A protester is detained by Azerbaijani police in the capital, Baku, 11 March 2011                                                         

Photograph: Atilay Abbas

As 2011 dawned, a wave of protest across the Middle East and North Africa overthrew and challenged dictatorial regimes inspiring others to take action. Azerbaijani activist, Arzu Geybullayeva speaks to journalist Aoife Allen

By Sinead O'Connor

When I was a child, Ireland was a Catholic theocracy. If a bishop came walking down the street, people would move to make a path for him. If a bishop attended a national sporting event, the team would kneel to kiss his ring. If someone made a mistake, instead of saying, "Nobody's perfect," we said, "Ah sure, it could happen to a bishop." The expression was more accurate than we knew. This month, Pope Benedict XVI wrote a pastoral letter of apology -- of sorts -- to Ireland to atone for decades of sexual abuse of minors by priests whom those children were supposed to trust.

The report says  the Government of Uzbekistan continues to lie to the international community while routinely compelling hundreds of thousands of children as labourers in the country's annual cotton harvest.

It presents evidence that little has changed despite the promises of the Uzbek
Government and with the spring planting season just around the corner, EJF asks
whether it will be children forced to pick the crop again when the harvest comes
around later this year.

        

Icelandic official named "Guy Burgess" warns US of imminent default

Leaked US cable reveals UK pressure to block IMF rescue funds for Iceland

A leaked US diplomatic cable (below) reveals that the US has been asked to intercede in the spiraling row between Iceland, the UK and the Netherlands over threats to block International Monetary Fund loans for the indebted country.

Efforts by London and The Hague to link the crisis to Iceland's attempts to join the EU are expected to be rejected by the European Commission. But the Icelandic Parliament has been in uproar over the leak which suggests that its officials were on virtual hands and knees begging for US help to ensure that IMF funds are not witheld.

Image via Wikipedia

How long will Vladimir Putin last? It is hard to imagine Russia without its steely-eyed, iron-fisted, and hugely popular prime minister, especially since he has hinted so broadly that he might run again for the Russian presidency when the term of his protégé, Dmitry Medvedev, expires in 2012. Starting in that year, the Russian presidential term will extend from four to six years (a change introduced by Medvedev) and Putin would legally be allowed to serve two more terms. This means he could conceivably be Russia's leader until May 2024, when he would be seventy-one years old.

Can a photographer actually be guilty of defamation for taking photographs that reveal poverty rather than the cherubic photographs of put out by the tourist board?

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THE acclaimed Uzbek photographer Umida Ahmedova has been charged with with causing "insult and slander against Uzbek people and traditions." for her work covering subjects such as poverty and inequality. Apparently Uzbek officials disapprove of her photos used her documentary
"The Burden Of Virginity" and the book "Customs Of Men And Women," which focus
on poverty and gender inequality in Uzbekistan.
An investigator at Tashkent's police department, told her that anyone who cooperated in the production of the coffee table book produced in 2007 under support of Swiss Embassy Gender Program, had been charged.

Workcamp for Uzbek Filmmaker?

See further reports: 

Image via Wikipedia UZBEKISTAN PRESIDENT ISLAM KARIMOV 

The Uzbek journalist Khayroullo Khamidov, sports commentator, poet and host of a radio show popular, was arrested yesterday morning. Accused of belonging to a banned religious organization, it should appear tomorrow before a court in Tashkent (the capital).
"The haste of the authorities is highly suspect, given their propensity to refer to all opponents and activists of civil society as 'extremist', responded Reporters Without Borders. Two weeks after five independent journalists have been summoned by prosecutors accountable for their professional activities, the autocratic government of Islam Karimov continues his offensive without fear of reactions from the international community. "

From behind bars 'the two "Donkey Bloggers' from Azerbaijan said they hold out no hope of a successful appeal against their seven year sentences.

They want to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg calling it "our duty" to do so.
Both have been highly critical of the administration of President Ilham Aliyev and had a role in circulating a by Internet in which an activist in a donkey costume conducts a mock press conference.

At least two gunmen opened fire on Tsankov, 30, and two other men on busy Aleksandur Stamboliiski Boulevard in downtown Sofia at around 12:30 p.m. today. Tsankov died at the scene while the other two men - identified by the daily Dnevnik as Tsankov's bodyguards - were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Sofia Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov told reporters that 15 bullet casings were found at the crime scene.

Late today, a Ministry of Internal Affairs task force arrested three reputed crime bosses, Stefan (Sako, or the Jacket) Bonev and brothers Krasimir and Nikolai Marinov, the English-language Sofia News Agency reported. No charges were disclosed.
The Committee to Protect Journalists demanded Bulgarian prosecutors thoroughly investigate today's murder.

"We condemn the contract-style killing of Bobi Tsankov and urge Bulgarian authorities to act swiftly and resolutely in apprehending and prosecuting all responsible for this crime," said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova. "Sofia must demonstrate that such brazen brutality will not be tolerated by a European Union member."

Beginning in September, Tsankov wrote a series of articles in the tabloid Weekend that purported to reveal the activities of Bulgarian crime figures, according to local press reports. The latest article, published Friday, alleged that reputed crime boss Meto Ilienski had ordered the killing of a rival, Zhoro Iliev.

Tsankov had made similar accusations in November on the popular Nova Televiziya show "Goreshto" (Hot). The show's host, Veneta Raikova, said she had talked with Tsankov on Monday to discuss details of another appearance, the Sofia News Agency reported. Raikova said she understood Tsankov was going to reveal details about the recent killings of three other Bulgarian crime chiefs, the news agency reported.

One of today's suspects, Bonev, was arrested in November for allegedly threatening the author during and after a wild car chase through the streets of Sofia. At the time, the journalist said Bonev told him not to publish anything about Ilienski. Bonev was freed on bail after the November episode.

In his book, "The Secrets of the Gangsters," published in December, Tsankov claimed to have had close relationships with several crime bosses who were killed in recent years. He was preparing a new book about the activities of a drug-trafficking group, press reports said.

A former Viva Radio host, Tsankov gained notoriety several years ago after a number of people accused him of taking money for advertising that he did not air, according to press reports. In June 2006, a Sofia court convicted Tsankov of fraud and gave him a three-year suspended sentence, the daily 24 Chasa reported. Tsankov also survived two explosions, in 2003 and 2004, at his home.

Bulgaria has seen a wave of organized crime and gangland-style killings in recent years. In 2008, another popular crime chronicler, Georgi Stoev, who had authored a series of books on the origins and rise of Bulgaria's criminal underworld since the fall of communism in 1989, was shot dead in downtown Sofia. His killers remain at large.

Source
Committee to Protect Journalists
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