19 Oct 2010 | Index Index, minipost
Microsoft is extending its program of giving free software licences to non-profit organisations. The initiative was first applied to Russia, after it was discovered that authorities were using software piracy inquiries as a method of suppressing independent media outlets and advocacy groups. The program will now include 500,000 NGOs in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Prior to the announcement NGOs could only obtain a free licence if they were aware of the program and followed the necessary procedure. According to Microsoft’s official blog announcement, the unilateral licence will last until 2012.
2 Jun 2010 | Index Index, minipost
Uzbek poet, radio host and sports commentator Khayrullo Khamidov was sentenced to six years in prison on 28 May after being found guilty of belonging to a banned Islamic group. His lawyers plan to appeal the ruling to reduce his sentence. Uzbekistan has one of the highest rates of incarcerated journalists in Europe, with at least 11 currently behind bars.
18 Mar 2010 | News, United Kingdom
Focus, partnership and joined-up advocacy in defence of human rights – the UK Foreign Office’s lost vocation, as revealed by the diplomats’ own annual report. Rohan Jayasekera comments
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12 Feb 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
An award winning Uzbek photographer sentenced to jail after a court ruled she had insulted the nation, has been released thanks to an amnesty. Umida Akhmedova said that she had done nothing wrong and will therefore appeal on the verdict. Akhmedova could have faced six months in jail or two years in a labour camp.
