Pakistan: journalists under pressure

This is a guest post by Matt Malone

On 10 November, two journalists, Rab Nawaz Joya and Javed Chanwal Chandor were detained by police in the Okara district of the north-eastern province of Punjab. Although they were arrested on charges of theft and fraud, it has been alleged that the true reason behind their arrests is linked to their efforts to gather more information on Amjad Kasab, the only surviving participant in the November 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai.
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Moldova drops Tweeter charges

Moldova’s Prosecutor General Office has dropped criminal proceedings against the people accused of using social networking websites to organise violent street protests in Chisinau in April, following the ppposition protest against the results of the parliamentary election.

The key suspects were journalists Natalia Morar, Oleg Bregha, and Gabriel Stati, the son of one of Moldova’s richest businessman. Morar has admitted using Twitter after the controversial 5 April parliamentary elections, but said she never intended for violence to occur and is not responsible for those actions.

Thousands of people took part in the protests organised by the opposition parties, who came to power after a second poll in July.

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Sierra Leone: Supreme Court throws out libel law challenge

Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court has dismissed a case for the repeal of criminal and seditious libel brought by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ). Provisions in the 1965 Public Order Act stipulate prison terms for journalists found guilty of libel and prohibit truth as a defence. SLAJ argues that this undermines freedom of speech as guaranteed in the country’s 1991 constitution. (IPI)

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