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As Islamic Republic of Iran returns to the forefront of the worlds’ political consciousness it is not just its uranium enrichment that continues to attract attention, but also its poor record on human rights and freedom of speech. Islamic Republic of Iran, labelled the biggest prison for journalists in the Middle East, came 164th in the 2005 worldwide press freedom index, taking it into the top 5 most repressive regimes in the world. The recent imprisonment of Isa Sahakhiz, pictured right, and the ban issued against the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights are two recent cases in point. (11-OCT-06)

Nearly 7,000 young people under 18 pass through the British juvenile prison system each year. Who speaks for the hundreds of children held in overcrowded juvenile jails? Government policy is failing both kids and their communities, and Britain currently has one of the highest numbers of young offenders in Europe. As young people are encouraged to take more responsibility for their actions, gaps in support services widen. (3-OCT-06)

English PEN´s Writer in Prison Committee supports more than 700 writers persecuted worldwide for exercising their right to freedom of expression. As part of their campaigning work, PEN has been highlighting an individual case each month since 2003, initiating appeals to heads of state and relevant government departments and providing vital background information about the country and the writers concerned. In September, PEN is focusing their campaign on Aref Dalila, arrested in 2001 after appealing for democracy and transparency in Syria. (14-SEP-06)

Chinese presence in Tibet, and China´s policies towards the autonomous region, have once again come under scrutiny following charges brought against Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials in Spain.  A group of exiled Tibetans, coordinated by the Madrid-based Committee to Support Tibet (CAT), has filed genocide charges against seven former CCP officials in the Spanish Constitutional Court, where a principle called universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of international cases not involving Spanish citizens, provided the defendants are not being tried in their home country. (30-AUG-06) Photo of Beijing-Lhasa railway opened in July 2006
 

Although the Moroccan press is one of the freest in the Arab world, there is still a great deal that needs to be done to ensure journalists work in a free and safe environment.

Free expression advocates have voiced concern over the dangers of community censorship following a protest against the filming of Brick Lane, and the campaign leading up to it. Organizations, including English PEN and Index on Censorship, worry this will have a direct impact on the arts, and damage efforts towards the building of a truly pluralist society. The protests have been seen by some as a sign that Britain has become ‘a no-man´s land of censorship, where writers´ freedoms are in the hands of unelected and unaccountable´ individuals. (01-AUG-06) Photo of Monica Ali, the author of Brick Lane
 

On 17 June, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao became the third high-ranking Chinese official to visit Africa in 2006, signifying the Asian country’s growing interest in the resource-rich continent. President Hu Jintao had visited five countries on the continent in late April. Trade between the People´s Republic of China and Africa skyrocketed to over US$40 billion in 2005 and is only gaining steam. Western countries have begun to examine the ties between African countries and the People´s Republic of China to discern the global effects – financial and political – of China’s new relationships. (31-JULY-06)
 

If there is one subject that the Moroccan authorities are partcularly sensitive about, it is the issue of Western Sahara. Independent weekly magazine Le Journal Hebdomadaire (pictured right) is the latest in a string of publications fined under Morocco’s press code. In the last 12 months, four weeklies or their journalists have been condemned to pay heavy fines or to prison sentences. The magazine´s editor says Le Journal Hebdomadaire is being singled out for their lack of patriotism. (24-JULY-06)
 

Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi celebrated her 61st birthday at her Yangon home in Burma on 19 June. Unlike most birthdays, hers was celebrated under house arrest, and on 27 May she was informed that the junta had extended her detention term for another year. The English PEN Writers in Prison Committee declared her its Prisoner of the Month for July 2006. Suu Kyi has spent the last 17 years in and out of house arrest. As leader of the National League for Democracy and a prominent writer, she was and still is a main target for the military. She was most recently arrested in 2003 when her convoy was attacked and approximately 100 of her supporters were killed. (20-JULY-06)