21 Jun 2012 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
At least nine Lebanese journalists have been attacked whilst covering ongoing clashes in Syria over the last month in four separate incidents. On 10 June, Ghadi Francis from Beirut-based TV station Al-Jadeed was attacked by the bodyguard of a politician participating in the internal elections of the local Syrian Social Nationalist Party. Francis was punched in the face and kicked several times. Firas Shoufi, another journalist, attempted to intervene, but was also beaten. On 21 May, cameraman Naji Mazboudi was threatened and beaten. Another Al-Jadeed journalist Rona al-Halabi and two cameramen were attacked by a group of unidentified men whilst covering clashes near the northern road of al-Abdanear Tripoli on 20 May. Similarly, a news crew from Russia Today were attacked and had their equipment destroyed on 17 May.
21 Jun 2012 | Europe and Central Asia, Index Index, minipost
A Russian court has ruled that three members of political punk rock group Pussy Riot will remain in prison until late July. The group of feminists performed an unauthorised “punk prayer” at the pulpit of Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral in February, calling for the fall of Vladimir Putin. The court judge ruled that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich will remain in detention until 24 July while a police investigation continues. Outside the court, police detained at least five people as supporters of the band chanted anti-Kremlin songs, and clashed with Orthodox activists calling for the feminists “to repent.”
20 Jun 2012 | Index Index, minipost
An Egyptian journalist has been fined for defamation after calling for a changes to the editorial staff of Egypt’s state-run newspapers. Hanan Youssef, deputy editor-in-chief of the local newspaper Al-Messa, was fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds (US$1,654) for defaming the paper’s former editor Khaled Imam. Youssef claimed that many Egyptian news outlets included staff members who maintained links to the ruling military regime, but did not name Imam. The journalist, who has been supportive of the revolution and written critical articles about Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), has said she will appeal the sentence.
20 Jun 2012 | Index Index, minipost
A Bahraini blogger has been remanded for 45 days, after posting offence remarks towards Aisha, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad. The unnamed blogger, who admitted the charges, was arrested last week for posting comments deemed “highly negative” in an online forum. Public prosecutor Ali Al Buainain said that the blogger regularly used the same forum to post blasphemous remarks, and had repeatedly re-registered under a pseudonym after being ejected.
