North Korea once again comes bottom of the Reporters Without Borders fourth annual World Press Freedom Index, released today. It is closely followed in the 167-country list by Eritrea (166th) and Turkmenistan (165th), which are other �black holes� for news where the privately-owned media is not allowed and freedom of expression does not exist.   more »

JOHANNESBURG, 10 Oct 2005 (IRIN) - Despite some initial hiccups, civil society groups in South Africa say they are committed to ensuring that a national self-assessment conducted under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) will be transparent. http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=49456&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=SOUTH_AFRICA   more »

Over 1,000 members of minority churches in Eritrea, including up to 19 pastors, are currently detained. There have been frequent reports of the security forces torturing detained evangelical church members, who have continued worshipping despite the ban, in an attempt to force them to abandon their faith. The detainees are held incommunicado in harsh conditions without charge or trial.   more »

In August, CIVICUS expressed concern about the effects of a draconian NGO law in Eritrea which severely restricts civil society. The law imposes taxes on aid, limits NGOs to relief and rehabilitation work, enforces unreasonable registration requirements for local and foreign organisations, and forbids international agencies from directly funding local NGOs. This month...   more »