Moroccan newspaper Al-Michaal was banned on 13 November after editor in chief Driss Chahtan was sentenced to one year in prison and a 10,000 dirham fine as punishment for his articles about the health of King Mohamed VI. Two other journalists on...
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Hamas shuts down journalist conference
Hamas officials prevented journalists in Gaza from participating in a meeting on 10 November. The reporters were due to attend a meeting organised by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). However, the venue turned the journalists away...
Ben Ali re-elected in atmosphere of media repression
Tunisian President Zine al Abidine Ben Ali has won a fifth term in office, receiving 86% of the vote. The election outcome was expected. Tunisia’s most prominent opposition figures did not take part in the election, while one of Ali’s challengers...
Tunisian president batters his way to a sure-fire win
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.
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...