17 Oct 2011 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
Thousands of demonstrators took part in an anti-censorship march in the Tunisian capital on Sunday. As the debate between Islamic conservatives and secularists continues in the country, the liberal demonstrators gathered for the march, dubbed “Aataqni” or “set me free” in Tunisian Arabic. The movement follows opposing protests last week, after the decision by Nessma TV to air the film Persepolis. The demonstrators at the Aataqni protest were alarmed by the reaction of the Islamists to the animated film, claiming if that kind of censorship was accepted, it could lead to censorship of other programs.
13 Oct 2011 | Index Index, minipost
A long-awaited report on a Texan estuary is being delayed, following accusations that important information in the original report has been omitted for political reasons. John Anderson, the professor of oceanography at Rice University has accused the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) of deleting references to climate change, human impact on the environment and sea-level rise. Anderson believes that the omissions have been made for partisan, rather than scientific, reasons. A spokesperson for the environmental agency said that the deletions had been made because the TCEQ did not agree with information in the article.
11 Oct 2011 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
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 in Tunisia’s capital on Sunday. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and made 40 arrests. The film, which is about the 1979 Iranian revolution, was aired on Friday. Following the broadcast, according to Nebil Karoui, the head of Nessma, messages appeared on Facebook calling for the station to be burned down and its journalists killed.
10 Oct 2011 | Index Index, minipost
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 showing determination to reform in the country, where the media is said to be the most heavily censored in the world. Some previously blocked websites are now available and newspapers have been allowed to publish photographs and reports about the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which is previously unheard of.
