PEN International

The mass “UAE 94” trial imprisoned dozens of government critics and reform activists in the United Arab Emirates.

According to unconfirmed reports, Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Saudi Arabia, may now face a retrial for ‘apostasy’ which could result in the death penalty if he is convicted.

The case against two student activists relates to their involvement in staging a play about a fictional monarch, the “Wolf Bride”, at Thammasat University, Thailand in October 2013.

A charge of “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation” brought against Dutch journalist Frederike Geerdink in a Diyarbakır court has accepted charges in Turkey is yet another sign of the worsening climate for freedom of expression in the country.

Journalist Moisés Sánchez Cerezo was found dead weeks after being kidnapped in Veracruz state. A former police officer claims the local mayor is behind Sánchez’s death.

The murder of Goto, 42, is a tragic reminder of the dangers facing journalists around the globe who risk their lives to inform.

Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova’s pre-trial detention order had been due to expire on 5 February 2015, but on 27 January, a Baku court ruled that it would be extended for a further two months.

Two columnists from the daily Cumhuriyet are under investigation for ‘religious defamation’ for featuring the first, post-shooting cover of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which depicts the Prophet Mohamed, in their respective columns.