Lawyer and human rights activist Muhannad al-Hassani was sentenced to three years in prison by the Damascus Criminal Court on Wednesday 23 June. Having publicly called for the immediate release of political prisoners and condemned their unfair...
CATEGORY: minipost
Pakistan: court orders Google ban
The Lahore High Court has ordered that several websites, including Google, Yahoo, Amazon and YouTube should be blocked by the government. The move came after the court found that the sites carried and promoted "blasphemous" material . Earlier this...
Libel lawyer to sue Press Complaints Commission
Solicitor Mark Lewis has issued a libel writ against the Press Complaints Commission. Lewis, a highly-regarded defamation lawyer, claims the PCC libelled him, after evidence he gave to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee concerning the...
Philippines: Three journalists killed in a week
Three Filipino journalists have been murdered in separate incidents over the last seven days. Sun FM broadcaster Desidario Carmangyan was shot on Monday 15 June, when on stage hosting a talent contest in the southern island town of Manay, Joselito...
Nepal: Mohammed textbook banned
The Nepalese government has banned a social studies textbook after complaints from Muslim groups. The book has been criticised for including factual inaccuracies and an "erroneous interpretation" of Islam: one particular illustration is alleged...
Michael Jackson libel case costs Channel 4 £1.7m
Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard, Matthew Fiddes, discontinued his libel case against Channel 4 yesterday (21 June). Fiddes, had been arguing that Cutting Edge documentary The Jackson’s Are Coming, which followed Tito and Katherine Jackson moving...
Iceland: Parliament approves safe haven for whistle-blowers
On Thursday 17 June, The Icelandic Parliament unanimously voted in favour of legislation providing extensive protection for investigative journalism. The proposal, initiated by the Iceland Modern Media Initiative, safeguards whistle blower web...
Bangladesh: Mahmudur Rahman torture claim
Lawyers for Bangladeshi editor Mahmadur Rahman claim he has been tortured in police custody
Apple comes under fire for gay kiss censorship
Apple have issued a red-faced apology after censoring a drawing on the iPad. Belgian artist Tom Bouden's graphic novelisation of The Importance of Being Earnest is the latest application to undergo censorship, as Apple continues its campaign to...
Egypt: Protestors arrested following clashes
On 13 June, Cairo security forces arrested 32 demonstrators, angry at alleged police involvement in the death of activist Khaled Mohammed Said. Clashes broke out outside the Egyptian Interior Ministry, where around 200 protestors gathered to argue...