19 Sep 2011 | Index Index, minipost
The Sudanese security authorities have instructed newspapers to avoid reporting the activities of rebel groups in the country. Local reports say the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) contacted chief editors of national newspapers and ordered them not to publish any statements by Darfur rebel leader Khalil Ibrahim or leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N), which is fighting the government in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.
19 Sep 2011 | Index Index, minipost
Press access to Venezuelan ministry representatives has been restricted. The Venezuelan Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC in Spanish) told the newspaper TalCual that they would no longer be able to speak to representatives following the publication of a report detailing problems with the Metro system in the capital, Caracas. The Press and Society Institute has criticised the Ministry’s decision, stating that it is against the Venezuelan constitution “which guarantees the right to access of public information in Article 28”. In 2010, TalCual was closed by the government following their publication of a satirical editorial describing an imaginary Venezuela without President Hugo Chávez.
19 Sep 2011 | Index Index, minipost
China‘s version of Pop Idol, Super Girl, has been suspended for one year by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). Despite attracting up to 400m viewers at its peak, reports suggest some officials saw the show as subversive, with audience voting allegedly mirroring Western-style democracy. However, the order from SARFT to the show’s broadcaster, Hunan TV, reportedly stated that the programme had often exceeded its allotted time slot.
19 Sep 2011 | Index Index, minipost, News
Two independent journalists have been arrested by Ethiopian authorities for being involved in a terrorism plot. Security forces took journalist Sileshi Hagos from his home on 9 September. Hagos worked as the managing director for Change, a magazine that covered Ginbot 7, Ethiopia’s leading opposition party which has also been banned under allegations of terrorism. On 14 September, officials also arrested Eskinder Nega, a dissident blogger and journalist. Local journalists speculate that Nega’s arrest was sparked by a column critical of the arrest of a famous Ethiopian actor on charges of terrorism. Four journalists were arrested on similar charges earlier this month.
