Dawit Kebede, editor in chief of the Ethiopian newspaper Arwamba Times, has been released after almost two years in prison. Kebede has decided to remain in Ethiopia and has petitioned the federal government for a license in order for him to continue running his newspaper.
The Burmese government’s censorship board director, Tint Swe, has announced that the country’s censorship policy will be relaxed in accordance with its new constitution. Journal and magazine publishers will no longer need to submit their articles to the censors for approval before publication. However, news stories and articles about politics and business will still need prior approval.
Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and his Struggle with India, a book by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Joseph Lelyveld, has been banned in the Indian state of Gujrat. The book is seen as being controversial as some passages can be interpreted as hinting that Gandhi had a homosexual relationship. The Indian Law Minister, Veerappa Moily, has also recently indicated that the government might introduce a country-wide ban on the book.
Outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has joined the ranks of other dissidents who have irked the government. He has simply gone missing.
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