Posts Tagged ‘police’
November 10th, 2010
Sri Lankan newspapers have refused to participate in a police campaign to
track down people who have starred in pornographic films. The crackdown is part of a broader crusade against “moral crimes”, including “
indecent” advertising on film billboards. The police want newspapers to run mugshots of
over 80 people but all the national daily newspapers bar one have
refused to print the photographs. Those actors caught face six months in prison and a 90 dollar fine.
September 22nd, 2010
Kampala metropolitan police chief Andrew Sorowen announced on 20 September that public gatherings involving more than five people
must be cleared by the Inspector General of Police (IGP). He added that the measure also applied to wedding receptions and funerals, citing the threat of terrorism as justification. Police deputy spokesperson Vincent Sekatte later
said that official clearance was not required for private assemblies, but advised citizens wishing to hold such events to inform the IGP first. The new guidelines come amidst
outrage at the government’s proposed Public Order Management Bill, which would require organisers of rallies and demonstrations to obtain approval from the police.
September 6th, 2010
A witness in the case of
missing journalist Vasyl Klymentyev has also gone missing. According to deputy editor Petro Matvienko,
the key witness disappeared last week. He refused to reveal the person’s name for fear of jeopardising the investigation, but said he had verified the information with law enforcement agencies. The
police department in Kharkiv claimed no knowledge of the witness’s disappearance. In a further development, Klymentyev’s lawyer was
locked in his appartment by police. Officers forced their way into Vyacheslav Ismaylov’s home on 2 September, and barricaded him inside, saying they were investigating a case involving him. The newspaper lawyer fears that police could plant something in the appartment that would be compromising to him.
September 3rd, 2010
Armed police raided the offices of opposition magazine the New Times on 2 September. The magazine’s editor Yevgenia Albats was repeatedly asked to hand over interview recordings that were used in a report on alleged abuses of power by OMON riot police.
The report, which cited police sources making accusations about their superiors, prompted the force to launch a libel case in February. Albats gave police an interview transcript, but
withheld any information concerning the identities of sources. OMON police are frequently deployed to break up demonstrations, and were involved in
detaining 100 protesters at Strategy 31′s rally in Moscow on 31 August.Concerns for press freedom have also been raised in Belarus this week, when the country’s oldest independent newspaper said that it
faces closure due to interference from the government. The editor of Babruiski Kurier, Anatol Sanatsenka, said that the publication is in a difficult financial situation after authorities banned any advertising in the newspaper. He added that local officials told him that Babruiski Kurier “does not write about the right things”.
August 10th, 2010
The Belarusian government has continued with its crackdown on opposition groups by arresting
Mikhas Bashura on charges of forgery. Bashura, who denies the charges, is an outspoken member of the
Tell the Truth campaign. In May 2010 three of his campaign colleagues were arrested. Two months later his car was searched and campaign documents containing the signatures of 20,000 people
were seized. The arrest is the latest in a
series of actions against
opposition campaigners.
July 27th, 2010
A journalist
narrowly escaped death in an incident in Veracruz, Mexico. Edgar López took photographs of a local mayor admonishing a police officer arrested for being drunk on duty. The mayor was angered by the presence of journalists and seized a camera from Enrique García. Later, when López left the station he was followed and stopped by eight officers. He was beaten and one of the officers fired a shot, which missed. The officers then fled the scene.
July 22nd, 2010
The Crown Prosecution Service has said there is no charge to answer in the case of a newspaper vendor who died during G20 protests in London. Leah Borromeo disagrees
(more…)
June 29th, 2010
A cameraman has been
attacked and beaten by police in Pakistan, after filming violent clashes during a protest in Lahore. According to colleagues Farrukh Asif, who works for the Urdu language station
Express News, was approached by police officers as he filmed three protestors being beaten. After refusing to hand over his camera or destroy footage of the incident, Asif himself was attacked. He was taken to a nearby police station and detained, suffering further violence while in custody. After being released, Asif was taken to hospital with injuries to his arms, back, and head, as well as a fractured collarbone.
