A financial blogger, Park Dae-sung, known online as Minerva, accused of spreading false information on the internet has walked free from court in South Korea. The “innocent” verdict is being seen as a victory for freedom of speech. Read more here
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused Israel of being the ‘most cruel and racist regime’, sparking a walkout by angry Western diplomats at the UN Durban II conference on racism.
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Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written to Tehran’s prosecutor calling for ‘fair investigations’ in the cases of journalist Roxana Saberi and blogger Hossein Derakhshan.
Derakhshan, also known as ‘Hoder’, is shortlisted for the Economist New Media Award at the 2009 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards.
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Sri Lankan newspaper the Sunday Leader has been nominated for the Guardian Journalism award at the 2009 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards. The awards will be presented on 21 April in London.
In advance of the awards ceremony,
Sunday Leader editor Lal Wickrematunge was interviewed on 19 April by the BBC World Service’s The World Today. He spoke movingly about the assassination of his brother Lasantha and the future of Sri Lanka.
You can listen to the interview here