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-The Ugandan government has a great opportunity to show its commitment to the rehabilitation of a child abducted into rebel military service, says Georgette Gagnon, right, Africa Director at Human Rights Watch. -Bushobozi Irumba was a child when abducted and a child when captured, and his treatment should reflect that.

Mark Bowden, right, the top United Nations relief official in the Republic of Somalia, has voiced grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the strife-torn nation, where fresh clashes last week have reportedly killed more than 40 people and displaced over 50,000.

Reporters Without Borders is stunned to learn that President Mwai Kibaki, right, signed the Republic of Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill 2008 into law on 2 January 2009. “This is a major step backwards in the history of press freedom in the Republic of Kenya,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We have for weeks been joining Kenyan journalists in denouncing this bill’s reactionary and repressive nature. We do not understand President Kibaki’s decision, which will seriously undermine civil liberties in his country.”

Amid commemorative ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as its own 10th anniversary, Journaliste En Danger (JED) released its 2008 annual report on press freedom on 23 December 2008. In the report, entitled “Ten years for press freedom: the situation of freedom of the press in Central Africa”, the organisation notes that safety remains the single greatest concern for media professionals in the DRC, despite the fact that statistically, attacks against the press and journalists are down.

Dark clouds are forming against freedom of expression in the Republic of Kenya, following the recent passing of a controversial Bill by parliament. The Republic of Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill, awaiting presidential assent to become law, gives the state powers to invade media houses, seize broadcast equipment, control broadcast content, even taking a station off air.

Eliseo Barron Hernandez was the second journalist to be murdered in Mexico in the last month whilst others have faced daily harrasment and attack. In this atmosphere of fear and intimidation, the government is also using more subtle measures, making it increasingly difficult for independent media to operate.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on Iranian authorities to take immediate measures to prevent any further harassment of Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi and to ensure Ebadi’s safety.

-The mob violence occurring after the Iranian government unleashed its campaign of persecution against Shirin Ebadi shows that her life is in great danger.-Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.

The Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) resolutely condemns the 30 December 2008 decision of Azerbaijan’s National Television and Radio Council (NTRC) to cease the FM broadcasts of Azerbaijan’s three foreign radio broadcasters, Radio Free Europe (RFERL), Voice of America (VOA) and the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), as of 1 January 2009.

Reporters Without Borders is outraged by the 1 January 2009 murder of Radio Shabelle reporter Hassan Mayow Hassan, who was gunned down by a member of a pro-government militia in Afgooye, 30 kilometres south of Mogadishu.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the murder of Hassan Mayow Hassan, a Somali journalist, who was shot dead in the Afgoye District of lower Shabelle region in southern Republic of Somalia yesterday.

While Judge Birtukan Mideksa, right, leader of Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) / Andinet, the strongest opposition party, was arrested, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, one of the most senior human rights activists in the country, was beaten by security forces today. Independent activists and human rights organisations alike have condemned the Ethiopian government’s acts, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Mideksa, and all other prisoners of conscience in the country.