News and Features

Zimbabwe: two journalists detained during cabinet meeting

by Index on Censorship | 23 Oct 2009

On 20 October, two Al-Jazeera journalists were assaulted and briefly detained in Zimbabwe while covering a cabinet meeting which Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s had boycotted.

Cameraman Austin Gundani and his reporter colleague Haru Mutasa were physically assaulted and detained at a small police post located at Munhumutapa Building and before being transferred to Harare Central Police Station. They were released three hours later.

In past years Zimbabwe has imposed harsh media laws that saw local newspapers shut down and journalists and editors jailed. The new government has promised to relax the laws and invite the international media back in. (RSF)

Bolivia: newspaper office attacked by demonstrators

by Index on Censorship | 23 Oct 2009

On 19 October, more than a hundred cooperative miners attacked the headquarters of La Razón, a newspaper based in the Bolivian administrative capital La Paz.

The attack took place during a protest march over the ownership of a site in the Murillo province of the La Paz department. According to local media, the demonstrators exploded dynamite cartridges outside the offices of the newspaper. Nobody was injured in the attack.

“Next time it could be worse, so a clear message must be sent that violence against the media will not be tolerated”, said Alison Bethel McKenzie, Deputy Director of the International Press Institute (IPI), in a statement condemning the attacks. (La Razón)

The BBC and the BNP: An uncomfortable public service

by John Kampfner | 23 Oct 2009

John Kampfner: British National Party leader Nick Griffin received the oxygen of publicity he craved by winning his spot on Question Time, Britain’s premier TV debate show, but at the end of a nation’s ordeal, democracy emerged intact.

India: Cartooning breaks out of the frame

by Index on Censorship | 22 Oct 2009

Sarnath Banerjee: Cartooning in India is starting to move beyond traditional contraints. The big problem, apart from self-censorship, is that the form itself hasn’t been reinvented in over a century.

US-Iranian scholar gets 12 years over election protests

by Index on Censorship | 21 Oct 2009

Kian Tajbakhsh, an American-Iranian academic, was sentenced to at least 12 years in prison on 20 October for his alleged role in anti-government protests following President Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election. He was arrested on 9 July, and was the...

Huhne: Why I will face Nick Griffin on the BBC

by Index on Censorship | 20 Oct 2009

The BNP leader’s appearance on Question Time is not a “no platform” issue, says Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne. It is time to confront the BNP by championing moderation and tolerance

Freed reporter Maziar Bahari arrives in London

by Index on Censorship | 20 Oct 2009

Canadian-Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was released from prison in Iran on Saturday after he was jailed in the aftermath of the country's disputed elections, has returned to London. Index on Censorship, along with Committee to Protect...

Spy book in Supreme Court

by Index on Censorship | 20 Oct 2009

A former British spy is in court today in an attempt to stop a ban on a book he has written. The UK government say the revalations in the book could harm national security. Read more here Read Tamsin Allen's article on the case for Index on...

The ultimate assault on free speech

by Index on Censorship | 19 Oct 2009

Law firm Carter-Ruck’s super-injunction to attempt to stop the reporting of a question on the Trafigura affair in Parliament has galvanised MPs and other bodies to take up the fight for freedom of expression. John Kampfner reports

Maziar Bahari released on bail

by Index on Censorship | 17 Oct 2009

Newsweek magazine has confirmed that Canadian-Iranian reporter Maziar Bahari, Iran correspondent for the magazine, has been released on bail by Iranian authorities. Index on Censorship, Newsweek, Committee to Protect Journalists and Canadian...

CATEGORY: News and features