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Publisher Ragip Zarakolu and author Mehmet Güler, on trial in the Republic of Turkey since May 2009, face prison sentences of up to seven and half years for Güler’s novel “More Difficult Decisions than Death”. Both are accused under article 7/2 of the Anti Terror Law of “spreading propaganda” for the banned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).

Eynulla Fatullayev goes on trial on “trumped up” drugs charges while the European Court examines previous charges. A new trial into the case of imprisoned journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, an investigative journalist and staunch critic of Azerbaijani government was opened on 9 April 2010 in the Garadag District Court.

Art, in any form, constitutes a key medium through which information and ideas are imparted and received. Artist Alert, launched by ARTICLE 19, highlights cases of artists around the world whose right to freedom of expression has been curtailed and abused, and seeks to more effectively promote and defend freedom to create.

On 25 March, in London, a presentation ceremony was held for the 10th Freedom of Expression Award of “Censorship index”. Azerbaijani lawyer, Media Rights Institute Head Rashid Hajili received the Law and Campaigning award. This award is given to lawyers or campaigners who have fought repression, or have struggled to change political climates and perceptions.

Being a journalist in Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the most insecure jobs in a country run by one of the most insecure governments in the world. The Islamic Republic has made journalists its prime target, said journalist Maziar Bahari at the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards on 25 March 2010. Bahari was imprisoned by the Iranian regime for attempting to report on 2009’s disputed election.

English PEN welcomes the release of editor and Catholic priest Father Nguyen Van Ly on 15 March 2010 on medical grounds. However, PEN remains concerned that his release is conditional, and that he is expected to return to prison in March 2011 to complete his full eight-year prison term. PEN encourages sending appeals to Vietnamese authorities calling for his unconditional release.

English PEN protests the detention without charge of leading journalist and human rights activist Emadeddin Baghi. Baghi is among over fifty writers and journalists currently detained in Islamic Republic of Iran, many of whom were arrested in the crackdown following the disputed presidential elections of 12 June 2009.

ARTICLE 19 expresses its concerns about the ongoing trial of several staff of Dagestani independent weekly newspaper “Chernovik” and calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to abide by international and regional standards for freedom of expression.

Forty seven international, regional and national civil society organizations – including ARTICLE 19 – have written to Member States of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) expressing their opposition to draft resolutions on “combating defamation of religions” and on complementary standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).