Nordic Telecom giant TeliaSonera forced to act after evidence that its data has been abused to target, harass and jail activists in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Belarus
Telco caught colluding with dictators
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CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
Television presenter tells President Medvedev he often faces censorship
One of Russia's best known television news presenters Alexey Pivovarov revealed the extent of state media censorship during President Dmitry Medvedv's final interview before he hands power to Vladimir Putin. During the wide-ranging interview with...
Montenegro: Journalist jailed for libel
A Montenegro court has jailed a journalist for four months for libel. Journalist Petar Komnenic was convicted in February 2011 over a 2007 report in Montenegrin weekly news magazine Monitor, which alleged that the state had illegally placed several...
Colombia: French journalist suspected kidnapped
Update 02 May 2012: Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) confirmed in a statement today that they are holding French journalist Roméo Langlois prisoner. A French television journalist injured during a clash between Colombian Army troops and...
UK: The Pirate Bay must be blocked by ISPs, court rules
The UK High Court has ruled that file-sharing website The Pirate Bay must be blocked by internet service providers. The Swedish site, which provides links to download free music and video, which critics claim are are mostly pirated, will be blocked...
Azerbaijan: Journalist Zaur Guliyev claims he was tortured in prison
An Azerbaijani journalist held in pre-trial detention since March claims he has been tortured. Zaur Guliyev, editor-in-chief of Xayal TV, was arrested after unrest in the Quba region. In a statement, Guliyev said he was subjected to physical and...
Siberia: Lawmakers pass anti-gay propaganda bill
Legislation banning promotion of "gay propaganda" has passed its first reading in Siberia. The bill, which prohibits the promotion of homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender practices among minors. The bill will also be debated in a final...
Putin critic Shevchuk concerts cancelled in Siberia
DDT, one of Russia's biggest rock bands, have had several concerts in Siberian cites cancelled according to frontman Yuri Shevchuk. He has said that local authorities forbade concerts in Omsk, Yugra, Kemerovo and Tumen. Shevchuk is a noted critic...
Azerbaijan: Journalists under attack
Last week Azerbaijani journalist and Index award-winner Idrak Abbasov was brutally assaulted. As the international media apply for Azerbaijani visas to cover the Eurovision Song Contest, local journalists continue to face intimidation. Celia Davies reports
Azerbaijan: Index calls on President to investigate brutal attack on journalist
ADVOCACY LETTER Dear President Aliyev, Re: The brutal attack on Idrak Abbasov and assault of four other journalists on 18 April 2012 The Azerbaijani authorities must launch an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the brutal...