23 Jul 2010 | Index Index, minipost
On 20 July, an employment tribunal awarded a Stockport fire fighter £80,000 after ruling that his dismissal violated his right to freedom of expression. Christopher Bennett, who suffers arthritis, was dismissed for gross misconduct in 2008 after circulating an email to colleagues asking if they found new office chairs uncomfortable. In 2006, Greater Manchester Fire Service replaced beds used by night shift workers with £400 recliner chairs. Bennett claimed the new chairs worsened his condition. The tribunal held that the dismissal violated Bennett’s right to freedom of expression under the Human Rights Act.
23 Jul 2010 | Index Index, minipost
Burundi journalist Jean Claude Kavumbagu was arrested and charged with treason on 17 July. Kavumbagu, the editor of online news service Net Press, published an article that accused Burundi’s security forces of stealing and looting. It also suggested that they would be unable to prevent a terrorist attack on their country. It remains unclear why he was charged with the war-time offence of treason and not under the Burundi’s press law. On Saturday night, 15 radio stations in the capital Bujumbura broadcast simultaneous messages calling for Kavumbagu’s release. The punishment for treason in Burundi is life imprisonment.
22 Jul 2010 | Index Index, minipost
Hugo Chavez’s government has taken control of a 45.8 per cent share of its biggest critic, Globovison. President Chavez has been involved in various actions against the independent press in the past. Since the acquiring the shares Chavez has declared that the Venezuelan government is in a position to nominate a member of the board of directors. The President of Globovision, Guillermo Zuloaga, currently faces arrest in Venezuela and resides in Miami. In response to the news he declared that Globovision will stay critical of the Chavez regime.
22 Jul 2010 | News and features, United Kingdom
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
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