekistan, has ended her hunger strike after being hospitalised earlier this week. It had been 16 days since Omonova and colleague, Malohat Eshonqulova, had begun their hunger strike after they were arrested and fined for protesting outside the presidential palace. The pair were were fired from state television channel Yoshlar last December, three days after they staged protests against media censorship. They are still fighting a court battle to appeal their initial dismissal.

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Burma: Censorship laws to be relaxed

Mohammad Fakhar Zaman — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:10:38 +0000

The Burmese government’s censorship board director, Tint Swe, has announced that the country’s censorship policy will be relaxed in accordance with its new constitution. Journal and magazine publishers will no longer need to submit their articles to the censors for approval before publication. However, news stories and articles about politics and business will still need prior approval.

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Egypt: Media crackdown continues

Intern — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:40:07 +0000

Egyptian authorities have continued their pre-election crackdown on the independent media. Most recently private production companies that provide live broadcast services to independent television stations have had their licences revoked. It is reported that they will have to broadcast directly from studios affiliated with the state in order to receive new licences. The move follows the sacking of an opposition newspaper editor, the refusal to allow entrance to international monitors, and restrictions on sending out mass text messages. Critics say this is bound to inhibit reporting in the run-up to both November’s parliamentary elections and next year’s presidential poll.

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USA: Bill would force media to delete stories about convicts

Intern — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:55:08 +0000

Senators in Ohio have introduced a bill which would force media organisations to remove stories about former convicts from the Internet. The new law would allow non-violent criminals with multiple convictions to have records of their offenses sealed by the courts after five years of clean conduct. Individuals and private businesses, including the media, would then be obliged to delete references to those arrests and convictions. Violation of the bill could be punished by fines of up to $1m. Currently, only first-time offenders can have their criminal records expunged. The bill is expected to be passed later this year.

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Bahrain suspends al-Jazeera

Intern — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:29:43 +0000

Al-Jazeera was suspended from operating in Bahrain on 19 May. The government said the news channel was “flouting the laws regulating the press and publishing” in the country and did not comply with “professional norms.” The bureau’s suspension includes both the Arabic and English stations and Bahrain-based online content; and an Al-Jazeera film crew have been denied entry into the country. Some reports claim a report Al-Jazeera aired on poverty in Bahrain may have been the catalyst for the ban.

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Iraq: Kurdish journalist kidnapped and killed‎

Intern — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:13:11 +0000

Freelance journalist Sardasht Osman was found dead yesterday in the semiautonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Osman, who was abducted on 5 May, had been tortured and shot twice. His family believe he was targeted because of a critical article he wrote about a high-ranking Klocal official. Osman’s brother, Bashdar told CPJ “In the last few months my brother received a number of phone threats, demanding that he stop meddling in government affairs”. Earlier this week, Reporters Sans Frontières accused the two parties that control the region — the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan — of creating a “tacit strategic accord” to restrict press freedom.

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West Bank: Journalists detained

Index on Censorship — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:52:18 +0000

Twoal-Jazeera reporters were prevented from covering a demonstration in the West Bank on Friday by the Israeli military. They were detained for four and a half hours before being released and told to never return. Cameraman Majdi Bannoura and assistant Nader Abu Zer were arrested trying to videotape the weekly protests on the separation barrier being erected in Bil’in by Israel.

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Editor-in-chief abducted from Baghdad home

Intern — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:09:36 +0000

The editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper al-Shahid, Saad al-Aossi, was abducted on 14 April. Armed men invaded his home, confiscated his computer and took him to an unknown location. There have been local reports that the men were from the police and the military, though Baghdad Operations Command issued a statement denying any involvement in his disappearance. His kidnapping came six days after he wrote an article condemning Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a lack of transparency.

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Fiji to increase media censorship

Intern — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:52:54 +0000

A draft decree by the Fiji’s military-backed regime calls for tighter control of the media and increased press censorship. The proposals, announced on Wednesday, would require daily monitoring of all news stories, as well as new restrictions on cross-media ownership. This would directly affect Fiji Times, one of the nation’s oldest and largest newspapers which is owned by the Australian company News Limited. Breaches of content regulation could result in media organisations, publishers and journalists being fined and imprisoned for up to five years.

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Thailand initiates media blackout

Intern — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:09:35 +0000

Following Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s declaration of a state of emergency yesterday the government has begun targeting news sources aimed at anti-government protesters, the so-called red shirts. The “red shirt” financed a television station, PTV was closed down today. government has also begun blocking internet content, which according to RSF has amounted to the closure of at least 36 websites and blogs to date. Chiranuch Premchaipoen, editor of the independent news website Prachatai.com, was arrested on 31 March on lèse majesté charges.

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