· December, 2009

Stories about Legal Threats from December, 2009

Uzbekistan: Criminal Charges Filed Against Documentary Photographer Umida Akhmedova

  22 December 2009

Umida Akhmedova, Uzbek documentary photographer, has been accused of insult and slander against Uzbek people and traditions. The maximum penalty for these charges includes remedial work on two up to three years or detention for up to six months. She is incriminated in the production of "Women and men: from dawn till dusk" photo album, produced in 2007 under support of Swiss Embassy Gender Program.

Moroccan Blogger, Internet Cafe Owner, Sentenced

15 December 2009

On Monday, December 14, Moroccan blogger Bashir Hazzam (also spelled Hazem, Hazzem) and Internet cafe owner Abdullah Boukhou were sentenced, to four months and one year, respectively, in a Goulmim court. Hazzam was sentenced for “spreading false information harmful to the kingdom's image on human rights,” while Boukhou's sentence was...

Tunisia: Student Mohamed Soudani Jailed for Media Interview

  14 December 2009

Tunisian student Mohamed Soudani, 24, disappeared on October 22, 2009, in Tunisia after giving interviews to Radio Monte Carlo International and Radio France International. Soudani was missing for 18 days until Tunisia’s police contacted his family inform them that he is detained in the Murnaguiya prison about 15km away from...

Moroccan Blogger Bashir Hazem Arrested

  11 December 2009

Moroccan blogger Bashir Hazem was arrested on December 8, 2009 following a protest in Tarjijt, during which students clashed with security forces, after posting a press release about the clash on his blog. He has been interrogated about his blogging, specifically his most recent post, which contained the signatures of a committee of arrested students. He faces trial on December 14, 2009.

Russia: Blogger Arrested For Pneumonic Plague Rumors

  4 December 2009

Ivan Peregorodiev, a 22-year-old medical student and blogger, has been arrested on December 3 for spreading rumors about pneumonic plague in the city of Saratov. Authorities accused him of disseminating false information related to an act of terrorism. On December 2, the Russian bloggers actively discussed allegations that a large...