International Press Institute (IPI)

The recent suspensions and departures of so many writers at El Universal is definitely alarming, as it will likely diminish the spectrum of opinions in Venezuela, a country where the open spaces of opinions are becoming less and less common.

In a rare move by the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Governor to withhold assent, the House of Assembly opted to revisit and amend the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act last week to include a public-interest exemption.

In what is cautiously being seen as a step forward in the fight against impunity in Afghanistan, an Afghan police officer has been found guilty in the death of AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus and the wounding of AP correspondent Kathy Gannon.

It’s inevitable that some of the world’s attention will shift away from Brazil, so IFEX members are calling on the country’s authorities to finally implement safety measures that could have prevented attacks on journalists during the World Cup.

“I decided to come to Trinidad because I did not want them to win,” journalist Mark Bassant told IPI. “I wanted to take back my life and do what I do best for the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.”

It’s been 20 years since Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh overthrew the Gambian government and proclaimed himself President of the Republic. Some of the human rights violations recorded over the last 20 years include the killing of 14 protesters in April 2000 and the killing of journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004.

According to a new report, just five out of 28 EU member states have repealed general criminal defamation and insult laws, despite broad international consensus among legal experts and press freedom advocates that criminal punishments for defamation represent a disproportionate restriction on free expression.

As tension mounts, the Egyptian government continues to keep the Rafah border, one of only two crossings that service the Gaza strip, shut making it extraordinarily difficult for journalists to enter the region.