These charges are shocking and outrageous. They strike at the heart of Ethiopia's journalist community by criminalizing essential work of the press.
We welcome this important court decision. The government should withdraw these spurious charges against all of the former Daily News journalists, repeal AIPPA and allow the Daily News to reopen.
This is a very serious charge with grave implications for the safety of media professionals. Refusing to address these reports in a substantive way only fuels suspicions.
The crackdown is clearly continuing, and the revival of old charges against journalists is part of that pattern. We call on Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to order an investigation into these charges which contradict his stated policy.
We're gravely concerned that sedition laws are being used to retaliate against a critical publication. The Philippine government should drop these charges and affirm its commitment and remove laws that inhibit the work of the press.
While we were initially pleased that the government had dropped its baseless charge against Zhao, his continued detention shows the government's cavalier attitude toward due process and the rule of law. We call for his immediate release.
Turkey is on the way to removing curbs on the media as it seeks to join the European Union, but cases like this undermine that progress. We urge the court to dismiss all charges against these five journalists when it reconvenes in April.
Turkey has made important progress in reforming restrictive media laws as it seeks to join the European Union, and the court should not allow hard-liners to take the country backward. We urge the court to dismiss all charges against these journalists.
The court must ensure a fair and open process, and authorities need to substantiate their case. So far, the handling of this case has been alarming. It's unacceptable that Hussein was held without charge or due process for so long.
We are concerned that the government could be using a serious charge to discredit a critic and intimidate his colleagues. We urge the government to ensure a transparent and fair proceeding.