All posts tagged: Sentences

Tunisia Sentences Two Prominent Journalists to 3-1/2 Years in Prison

Tunisia Sentences Two Prominent Journalists to 3-1/2 Years in Prison

Published by Sam Flores

TUNIS, Jan ‌22 (Reuters) – ​A Tunisian court ‌on Thursday convicted and sentenced two ​prominent journalists to 3-1/2 years in prison on ‍tax evasion charges, ​which a family member said was ​retaliation ⁠for their reporting. The two journalists, Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi, worked for local radio IFM and have been imprisoned since 2024, first under ‌an eight-month sentence after being convicted of ​spreading false ‌news and insulting ‍the ⁠president then under pre-trial detention for the tax case. President Kais Saied has rejected accusations that he is restricting press freedom. Maryem Zghidi, Zghidi’s sister, said the family was “shocked” by Thursday’s sentence, describing ​the charges as baseless and retaliatory for his independent journalism. “The ruling is an attack on the press and freedom of expression”, she told Reuters. “They want to silence Mourad’s voice, but we will not remain quiet.” The families of the journalists are expected to appeal. Critics say the government has ​cracked down on dissent including opposition leaders, journalists, and civil society activists since Saied began ruling by decree in 2021. (Reporting …

South Korea court sentences ex-President Yoon to 5 years in prison

South Korea court sentences ex-President Yoon to 5 years in prison

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – APRIL 21: Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives for his criminal trial on insurrection charges at a courtroom of the Seoul Central District Court on April 21, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. The second trial regarding former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s charge of leading a rebellion hold at the Seoul Central District Court. (Photo by Jung Yeon-Je – Pool/Getty Images) Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison for charges including obstructing attempts to arrest him following his failed bid to impose martial law. The Seoul Central District Court said it found Yoon guilty of obstructing authorities from executing an arrest warrant related to his martial law declaration in Dec. 2024, live broadcast of the ruling showed. He was also found guilty of charges that include fabricating official documents and failing to comply with legal process required for martial law. The ruling is the first related to the criminal charges Yoon faces over his botched martial law declaration. The ruling can be appealed. Source link

Why do some sentences stay in your head much longer than others?

Why do some sentences stay in your head much longer than others?

Published by Jenni Sidey

A short sentence can fade fast. Another can hang around for minutes, or years. New research from MIT suggests the difference is not style or spelling. It is meaning. In a study of 500 people and 2,500 sentences, cognitive scientists found that sentences with distinctive meanings are easier to remember. They stand apart from what you have seen before. That separation gives your memory a clearer handle later. “Every cloud has a blue lining!” is odd and vivid. “You still had to prove yourself.” feels familiar. A few minutes later, the first line is more likely to return. Illustration of the predictions of the noisy representation hypothesis for distinctive vs. less distinctive items. In this schematic, each dot represents an item (e.g., a sentence) encoded in a high-dimensional space (here, the meaning space; we show the space in two dimensions for ease of visualization). (CREDIT: Journal of Memory and Language) “One might have thought that when you remember sentences, maybe it’s all about the visual features of the sentence, but we found that that was …

Pakistan Court Sentences Journalists to Life Over Links to Protests After Imran Khan’s Arrest

Pakistan Court Sentences Journalists to Life Over Links to Protests After Imran Khan’s Arrest

Published by Sam Flores

LAHORE, Jan 2 (Reuters) – A Pakistani anti-terrorism ‌court ​sentenced eight journalists and social ‌media commentators on Friday to life imprisonment in absentia after ​convicting them of terrorism-related offences linked to online activity in support of jailed former prime ‍minister Imran Khan. The convictions stem from ​cases registered after violent protests on May 9, 2023, when Khan’s supporters ​attacked military ⁠installations following his brief arrest. Since then, the government and military have launched a sweeping crackdown on Khan’s party and dissenting voices, using anti-terrorism laws and military trials to prosecute hundreds accused of incitement and attacks on state institutions. In its ruling, the ‌court said actions by the accused “fell within the ambit of terrorism” under Pakistani ​law ‌and that their online ‍material promoted “fear ⁠and unrest” in society. Most of those convicted are believed to be outside Pakistan and did not appear during the proceedings, court documents showed. The convicted include former army officers-turned YouTubers Adil Raja and Syed Akbar Hussain, journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir and Shaheen Sehbai, commentator Haider Raza Mehdi, …