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ARTICLE 19 has recently analysed Kazakhstan’s 2008 draft Law on Publishing Activities and suggested it for the reconsideration by the Kazakh authorities. The major concern with the existing draft was the authorities’ proposed registration and licensing scheme for a wide range of publishing activities and the rigid approach to relations between authors and publishers that it would impose.

Three men are facing trial for the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, but the investigation is far from over. Index on Censorship reports

The extension of Raja Petra Kamaruddin¡’s period of detention to two years is another example of the nefarious uses of Malaysia¡’s Internal Security Act, But the reaction of ordinary citizens shows the tide may be turning in favour of free expression.  

At the beginning of September, four female bloggers were sentenced to prison in Islamic Republic of Iran. In a recent interview with Index on Censorship, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi reflects on the current state of free expression in the country. (12-SEP-08)
 

Magomed Yevloyev, right, owner of opposition Ingushetiya.ru webpage, was killed in Ingushetia on 31 August, soon after the police detained him in Margas airport. ARTICLE 19 and other free expression organisations have expressed their shock and outrage over the death. (02-SEPT-08)
 

Security forces prevented Index on Censorship award winner Sihem Bensedrine from leaving Tunisia on 19 August. The attack is the latest in a long list of harrassment of the prominent journalist and acitivist freedom, and exposes once again the government´s refusal to guarantee free expression among its media and human rights workers. (18-AUG-08)
 

As the Olympic Games opened in Beijing, English PEN expressed their concerns for the welfare of Beijing human rights activist, Zeng Jinyan, who disappeared on 7 August, the eve of the opening ceremony. The organisation encouraged its members to send appeals demanding that Zeng be returned home immediately. (09-AUG-08)
 

Index on Censorship is delighted to announce that John Kampfner has been appointed chief executive of the organisation. Former editor of the New Statesman, Kampfner is a prolific author and commentator. (05-AUG-08)
 

On 23 July, Toby Mendel, Senior Director of Law at ARTICLE 19, appeared before the Indonesian Constitutional Court as an expert witness in a case challenging, among other things, imprisonment for defamation. Mendel, who appeared before the Court via video-link, argued that imprisonment for defamation is inconsistent with international guarantees of freedom of expression and that it is increasingly rare for democratic states around the world to impose criminal penalties in defamation cases. (30-JULY-08)