Sudan: Journalist threatened with murder

A Sudanese editor has received a death threat following the publication of an article critical of the country’s president, Salva Kiir.

Dengdit Ayok, vice-editor of the English-speaking newspaper The Destiny, was arrested and detained for two weeks for publishing a news story on the marriage of the president’s daughter to an Ethiopian. The article was deemed unethical by Sudanese authorities, who also said the newspaper continued publishing “isolated topics that should not be published for the public”.

“Everybody Draw Mohammed” cartoonist placed on hit list

Prominent Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki has placed the cartoonist responsible for the Everybody Draw Mohammed Day campaign on an hit list. Writing in English language Al Qaeda magazine Inspire, New Mexico born al-Awlaki branded Molly Norris a blasphemer and declared that she “does not deserve life, does not deserve to breathe the air”. In April 2010, Norris started a Facebook group encouraging people to draw Mohammed, in retaliation to Comedy Central’s decision to edit South Park’s depiction of the Islamic prophet, which resulted in Pakistan blocking the social networking site. The FBI has warned Norris of what they consider to be “a very serious threat”.