Foreign media have been banned from covering rallies in front of British diplomatic missions in Iran. The ban, which began on Thursday is the latest fallout following last week’s storming of Britain’s embassy in Tehran by pro-government demonstrators. Though Iran have previously banned foreign media from covering anti-government protests, this is the first time coverage of pro-government rallies has been banned.
The newsroom of a Peruvian newspaper was attacked by a mob in the early hours of Thursday morning (1 December). The offices of El Sol de los Andes in Huancayo were attacked following a series of reports in the paper linking criminal gangs to police officers.
The mob, who caused significant damage to doors and furniture, as well as burning a banner, are believed to be relatives of the police officers named in the reports. Gino Márquez, assistant editor of the newspaper said he believed the reports were also to blame for the initial lack of intervention from the prosecutors office.
It has been reported that a US-born Syrian blogger was arrested on Sunday. In a statement, the Syrian Centre for Media and Free Expression said that Razan Ghazzawi, 30, was arrested by Syrian officials at the Syrian and Jordan border while attempting to leave Syria to attend a conference for advocates of free press in the Arab world in Amman, Jordan.
Ghazzawi is a blogger and human rights advocate, and has been actively documenting human rights violations and arrests in Syria since the start of the uprising against Bashar Al-Assad in March. She is one of the few Syrian bloggers to do so without an alias. Syrian authorities have yet to comment on the arrest. Ghazzawi’s last post before her arrest celebrated the release of the arrested blogger and activist Hussein Ghrer, who was held for 37 days. She wrote:
Hussein is going to be home tonight, where he will be holding his wife tight, and never let go of his two precious sons again. It’s all going to be alright, and it will all be over very soon.
Activists and supporters have turned to Twitter to campaign for her release, using the hashtag #FreeRazan to comment on her arrest.
Supporters and relatives of a former Zambian minister, who appeared in a Lusaka court on Thursday in connection with a large amount of cash which was found buried at his farm, assaulted four journalists covering the case and damaged their equipment.
Photojournalists Richard Mulonga of Times of Zambia, Mackon Wasamunu of Zambia Daily Mail, Joseph Mwenda of The Post and Muvi Television’s Mabvuto Phiri is managing editor were covering the ongoing trial of the ex-minister Austin Liato, when his supporters began verbally abusing the journalists.
As Liato was led to police cells after taking his plea in court, the photographers were beaten, and their equipment was confiscated and damaged.
Mulonga was brutally stabbed in his left hand during the attack and had to undergo treatment at Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital, where he received an injection for tetanus.
A police officer who came to the rescue of the four reporters was also badly injured. Police have since arrested two people in connection with the incident, who are believed to be assisting with identifying the attackers.
Liato is facing charges of receiving stolen property after he allegedly received and kept 2.1 billion kwacha (US$412,000) in cash with the full knowledge that it was stolen.
The attack on the journalists went against the very tenets of democracy, which Zambia supposedly upheld, MISA Zambia chapter chairperson Daniel Sikazwe said.
Sikazwe said it was the duty of the media to inform the public on issues that affected everyone’s welfare and they should not be victimised for performing their duty.
Press Freedom Committee (PFC) Executive Secretary, Leah Kabamba said there was no justification for Liato’s supporters’ targeting of journalists, who had found themselves at the court grounds to execute their duty of informing the public.
“We condemned in strongest terms this attack on journalists. It barbaric and malicious,” Kabamba said.
She added: “Journalists do not need anyone’s permission to inform the general public on matters of public interest.”