Supporters of Tunisia’s president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, are bending principle and beating journalists as the great leader seeks election for a fifth term on 25 October.
Tunisian president batters his way to a sure-fire win
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CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
US-Iranian scholar gets 12 years over election protests
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...
Freed reporter Maziar Bahari arrives in London
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...
Maziar Bahari released on bail
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...
Iran: former editor freed from prison
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...
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...