20 Jul 2012 | Europe and Central Asia, Index Index, minipost
Three members of Russian punk group Pussy Riot have had their detention extended by a further six months by a Moscow court, reports say [ru]. Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Semutsevic will remain in jail until at least January 2013, with their detention already being extended from 24 June to late July. The trio were arrested in March and face charges of hooliganism for allegedly staging an anti-Putin performance in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February. If convicted they face up to seven years in prison.
Pussy Riot spoke to us exclusively in May, read the interview here.
18 Jul 2012 | Azerbaijan News, Europe and Central Asia, News and features
As the Eurovision Song Contest fades from memory, Azerbaijan has stepped up its attacks on journalists. Blogger Emil Baghirov reports on the dire state of press freedom in the Caucasus nation
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17 Jul 2012 | Asia and Pacific, Index Index, minipost
A shooting attack in the Indian city of Itanagar left Tongam Rina, associate editor of the Arunachal Times newspaper, critically injured on Sunday. It has been reported that, as Rina arrived at the paper’s offices at 6:15pm, unidentified gunmen opened fire on her before fleeing the scene. She was rushed to hospital, where she remains in intensive care and is said to have sustained serious injuries to the spinal cord and intestines. The motive of the attack is unknown, though Rina has reportedly received threats in the past in connection with her campaigning against dam construction on the Siang River.
