27 Jun 12 | 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.
30 May 12 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
A well-known Syrian activist and filmmaker was slain on Monday while filming clashes in Homs. Bassel Al Shahade was a Fulbright Scholar studying at Syracuse University before leaving his studies in film to document his country’s revolution at the start of unrest in Syria last year. Shahade had been in Homs for two months training citizen journalists before his death.
19 Apr 12 | Index Index, minipost
Four citizen journalists have been killed in Syria, despite the recent ceasefire. Ahmed Abdallah Fakhriyeh, Samir Shalab Al-Sham Abu Mohamed, Alaa Al-Din Hassan Al-Douri and Khaled Mahmoud Kabbisho were killed in the last week. Fakhriyeh was shot dead on his way to film the arrival of Syrian army in a the village of Dmeir on 14 April. On the same day Al-Sham, who worked for the Syrian News Network, died shortly after a mortar round hit the building he was filming in on Tuesday. On 17 April, activist Kabbisho was summarily executed after being questioned in the North West of the country. It is reported his head was crushed by a tank. Leading rights activist Al-Douri was hit by a bullet at a roadblock to the North-West of Hama. His body was handed over to his family on Tuesday (17 April), and is believed to show signs of torture.
03 Apr 12 | Index Index, minipost
A Syrian citizen journalist who has been detained by authorities since Wednesday has reportedly been tortured during his arrest. Ali Mahmoud Othman, who ran the media centre in Baba Amr where Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik were killed, was arrested and initially detained at a military intelligence unit in Aleppo. Over the weekend, he was transferred to Damascus. Sunday Times photographer Paul Conroy told Channel 4 news that Othman had been tortured during his detention. The continuing campaign against local and international press in Syria is believed to be an attempt to “systematically dismantle” the anti-regime “citizen journalist network”.
