The Iranian authorities have launched a new webmail service intended to be a substitute for public employees currently using Gmail, Yahoo mail or Hotmail accounts. The new Iran.ir webmail service is easier to control than the foreign services...
Three of the Muslim Brotherhood’s senior leaders, including Mahmoud Ezzat, the Brotherhood's deputy leader, were detained alongside at least 11 other members for engaging in banned political activity. Although the Muslim Brotherhood is banned, its...
Padraig Reidy: a row over allegiances and whistleblowing has erupted at Amnesty
In the Fifth Dame Anne Ebsworth Memorial Lecture the Rt Hon The Lord Hoffmann examines the evidence. Are foreign litigants exploiting our libel system? The war in Iraq is these days much in the news. One of its most enthusiastic supporters of was...
Eric Barendt asks if a privacy statute would help the courts weigh freedom of speech and privacy
Police have referred to prosecutors the case of a father who campaigned over the 2008 melamine milk contamination. Zhao Lianhai, whose own child was made ill by the melamine contamination, is accused of trying to provoke social disorder. He has...
An Egyptian criminal court has convicted Yasser Barakat, editor-in-chief of the weekly Al Mougaz of defamation. The suit was filed by Mustafa Bakri, editor-in-chief of the weekly Al-Osbo’ and member of the Egyptian parliament. Barakat has been...
An Iraqi appeals panel has lifted a ban on hundreds of candidates barred from standing in impending Iraqi election because of their suspected links to Saddam's Baathist party. In a compromise negotiated by President Jalal Talabani, if the disputed...
Lawsuits were launched against four leading newspapers following a Dushanbe court's decision to uphold a damages award against independent news weekly Paykon. The damages award of 300,000 somoni (€49,000) was confirmed on 26 January. Paykon...
Do British laws represent a serious threat to freedom of expression?
Ken MacDonald argues British courts suppress free speech around the world
and Eric Barendt makes a proposal for balancing privacy against press freedom