Posts Tagged ‘terrorism’

Charlie Hebdo attack: No more excuses

November 4th, 2011

The smoke had barely cleared from the firebombed office of Charlie Hebdo magazine – attacked for publishing cartoons of Mohammed – when TIME magazine’s Bruce Crumley chose to criticise the satirists before the terrorist. James Kirchick denounces a too-familiar tendancy
Charlie Hebdo office bombed
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Ethiopia: Zenawi calls jailed Swedish journalists terrorists

October 12th, 2011

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zanawi publicly accused two imprisoned Swedish journalists of being terrorists on Monday. In an interview with Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, Zenawi said Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, of Sweden-based photo agency Kontinent, were accomplices to terrorists. “They are, at the very least, messenger boys of a terrorist organisation. They are not journalists,” the prime minister said. Persson and Schibbye were arrested after they crossed with rebels of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) into Ogaden. Zanawi added: ”Why would a journalist be involved with a terrorist organisation and enter a country with that terrorist organisation, escorted by armed terrorists?”

Ethiopia:Two more journalists arrested

September 19th, 2011

Two independent journalists have been arrested by Ethiopian authorities for being involved in a terrorism plot. Security forces took journalist Sileshi Hagos from his home on 9 September. Hagos worked as the managing director for Change, a magazine that covered Ginbot 7, Ethiopia’s leading opposition party which has also been banned under allegations of terrorism.  On 14 September, officials also arrested Eskinder Nega, a dissident blogger and journalist. Local journalists speculate that Nega’s arrest was sparked by a column critical of the arrest of a famous Ethiopian actor on charges of terrorism. Four journalists were arrested on similar charges earlier this month.

Testing academic freedom

May 9th, 2011


Rizwaan Sabir

Three years later, the Nottingham University “terrorism” row rumbles on —- first reading was made a crime, now internal criticism. Jane Fae reports
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Yemen: Press freedom a distant hope

October 27th, 2010

A Yemeni journalist accused of advising an Al-Qaeda cleric alleges he was kidnapped and tortured by the state. Iona Craig reports
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Saudi Arabia in BlackBerry deal

August 9th, 2010

The Saudi Arabian government and RIM, the Canadian manufacturer of BlackBerry have compromised over plans to ban the BlackBerry messenger service. The deal reportedly allows for a server to be built in Saudi Arabia, overcoming the concerns of the government that data was sent abroad. Fears were originally raised by the United Arab Emirates, who plan to implement their own ban in October. Experts have raised concerns that this will allow the authorities access to private messages and content and could increase state censorship. The Saudi government claims that BlackBerrys are used by terrorists and a threat to national security.

Anti-terror stop and search powers to be scrapped

July 8th, 2010

Home Secretary Theresa May is to halt searches of individuals without reasonable suspicion after the European Court of Human Rights rules the power unlawful. Leah Borromeo reports

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Twitter bomb joker to appeal conviction

June 4th, 2010

Paul Chambers is to appeal against his conviction for sending a threatening message on the social media site Twitter. The trainee accountant, 26, the tweeted “Crap! Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!” On 10 May Chambers was convicted in Doncaster Crown Court, prosecutors successfully argued that the message had a “menacing character”. The defendant’s appeal is being coordinated by solicitor Allen Green — better known as the blogger Jack of Kent.