Journalists, jail, death and contempt

I am too often reminded that many journalists have a lot more to worry about than page views and where their revenue is going to come from in the digital future. Here are a few headlines that caught my eye in the past few weeks.

Singapore court finds UK journalist guilty of contempt for criticising judiciary

A British freelance journalist and author has been found guilty of contempt of court for criticising Singapore’s judiciary in a recent book, according to national reports.

Alan Shadrake, who is based in Malaysia, was arrested in July when he visited Singapore to launch Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock, which discusses the use of the death penalty, according to BBC News.

Egyptian Blogger Kareem Amer Finishes Prison Sentence – Remains in Jail

Kareem Amer, the Egyptian blogger who was sentenced to four years in prison in 2006, has completed his prison term. He has, however, not been released from incarceration, which is the longest any blogger has served so far. Kareem’s crimes were allegedly insulting religion and the leadership of Egypt. He was critical of, among other things, Egypt’s treatment of women and of its Coptic Christian minority.

European Federation of Journalists Throws Weight behind Turkish Media Rights Campaign

In the Turkish capital Ankara, members of the Freedom for Journalists Platform – which includes the International Press Institute’s Turkish National Committee – gathered opposite the offices of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and read out a press release.

The press release – entitled  “We Stand Up for Freedom for the Journalısts” – noted that as of 30 September, 2010, there were 50 press workers in Turkish prisons. Six of them have been sentenced.

It added that the rising number of imprisoned journalists and the thousands of cases brought against reporters were made possible by existing articles in the Turkish Penal Code and under Anti-Terror Laws – which restrict press freedom.

Ten journalists arrested in Libya

Libya’s union of journalists says authorities have arrested 10 reporters who work for a news agency controlled by the son of leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Union head Salma al-Shaab said Sunday that security forces detained the six men and four women - including two Egyptians - a day earlier. She said the journalists worked for Libya Press and were arrested for criticising Libya’s leadership.

Peru blogger jailed for three years

A Peruvian court has sentenced journalist José Alejandro Godoy, the head of the blog Desde el Tercer Piso (From the Third Floor), to three years in prison, a fine of $107,000, and 120 days of social work for “aggravated defamation” against former minister and congressman Jorge Mufarech, El Comercio reports.

According to Perú 21, the journalist was convicted for an April post in which he linked to several media outlets that discussed criminal accusations against Mufarech. The sentence has generated political and media uproar in the country, DPA explains.

The Press and Society Institute (IPYS) called the ruling “unconstitutional and without precedent” and said that it had no legal merit.

Mexican reporter killed in shooting between criminals and military

Police reporter Carlos Alberto Guajardo of Expreso newspaper died while covering a shootout between the Mexican military and criminal gangs in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, the Brownsville Herald reports.

Guajardo was reporting on a series of gun battles in Matamoros on Friday Nov. 5 when he was
caught in the middle of cross fire, the Herald says. The longtime reporter was taking a day off when he was called to report on the shootout, the paper adds.

UN human rights monitor criticizes Honduras for crimes against journalists

Member countries of the UN Human Rights Council criticized Honduras and sought more information about human right violations since the coup that unseated President Manuel Zelaya, and about the killings of nine journalists in 2010, Inter Press Service reports. (See this earlier story in English).

Russian journalists – and newspaper owners – face death and intimidation

Yet another Russian reporter suffered from a potentially lethal assault at the weekend. Oleg Kashin, a reporter with the daily newspaperKommersant, was attacked by two men near his Moscow home, leaving him with a fractured skull, a shattered jaw and a broken leg.

That news broke soon after a raid by armed police on a bank owned byAlexander Lebedev, one of the owners of the Moscow newspaperNovaya Gazeta (and, in Britain, The Independent and the London Evening Standard).