Controversial short film Fitna has been removed from video-hosting site LiveLeak after threats were made against staff. Meanwhile, the Iranian government has summoned the Dutch ambassador in order to register protest against the film. Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has published an article in the Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, calling on people ‘to keep their head[s] cool and relations warm’.
See Liveleak’s statment here.
The shortlists for the 2008 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards have been finalised. The awards will be presented on 21 April in London
The T R Fyvel Book Award
The Loser by Fatos Kongoli, Seren.
Holy Warriors: A journey into the Heart of Indian Fundamentalism by Edna Fernandes, Portobello
The Art of Political Murder: Who killed Bishop Gerardi? by Francisco Goldman, Atlantic Books
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, Penguin
The Guardian Journalism Award
Arat Dink (Turkey)
Huang Liangtian (China)
Iqbal Athas (Sri Lanka)
Manana Aslamazyan (Russian Federation)
The Bindmans Law and Campaigning Award
Lydia Cacho (Mexico)
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (Pakistan)
U Gambira (Burma)
Yetaai Vs China Telecom (China)
The Economist New Media Award
AJ Nakasila/Channel 4 New Media / Truevision (UK)
Ethio Zagol (Ethiopia)
Wikileaks (International / US)
Iran Proxy (Iran)
The Index Film Award
Battle For Haditha Dir: Nick Broomfield, 93 minutes, UK (2007)
Ahlam (Dreams) Iraq (2006), 110 Minute Running Time, Language: Arabic, English Sub-Titles
Black Gold Dir: Nick Francis and Marc Francis, Running Time: 78 minutes,
12.08 East of Bucharest (A Fost sau n-a fost?) Dir: Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania, 2006 / 89 Mins / In Romanian with English Subtitles
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.
A young reporter has been found guilty of blasphemy, writes Harun Najafizada in Balkh
A primary court in the city of Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan has sentenced local journalist Sayed Parvez Kambakhsh to death.
Kambakhsh, 23, a reporter for Jahan-e Naw (New World) weekly and a student of journalism at Balkh University has been accused of blasphemy and misrepresenting the verses of the Quran.
On Tuesday afternoon, the primary court of Mazar-e Sharif convened a session behind closed doors and announced the verdict after a three-hour discussion.
The session, which was not attended by defending lawyers, journalists or human rights defenders, or even by Kambakhsh’s relatives, has been widely criticised for issuing such a strong sentence and ignoring the Afghan constitution.
Kambakhsh, who was arrested three months ago by the National Security Department (the intelligence service) and kept in prison, had downloaded an article from an Iranian website and distributed it to his friends.