26 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
The former editor of the Cameroon Express Germain Ngota, died in a Yaoundé prison last Thursday. Henriette Ekwee, a local union official, said Ngota suffered from high blood pressure and had not received adequate medical attention while in jail. He had been incarcerated since February with two other journalists accused “jointly forging a document with the signature of the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, Laurent Esso, with the aim of discrediting him”. Before his arrest, Ngota was investigating corruption allegations involving the state-run oil company and a presidential aide. Local sources claim officials used psychological and physical torture to force Ngota to expose his sources.
26 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Tibetan monks were amongst the first to reach remote areas such as Yu Shu after the Qinghai earthquake. Their role in the massive relief effort has gone unrecognised by Chinese media and now they have been told to leave the area by the Chinese authorities. A statement issued by the Chinese State Council recommends the monks “return to their monasteries to ensure the high effectiveness and order of quake relief work.” The Dalai Lama, denied access to visit the disaster area has posted a message of mourning on his Facebook page.
26 Apr 2010 | Uncategorized
I’ve written a short blog explaining the potential effects of the UK’s Digital Economy Act to American readers of Dissent magazine.
If you think this only affects Internet users in Britain, think again. As with so much illiberal legislation, once mandated in one country, it begins to creep abroad. As Ian Brown, of the Oxford Internet Institute writes in the latest edition of the Index on Censorship magazine: “The European Commission has been secretly negotiating a new anti-counterfeiting treaty with the US, Japan and other developed nations that would mandate a three strikes policy.”
Read the rest here
23 Apr 2010 | Uncategorized
The South Wales Evening Post today (Friday 23 April) carries a story about a sex assault on two young girls — aged three and five, in Penllergaer, Swansea.
An article headed “Pervert is guilty of sex attack on girls” (see pic below) details how former steelworker Robert Stevens admitted to the attack. The article is accompanied by a picture of Robert Stevens. Except, horrifically, it is not the same Robert Stevens as the one who appeared in court.
Two separate pages on the South Wales Evening Post website featured two different pictures of Robert William Stevens , an entirely innocent local man, rather than Robert Edward Stevens, the man who had pleaded guilty to the charges. It seems the pictures were taken directly from Facebook.
The print edition carried a picture of Robert William Stevens on the front page, with a picture of a different person on the story on page seven of the paper.
Stevens is thought to be seeking legal advice, and the newspaper has apparently committed to a front-page apology.
One of the criticisms of the Libel Reform Campaign is that it seeks to allow the media a carte blanche to say anything about anyone. This has never been the aim. In this case, not only has the South Wales Evening Post published seriously defamatory misinformation about Stevens, it has potentially endangered him. He is entitled to compensation.
