A Congolese journalist who was arrested on 7 October has been charged with defamation. Kasereka Taipa, who works for local radio station Moto Oicha, and also reports for radio Victoire Horizon, had accused the national intelligence agency (ANR) of...

Zimbabwe: Journalist faces charges over protest coverage
A newspaper journalist who photographed a Roman Catholic protest is facing charges of "practising journalism without accreditation". Flata Kavinga was arrested at the demonstration on 10 October and detained for over 24 hours. His camera was...
Uzbekistan: Russian journalist convicted, pardoned
The editor of the vesti.uz website, Russian Vladimir Berezovskiy, has been found guilty of slander and insult and pardoned without sentencing by Tashkent's Yakkasaray district court. Berezovskiy believes the case against him was cooked up and the...
China: The art of censorship
As Communist Party elders call for free speech in China, Wen Yunchao reveals how the government’s strict control of online content is supported by a finely tuned infrastructure of laws and censors
Israel: West Bank protester sentenced to prison
Palestinian activist Abdullah Abu Rahma has been sentenced to a year in prison for incitement by an Israeli military court. He is a leading organiser of the weekly protests against the separation barrier that Israel has built in the West Bank...
Australia: PM backs new internet filter
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has renewed her support for a controversial new web filter, saying the measure was driven by a "moral question". The proposed filter will block access to material such as rape, drug use, bestiality and child...
Sarkozy calls for web censorship
In a recent visit to the Pope, President of France Nicolas Sarkozy remarked that greater regulation of the internet was needed. President Sarkozy stated that "regulating the internet to correct the excesses and abuses that arise from the total...
Iran: Two journalists arrested, another expelled
Two men, a reporter and a photographer said to be from Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper, have been arrested by Iranian officials. They were detained whilst interviewing the son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani in the city of Tabriz. Mrs Ashtiani’s...
Libya: threat to .ly domains
State-owned Libya Telecom and Technology has forced the shutdown of vb.ly, a “link shortening” website run from San Francisco. It claimed that the content of the site was“against Sharia law". Domain names with the suffix “.ly”, which are owned by...
New Zealand: TV presenter resigns over race row
A breakfast show anchor for Television New Zealand has resigned after being accused of racist behaviour. Paul Henry was shown laughing at the mispronunciation of the name of the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, which should sound more like...
Turkey: Journalist faces 9 charges, 79 years in prison
Turkish journalist Ismail Saymez could be jailed for 79 years if convicted of charges related to newspaper articles he has written. He has been charged with "violating the secrecy of an investigation" for his reporting on the Ergenekon trials. He...
Lebanon: Festival urged not to show Iranian protest film
State censors in Lebanon have asked Beirut International Film Festival not to show an Iranian opposition film during a visit from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Originally scheduled for screening on 13 October, the day of Ahmadinejad's arrival, the...