Journalist Saeed Hajjarian was freed from Evin prison in Tehran on 30 September after paying bail. Hajjarian was arrested at his home on the night of 15 June. Hajjarian is the former editor of the now-closed Sobh-e-Emrouz newspaper, which backed...
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Morocco: crackdown on royal cartoon
The Moroccan government is suing daily newspaper Akhbar Al Youm after it published a cartoon of Prince Moulay Ismail. The government said the cartoon showed "blatant disrespect" to the royal family. Read more here
Bahrain: government orders over 1,000 websites blocked
On 23 September, the government has announced plans to block 1040 websites, referring to a resolution which states that all telecommunications companies and internet service providers "shall block pornographic websites". Many of the websites to be...
Brown caught out on Iraq “lessons learned”
On a visit to Iraq, Gordon Brown said he asked the cabinet secretary to make two major changes in the way intelligence is used. But when Chris Ames investigated the story, he discovered that Brown had done no such thing.
Iraq play wins Amnesty award
A play which looks at the war in Iraq from three different viewpoints has won the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award. Palace of the End by Judith Thompson was described by the human rights organisation as "a truly formidable piece of...
Protests over Facebook immigrant game
Following user protests, Facebook has decided to shut down gaming application "Bounce The Illegal Immigrant Back". The game was posted by Renzo Bossi, the son of Umberto Bossi, party leader of the Northern League and part of Berlusconi's fourth...
Israel says Swedish paper is libellous
Israelis have reacted furiously to an allegation in a Swedish newspaper that its soldiers have killed Palestinians in order to harvest their organs. Aftonbladet, Sweden's largest-circulation daily newspaper, carried the headline: "Our sons are...
Journalists banned from Gaza hospitals and Rafah
The Hamas interior ministry has denied Palestinian and foreign journalists access to the southern city of Rafah and to all hospitals in the Gaza Strip until further notice. The ban was issued after fighting broke out in Rafah between the Hamas...
Iran: reformist newspaper shut down
The authorities have shut down the newspaper of the reformist cleric Mehdi Karroubi, left, who angered Iran’s senior leaders by publicising claims that protesters arrested after the disputed June elections were raped in prison. The newspaper,...
Iran bails French teaching assistant
Iran has freed on bail a 24-year-old French university lecturer who was charged with spying after last month's presidential election. A statement from the French presidency said Clotilde Reiss was in good health and would stay at the French embassy...