An Italian writer who exposed the violent world of the Naples Mafia was awarded a major free-speech prize yesterday. Roberto Saviano was awarded the Pen/Pinter International Writer of Courage prize, to share with British playwright David Hare....
CATEGORY: minipost
Tunisia: Broadcast of ‘Persepolis’ prompts protest
Hundreds of protesters have attacked a private television company in Tunisia in protest over the broadcast of the award winning film "Persepolis." The protesters, who believe that the animated film denigrates Islam, attacked the TV station Nessma...
Burma: Censor chief calls for more media freedom
The head of the press censorship department in Burma has called for greater media freedom in the country. Tint Swe called for the abolition of censorship during a radio show with Radio Free Asia. Recent reforms under the new administration are...
Philippines: Newspaper editor gunned down
A newspaper editor was shot on Friday while driving through the Philippines' main island, Luzon. Johnson Pascual, editor-in-chief of local newspaper, Prime News, was shot by two men on a motorcycle in Isabela province, Northern Philippines on...
Venezuela: Pro-Chavez hackers target journalists
Pro-Chavez Hackers in Venezuela have targeted the emails and social media accounts of journalists. Milagros Socorro, director of the site Código Venezuela, announced that hackers attacked her blog, Twitter and emails after criticising President...
Iran: Actress sentenced to year in prison for censorship film
On 8 October, Actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in jail for her performance in a film exploring censorship of artists in Iran, according to reports from Kalameh.com, an Iranian opposition website. Vafamehr was in...
Pakistan: Web journalist murdered in Lahore
The body of a journalist working for a London-based online news site has been discovered by police in Pakistan. Faisal Qureshi, 28, who was working as web-editor for internet publication the London Post, was discovered on Friday morning in Lahore,...
China: Dating shows face tough censorship
Increasingly strict media regulations are being applied to dating shows in China. Shows such as "If you are the one," which have been highly successful in the country, are being subjected to regulations from the State Administration of Radio Film...
UK: Banned horror film gets 18 rating after cuts
An initially banned horror film has been given an "18" rating, after a number of cuts. Human Centipede 2 was originally banned in the UK for posing a "real risk of harm," in June, but after 32 cuts, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) ...
Slovakia: New draft law threatens internet freedom
A draft law has been published by the Slovakian Ministry of Finance which could result in the blocking of some web servers. The bill would mean that web servers that provide online gambling without a license would be put on a list, which would be...