Goodbye Havel

December 19th, 2011

As the Czech Republic and the wider world bids Václav Havel goodbye,
Pavel Theiner, whose father George worked tirelessly to shine a light on the work of Czech dissidents throughout his editorship at Index on Censorship, looks back on a remarkable man
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Afghanistan: BBC stringer killed by US soldier, NATO reveals

September 12th, 2011

A BBC stringer who was killed in Afghanistan in July was shot by a US soldier who mistook him for a suicide bomber during a battle against insurgents, NATO has said. Releasing the findings of its investigation into the death of Ahmed Omed Khpulwak, the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force issued a statement expressing its condolences for the killing, but said its forces had complied with the laws of armed conflict and acted reasonably. According to the statement, US forces shot Khpalwak in order to “detonate a suicide vest IED”, after mistaking him for an insurgent.