Doctor and blogger Mehdi Khazali has been arrested in Tehran, charged with “acting against national security and disturbing public opinion”. His website is openly critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and he has controversially claimed that...
It's not going well for maverick, boundary-pushing journalists this month. In Morocco edgy magazine Nichane closed its doors, with the publisher claiming it was the victim of an advertising boycott ordered by the royal palace. In Syria, a young...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Ibrahim Eissa, the iconic editor-in-chief of Egypt’s al Dostour daily newspaper, practically telegraphed his own professional demise. In a column last week, discussing the recent shutdown of a satellite news programme, Eissa made ominous...
A teenage blogger who has been detained for nine months has been accused of spying for the American Embassy in Egypt. Tal al Mallohi, who is currently being held in Duma women's prison near Damascus, was arrested by Syrian Intelligence Services in...
A newspaper editor known for his satirical columns attacking the government has been fired. Ibrahim Eissa, editor-in-chief of the daily al Dustur, said he had not been told why he was dismissed, but believed it was in connection with an article...
A letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary, from Index on Censorship, PEN Canada, Article 19, Committee to Protect Journalists, and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression