7 Sep 2010 | Index Index, minipost
The director of a news programme for Mundo Villa TV was murdered in Buenos Airies on 4 September. Adam Ledezma was stabbed after he left his house at 4.45 am to help with a neighbour’s electricity problem, and was found dead half an hour later. The journalist’s wife said he had received threats. The cable channel is based in a large slum in the centre of the city, reporting on the lives of immigrants. Ledezma, who was born in Bolivia, was also a correspondent for Mundo Villa newspaper. Police are now investigating the case.
3 Mar 2010 | Uncategorized
Hugo Chavez’s administration has once again come under fire for its record on freedom of expression and its treatment of journalists. But as the government refuses to acknowledge its shortcomings, is it also reneging on its commitment to international treaties on human rights, asks Daniel Duquenal
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18 Mar 2008 | Comment, News
The change of government owed a great deal to Internet activism, with bloggers even taking parliamentary seats, writes David Jardine
Malaysia’s stunning election results of 8 March, which have seen the 40-year-long two-thirds majority of the ruling BN (Barisan Nasional/ National Front) coalition blown away, have hugely important implications for freedom of expression in the former British colony where draconian British-devised legislation has been a significant prop of state power.
The opposition to new Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will include five bloggers, including the internationally known Jeff Ooi and the media reform advocate Elizabeth Wong. One Malaysian media commentator has observed that their presence is particularly ‘galling’ to BN.
Blogging, which also played a role in the ‘reformasi’ (reform) movement of the late 1990s that coalesced around the protests against perceived state persecution of the former deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, has been a highly successful means of circumventing the state-controlled and ruling party-directed media. Anwar, although until next month officially barred from running for office himself, is the de facto leader of Keadilan, and his election rallies drew large crowds even in small towns.
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