Written by : Alice Purkiss
Malaysia: Bookstore manager charged over banned Islam book
The manager of a Malaysian bookshop has been charged for selling a banned book. Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz who manages a chain of bookshops in Kuala Lumpur has been accused of distributing “Liberty and Love” by controversial Muslim author and activist Irshad Manji. The book by Manji, was banned in Malaysia last month after it was deemed offensive […]USA: Book featuring lesbian mothers pulled from shelves in Utah
A book depicting a family with two lesbian mothers has been pulled from the shelves in an American school district. “In Our Mothers’ House” by Patricia Polacco, which aims to foster inclusion for those with same sex parents, has been removed from the regular collection of books available in elementary schools throughout the Davis County School […]UN expert slams censorship by Israel, Palestinians
A UN human rights expert has slammed the government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza for unduly limiting free speech. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, special rapporteur on free expression Frank La Rue said that intimidation, censorship and restrictive laws were having a chilling effect […]Bangladesh: Journalist murdered
A journalist has been hacked to death in Bangladesh after reporting on a local drug syndicate. Jamal Uddin from Banglore daily Gramer Kagoj was allegedly kidnapped by syndicate leader Tota Miah and ten other men at 11pm on 15 June. The attackers gauged out one of the journalist’s eyes, slashed veins on his legs and hacked at […]Nine-year-old school dinner blogger gagged
UPDATE 1.35pm : Argyll & Bute Council have lifted the ban on Martha Payne’s school dinner photography. Photographs included in the blog of a primary school student’s school dinners have been banned by her local council. Martha Payne, from Argyll in Scotland, started her blog Never Seconds, “one primary school pupil’s daily dose of school […]Azerbaijan: Correspondent for Iranian media sentenced to two years in prison
A journalist and government critic has been sentenced to two years in prison in Azerbaijan. Anar Bayramli, a correspondent for two Iranian media outlets, was sentenced for a drug possession charge following a controversial court case which was said to include contradictory evidence. Bayramli was arrested in February and charged with possession of four grams of heroin. […]Mexico: Reporter goes missing with her son, aged two
A Mexican reporter has gone missing from her home in the state of Coahuila, along with her two-year-old son. Hypathia Stephanía Rodríguez Cardoso, crime reporter for Zócalo Saltillo newspaper, disappeared on Friday (8 June) after attending an event celebrating Freedom of Expression day. The journalist contacted colleagues around 2 AM Friday to tell them she had returned […]China: Editor dismissed for online comments
The editor of a Chinese newspaper has been dismissed after posting comments online deemed critical of the government. Yu Chen, editor of the investigative news desk at Southern Metropolitan Newspaper, was initially suspended and later forced to resign after he accidentally used the newspapers Sina Weibo account to respond a question on whether China’s Ministry of National […]Maldives: Journalist stabbed
A prominent journalist in the Maldives is in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed in the neck. Ismail “Hilath” Rasheed had his throat slit by an attacker on Monday evening, with the knife missing a vital artery by millimetres. In November, the journalist’s blog was blocked by the communication authority in the Maldives, who claimed […] 
