27 Jun 2012 | Africa, Index Index, minipost
Sudanese security forces have brutally cracked down on protests against government austerity measures, arresting scores of people, including several journalists. Tear gas and rubber bullets were used as police to break up the protests, which have been ongoing since 16 June. Both local and international journalists have been arrested during their coverage of the protests, including Simon Martelli from Agence France Presse and Egyptian journalist Salma al-Wardany, from Bloomberg. Citizen journalist Nagla Sid Ahmed was summoned for questioning by security services on several consecutive days to prevent her from attending and covering the protests.
27 Jun 2012 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
A court in Turkey has sentenced a man with speech and hearing impairments to eight years in prison for spreading propaganda on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Mehmet Tahir Ilhan was sentenced after attending a demonstration in in April 2011. Following his involvement in the protest, Ihlan was also charged with “committing a crime on behalf of a terrorist organisation,” “resisting security forces” and “contravening the Law of Assembly and Demonstration”. Ilhan claimed he was not one of the protesters who threw stones and Molotov cocktails during the rally.
27 Jun 2012 | Americas, Index Index, minipost
Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa has personally attacked Gustavo Cortez, editor of the leading daily newspaper El Universo. During a TV broadcast on Saturday the President accused the newspaper editor of being “wicked” and “of having bad faith.” Whilst showing a photograph of the editor, Correa called on the people of Ecuador to remember Cortez as a “clear example of the bad press in the country.”
27 Jun 2012 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
The headquarters of a leading Lebanese TV station Al-Jadeed were attacked by armed men earlier this week. Five masked gunmen opened fire on the building in Beirut at 9.30pm on 25 June, and set fire to tires in the station entrance. The attack followed the airing of a controversial interview with Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir, a Salafist Imam, who harshly criticised the Shiite Muslim leaders in the country. Al-Jadeed were forced to apologise for the interview, and any anger it had unintentionally provoked.
