12 Feb 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Prime minister Silvio Belusconi’s party has pushed through rules which will drastically circumscribe political content during the run-up to Italy’s regional elections. State broadcasters must now either accommodate over 30 political parties on their talk shows or be transferred away from their prime-time slots. Belusconi has previously attacked state television, claiming the programme Annozero was a ‘criminal use of public television’ when it interviewed the call-girl Belusconi had allegedly slept with. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) criticised Italy’s new rules as the latest ‘nail in the coffin of media freedom‘.
12 Feb 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Officials detained for 15 hours three human rights activists who were attempting to compile a list of missing persons. Aleksandr Cherkasov of the Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center said neither the reason for their detention nor their release were explained. Civil liberties groups including Human Rights Watch have called for an investigation into the detentions.
12 Feb 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo’s‘s appeal against a 11-year prison sentence rejected by a court in Beijing. Liu was convicted six weeks ago on charges of subversion, to widespread international condemnation. Roseann Rife, the deputy director for Asia and the Pacific at Amnesty International said, “His harsh sentence is a stark reminder to the Chinese people and the world that there is still no freedom of expression or independent judiciary in China.” Read Liu’s final statement to the court.
The denial of Liu’s appeal is another signal that China’s leaders are unwilling to tolerate greater pluralism.
Yesterday, a 20-year-old factory worker who joined a banned political party because he was unhappy with one-party rule was sentenced to jail for 18 months. A court in Shenzhen found Xue Mingkai guilty of subversion of state power because he joined the US-based China Democracy party last April.
12 Feb 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
An award winning Uzbek photographer sentenced to jail after a court ruled she had insulted the nation, has been released thanks to an amnesty. Umida Akhmedova said that she had done nothing wrong and will therefore appeal on the verdict. Akhmedova could have faced six months in jail or two years in a labour camp.
