marlene-garcia-esperat

New York, September 17, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes a Supreme Court ruling in the Philippines granting a change of trial venue in the case against two suspects charged with ordering the March 2005 murder of investigative reporter Marlene Garcia-Esperat. 

Today CPJ launched its 2009 Global Impunity Index in Manila to mark the fourth anniversary of the murder of Marlene Garcia-Esperat, left, a Philippine columnist who reported on corruption in the government's agriculture department. Garcia-Esperat was gunned down in her home in front of her family in a case that has become emblematic of the struggle against impunity. Two government officials are accused of ordering her murder. CPJ's Elisabeth Witchel interviewed Philippine attorney Nena Santos, a private prosecutor representing the Esperat children.

CPJ’s Impunity Index spotlights countries
where journalists are slain and killers go free

New York, March 23, 2009 -- The already murderous conditions for the press in Sri Lanka and Pakistan deteriorated further in the past year, the Committee to Protect Journalists has found in its newly updated Impunity Index, a list of countries where journalists are killed regularly and governments fail to solve the crimes. Colombia, historically one of the world’s deadliest nations for the press, improved as the rate of murders declined and prosecutors won important recent convictions.

The Web site Wired PR News has more coverage of Afghan journalism student Parwez Kambakhsh's 20-year jail sentence for blasphemy. The story cites our October 21 alert condemning the sentence.

Responding to reports that a local court in the Philippines has ordered the arrest of Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay, the alleged masterminds in the 2005 killing of investigative journalist Marlene Garcia-Esperat, a day after murder charges were filed against them, we issued the following statement...

In the Philippines today, the news that charges have been brought against the alleged masterminds in the murder of Philippine journalist Marlene Garcia-Esperat is running in many of the country's major news outlets. 

New York, October 20, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists is heartened to learn that murder charges were filed today in the 2005 slaying of investigative reporter Marlene Garcia-Esperat in the Philippines.

In response to reports that murder charges have been filed against the alleged masterminds in the 2005 killing of Philippine journalist Marlene Garcia-Esperat before a local court in Mindanao, we issued this statement today ...

May 23, 2008

Hon. Reynato S. Puno
Chief Justice
Supreme Court of the Philippines
Manila, Philippines

Via facsimile: +63-2-526-8129

Dear Chief Justice Puno,

The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned about the recent ruling of a Cebu Court of Appeals to indefinitely suspend the murder trial of journalist Marlene Garcia-Esperat. The two suspects, Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay, face allegations of plotting the March 24, 2005, murder.