Belarus: Journalist faces four years in prison for “insulting the president”

16 Jun 2011 | Index Index, minipost, News and features

Andrey Pochobut, a correspondent for the Polish newspaper GazetaWyborcza who stands accused of defamation and “insulting the president”, is facing a four-year prison sentence. The trial began yesterday in Leninski district court, Belarus, with journalists and family members excluded from proceedings. There are  now serious concerns over whether Pochobut will receive a fair trial. The offending articles appeared on the Gazeta Wyborcza website, the Belaruspartisan.org site and in his personal blog. Pochobut would be the fourth journalist sent to prison on a charge of “insulting the president” if he is found guilty. The trial continues.

Sri Lanka: Journalist arrested for defaming court

26 Apr 2011 | Index Index, minipost, News and features

Police on Monday (25 April) arrested a journalist working for the independent website, Lanka eNews. Shantha Wijeysooria was arrested at the website’s offices in Colombo for alleged contempt of court. The charges relate to an April 19 article which allegedly defamed the court’s honour by suggesting that it was holding two suspects in custody in contravention of the attorney general’s written order to release them. The paper issued an apology on 22 April.

Vietnam: Authorities drop charges against blogger

21 Apr 2011 | Index Index, minipost

Vietnamese authorities have dropped charges against a female blogger who was detained for :infringing on the interests of the state”. She was arrested for defamation after describing a senior official’s son as a womanizer. Le Nguyen Huong Tra, who blogged under the pseudonym Co Gai Do Long, was arrested last October and released on bail this January. Authorities have declared her actions to be “less serious” than first thought.