The Sierra Leone parliament’s passage of a freedom of information law is a major step to ensure greater government transparency, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.
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“Egypt’s Jon Stewart” is being prosecuted for poking fun at leaked comments by the Defence Minister, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, suggesting that the General would “find partners in the local media willing to collaborate to polish the image of the military.”
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First sentenced in 2011 to life in prison for purportedly criticizing the emir in his poem “Tunisian Jasmine”, Qatari poet Mohammed al-Ajami had his reduced 15-year prison sentence upheld by the Court of Cassation in appeal this October.
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Recently, racism and religious violence between Buddhists and Muslims have rippled through Burma. The crisis has spilled over to Facebook, where rumors and a widely shared video attacking Aung San Suu Kyi’s supposed support for Burmese Muslims have drastically turned public opinion against her and her party.
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Pakistan’s move to ban access to the gay social networking website Queerpk reflects the conservative society’s inability to accept a “larger world view”, activists say. Keeping with Pakistan’s internet censorship policies, some say the ban is aimed at curbing alternate and progressive discourse.
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A new report — “The Long Shadow of Chinese Censorship: How Chinese Media Restrictions Affect News Outlets around the World” — finds that Chinese officials have directly impeded independent reporting by media based abroad.
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A collection of photojournalism depicting the everyday lives of Belarusians has led the Belarus Government to withdraw the publishing license of the largest non-state publishing house, Łohvinaŭ. The International Publishers Association is calling on Belarus to revoke the decision and protect the freedom to publish.
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