Protection racket
The Iraqi draft media law sparks fears of return to dark days of censorship and repression, say David Dadge and Anthony Mills from the International Press Institute (more…)
Ethiopian singer freed
Ethiopia’s popular singer, Teddy Afro, was freed from prison last Thursday after serving 18 months of a two-year sentence because of good behaviour. Teddy, whose real name is Tewodros Kassahun, was found guilty of the killing of a homeless man in a hit-and-run incident in 2007 but denied driving the car. Opposition parties and supporters say Teddy had been jailed for his criticism to the government in some of his songs and hundreds protested outside the court during his trial. Read more here
Saudi Arabia censors Twitter
Saudi Arabia has begun blocking the Twitter pages of activists in the country. Human rights lawyer Waleed Abulkhair and businessman Khaled al Nasser said their Twitter pages have been blocked since about Monday by the official government Internet censor. This is apparently the first move against known Twitter users inside the kingdom. The men involved claim this is because the government has been made aware of the sites power after its role in the Iran elections. Read more here
Top Sri Lanka academic threatened
One of Sri Lanka’s most eminent academics has received an anonymous death threat, officials say. The threat in a letter was sent to the home of Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA). He is the latest in a long line of prominent people, mostly journalists, who have received death threats. Read more here