Bahrain’s brutal crackdown
As Bahraini soldiers — aided by foreign troops — crush protests, youth activist Mohammed Al-Maskati, whose family have been detained, asks the international community to speak out
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Iran: Human rights activists given long jail sentences
The Iranian judiciary has sentenced Kaveh Kermanshahi, a member of the Kurdish Human Rights Organisation to five years in prison for “actions against national security” and propaganda against the regime. Blogger Navid Khanjani convicted on the same charges as well as membership of illegal human rights organisations. He was given a 12 year prison sentence.
Iran: Workers at reformist newspaper detained
Security authorities raided into the office of reformist newspaper Shargh on 7 December and detained journalists Keyvan Mehregan, Farzaneh Roostayi and Ahamad Gholami, along with chief editor Ali Khodabakhsh. According to reformist website Kaleme, the authorities also physically checked the staff’s mobile phones. The raid coincided with national student day which brought student protests across university campuses in the country.
Celebrating Liu Xiaobo
On the eve of today’s Nobel ceremony, John Ralston Saul calls on China to listen to its real friends and free Liu Xiaobo