12 Aug 2009 | Index Index, minipost
Ai Weiwei, a high-profile Chinese government critic has said he and 11 others were detained by police in a hotel today to prevent them from attending the trial of an activist Tan Zuoren who investigated the deaths of thousands of schoolchildren in last year’s earthquake, where they were due to give defence evidence. He said he had been confined to his room by the police and that he did not know when he would be released. Weiwei, who was a consultant for the Beijing Olympics Bird’s Nest stadium, said police in the southwestern city of Chengdu also assaulted him and another supporter who tried to attend. Read more here
12 Aug 2009 | Index Index, minipost
A well-known journalist in Daghestan has been found shot dead today, in the North Caucasus region Russian news agencies have reported. Malik Akhmedilov, a leading correspondent for the daily newspaper “Hakikat” (The Truth) was found dead in a car on the outskirts of Daghestan’s capital, Makhachkala. “Hakikat” Editor in Chief Ali Kamalov said he is confident that the killing is connected with his professional activities. Read more here
11 Aug 2009 | Comment, News and features
Aung San Suu Kyi could be the Burmese regime’s greatest ally. The sentence today signals a missed opportunity as well as a travesty of justice, says Maung Zarni (more…)
11 Aug 2009 | Index Index, minipost
The Ethiopian government has tried to force private Kenyan broadcaster Nation Television (NTV) to drop a four-part exclusive report on separatist rebels in southern Ethiopia. NTV aired the first two parts of the programme which led Ethiopia’s ambassador to Kenya to accuse the Nation Media Group of giving a platform to a terrorist organization. Read more here
