15 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Rwanda’s Media High Council(MHC) has suspended two independent newspapers just months before a presidential election. The press body has suspended publication of Umuseso and Umuvugizi for six months on charges of inciting the police and creating fear among the public. The Kinyarwanda-based weekly tabloid violated article 83 of Rwanda’s media law, according to chairman of the MHC Arthur Asiimwe. Human Rights Watch claimed earlier this year that opposition activists are facing increasing threats as the next presidential election approaches in August.
15 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
A Zimbabwean government minister is suing a newspaper for defamation after it published accusations of corruption. The state-owned Chronicle newspaper will face Byl Manyange in the High Court next month, after reporting remarks allegedly made by mining minister Obert Mpofu, which suggested Manyange procured services for undeserving individuals. Mpofu now denies making the comments at a police function in Ntabazinduna last year.
15 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
The Maltese Front Against Censorship said that it believes that a penis-like sculpture at Luqa should not be removed before the Pope visits the capital of Malta, Valetta, this weekend. The Mayor of Luqa, John Schembri, said yesterday that the sculpture, on the Pope’s route to Valetta, should be taken down “as a sign of respect”. Colonna Mediterranea (Mediteranean Column) is the work of ceramic artist and sculptor Paul Vella Critien and was installed on a roundabout at the entrance to the village of Luqa in January 2006.
15 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Acting Moldavian president, Mihai Ghimpu, has condemned the arrest of a journalist in the breakaway republic of Transnistria. On April 7, Ernest Vardanean, a reporter for the Transnistrian Now Region 2 news agency, was arrested and charged with treason. He is accused of being a spy for Moldova, and could face 20 years in prison if found guilty.
