Azerbaijan: donkey video bloggers sentenced

13 Nov 2009 | Azerbaijan News, Index Index, minipost, News and features

Bloggers Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli were sentenced on 11 November to two years and two-and-a-half years in prison respectively. Human rights groups and analysts believe the sentences are politically motivated, and that the they were sentenced on trumped-up charges. Before the incident and their subsequent arrest, the bloggers had criticised the government through a satirical video posted online featuring a donkey giving a press conference. The bloggers’ lawyer Isakhan Ashurov said that they were planning an appeal, and would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. (Hurriyet Daily News/AFP)

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Zimbabwe: state broadcaster suspends whistleblowers

12 Nov 2009 | Index Index

O’Brien Rwafa, Jacob Phiri and Freedom Moyo, employees of state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH), were suspended from their positions for ten days. The three men were accused of leaking information about a government directive stipulating that state media should refrain from coverage of government ministers from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangiri. (Misa)

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