13 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
The mayor of Murmansk a city in north-west Russia, has been accused of censorship by the editor of Vecherni Murmansk newspaper. Nataliya Chervyakova’s claims relate to an article that accused local officials of failing to re-calculate citizens’ payments for heating in 2009 – in defiance of a government order. Chervyakova says that she was summoned to the office of Mayor Sergey Subbotin a few days before the article was due to be published on April 6, and told not to publish the story. When she refused to pull the piece , Subbotin allegedly threatened both her and her family.
12 Apr 2010 | News
In a speech to Amnesty International’s national conference John Kampfner talks self-censorship, Nick Griffin and why free speech means fighting for the rights of people whose views you find obnoxious
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12 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Chinese human rights activist Hu Jia, has been denied medical parole by Chinese officials. His wife, Zeng Jinyan appealed for his release to Beijing authorities last week citing concerns for his husband’s health, he may have liver cancer. According to Zeng’s blog, the authorities telephoned Hu’s mother this morning rejecting the plea. The caller claimed Hu, who was believed to be in hospital, has since been moved back to prison, and that his liver problem was the result of a “blood tumour”—not meeting the conditions of medical parole. Despite authorities have also refused Zeng’s request for a written report of Hu’s health. Hu Jia, winner of the Sakharov Prize, has been imprisoned since 2008 for testifying via video link to the European Parliament about China’s human rights record, and his sentence is due to end June 2011.
12 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost
Enrique Villicana Palomares, a teacher and a columnist for the daily newspaper “La Voz de Michoacán“, was found dead on 10 April in Morelia, in the southern state of Michoacán, five days after he was kidnapped. The Michoacán state justice department was being notified two weeks ago that threats had been made against him. His death came in the same week that another Michoacán journalist, Ramón Ángeles Zalpa of the newspaper “Cambio” was reported missing.
