The sister of prominent Iranian journalist and rights activist Reza Hoda Saber has confirmed her jailed brother’s death following a 10-day hunger strike, according to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.

Saber had been transferred to a hospital from Tehran’s Evin prison, where he had been held since being imprisoned along with hundreds of other activists and intellectuals in the wake of Iran’s disputed June 2009 election.

His sister, Firouzeh Saber, told Radio Farda that the family believes authorities waited several hours after Saber complained of chest pains to hospitalize him.

From jail, Saber had launched his hunger strike on June 2 to protest the treatment of another jailed rights advocate, Haleh Sahabi, who died after what eyewitnesses described as a scuffle at the June 1 funeral of her father, himself a regime opponent who had served time in Iranian jails.

“There are three issues here,” Firouzeh Saber told Radio Farda hours after his death. “First of all, why was he in prison? He had been in prison without having been sentenced. Second, why did a tragedy such as Sahabi’s death happen, leading Saber to go on hunger strike? And third, why were authorities so careless that it took them several hours to take him to the hospital after he complained of chest pains.”

Read More »Jailed Iran Activist Dies After Hunger Strike

The sister of prominent Iranian journalist and rights activist Reza Hoda Saber has confirmed her jailed brother’s death following a 10-day hunger strike, according to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.

Saber had been transferred to a hospital from Tehran’s Evin prison, where he had been held since being imprisoned along with hundreds of other activists and intellectuals in the wake of Iran’s disputed June 2009 election.

His sister, Firouzeh Saber, told Radio Farda that the family believes authorities waited several hours after Saber complained of chest pains to hospitalize him.

From jail, Saber had launched his hunger strike on June 2 to protest the treatment of another jailed rights advocate, Haleh Sahabi, who died after what eyewitnesses described as a scuffle at the June 1 funeral of her father, himself a regime opponent who had served time in Iranian jails.

“There are three issues here,” Firouzeh Saber told Radio Farda hours after his death. “First of all, why was he in prison? He had been in prison without having been sentenced. Second, why did a tragedy such as Sahabi’s death happen, leading Saber to go on hunger strike? And third, why were authorities so careless that it took them several hours to take him to the hospital after he complained of chest pains.”

Read More »Jailed Iran Activist Dies After Hunger Strike

On Monday, June 13 majority of Georgian newspapers printed large “Solidarity to MediaPalitra!” on the front page. Through this action, initiated by Media Advocacy Coalition, the newspapers responded to the audit inspection being underway in MediaPalitra. Both Tbilisi-based and regional newspapers, as well as the Liberal and Rating magazines took part in the solidarity rally.

In its Monday edition the Georgian Weekly Kviris Palitra belonging to the MediaPalitra group of companies dedicated its front page to the Thank You for Solidarity line to show its gratitude to the rally participants.

On June 10 Media Advocacy Coalition released a statement showing its concern about concurrent stock-taking being on at four enterprises within the holding and the financial audit to be carried out in six enterprises which ultimately resulted into the delay with the publication of MediaPalitra newspapers and magazines.

The Coalition thinks the Revenue Service’s audit may be connected to Palitra’s critical news coverage of the May 26 violent police crack-down on protestors in Rustaveli Avenue.

According to the statement by the Revenue Service planned inventory, which is “a short-term and simple process” is underway in Media Pulitra. The scheduled material-commodity inventory in 3 enterprises of MediaPalitra has already completed.

Read More »Georgian Newspapers Support MediaPalitra

Turkey’s state-run news agency says police have detained 32 suspected computer hackers, allegedly linked to an international activist group that targeted a government website to protest Turkey’s plans to introduce Internet filters.

The Anatolia news agency said Sunday the suspects were nabbed in raids in a dozen cities for suspected ties to the group “Anonymous.”

The group this week targeted websites of the country’s telecommunications watchdog, the prime minister’s office and parliament. The telecommunications watchdog said it was prepared for the group and disruption was minimal.

The suspects face questioning and possible charges.

On Friday, Spain arrested three alleged “Anonymous” members suspected of attacking worldwide corporate and government websites.

Source: ABCNews

Read More »Turkey Detains 32 Suspected Hackers

On June 13, the office of the Open Society Georgia will host the presentation of the manual drawn up by the Georgian Association of Regional Broadcasters (GARB), as well as the Association’s website and ongoing projects.

The manual titled New Media for Old Media is made up of theoretical part and hands-on (video) lessons.

The manual worked out by the team employed at the GARB Tbilisi office is targeted at Georgian regional TV companies but the manual can be of help to other media workers as well as beginner reporters and students.

The manual was designed within the framework of the joint Media Support Program implemented by WAN-IFRA, IREX Europe, Georgian Regional Media Association (GRMA) and Civic Development Institute.

Source: Media.ge

Read More »New Media for Old Media: New Manual For Journalists

On June 13, the office of the Open Society Georgia will host the presentation of the manual drawn up by the Georgian Association of Regional Broadcasters (GARB), as well as the Association’s website and ongoing projects.

The manual titled New Media for Old Media is made up of theoretical part and hands-on (video) lessons.

The manual worked out by the team employed at the GARB Tbilisi office is targeted at Georgian regional TV companies but the manual can be of help to other media workers as well as beginner reporters and students.

The manual was designed within the framework of the joint Media Support Program implemented by WAN-IFRA, IREX Europe, Georgian Regional Media Association (GRMA) and Civic Development Institute.

Source: Media.ge

Read More »New Media for Old Media: New Manual For Journalists

On June 13, the office of the Open Society Georgia will host the presentation of the manual drawn up by the Georgian Association of Regional Broadcasters (GARB), as well as the Association’s website and ongoing projects.

The manual titled New Media for Old Media is made up of theoretical part and hands-on (video) lessons.

The manual worked out by the team employed at the GARB Tbilisi office is targeted at Georgian regional TV companies but the manual can be of help to other media workers as well as beginner reporters and students.

The manual was designed within the framework of the joint Media Support Program implemented by WAN-IFRA, IREX Europe, Georgian Regional Media Association (GRMA) and Civic Development Institute.

Source: Media.ge

Read More »New Media for Old Media: New Manual For Journalists

Along with the “Top Secret” archival documents Institute for Developing of Freedom of Information has published excerpts from the official periodic media of the Soviet Georgia issued in March 1956. The newspapers were selected at the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia.

On February 25^th, 1956 at the closed XX Congress of the CP SU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union) Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev – the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of the USSR made the most unexpected and sensational speech “On the Personality Cult and its Consequences”. In this speech all the essential values that were imposed by the totalitarian state upon its population for the period of three decades were revealed and condemned. Khrushchev’s speech remained secret, until the Gorbachev’s era. Despite this fact, the document can be viewed as the pivoting point in the Soviet system’s historic changes. Information on “the Personality Cult of Stalin” was perceived by the population in the Soviet Union, especially by the younger generation in Georgia . This statement, led to mass protests in Georgia.

Read More »IDFI Publishes Collection of Newspapers Issued in March 1956