Press Center

 New CPJ report analyzes journalist killings

New York, May 16, 2013--Journalists face deteriorating security accompanied by a severe lack of justice in Pakistan. Authorities have failed to prosecute a single suspect in the 23 journalist murders over the past decade. In a new report to be published on May 23, the Committee to Protect Journalists examines impunity in journalist killings in Pakistan and details how critical coverage leaves the press ensnared in a web of militancy, security and politics.

New York, May 10, 2013 - The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Pakistan's interim government to reverse its decision to expel New York Times bureau chief Declan Walsh from the country. The order comes on the eve of national elections that will bring about the first successful change of civilian government in Pakistan's history.

New York, May 8, 2013--At least 40 Iranian journalists were behind bars on April 15, 2013, as authorities intensified a crackdown on the independent media ahead of the June presidential elections, a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists has found. According to the analysis, Iran is the second leading jailer of journalists in the world.

New York, May 2, 2013---In response to today's ruling by Ethiopia's Supreme Court to uphold an 18-year prison sentence imposed on award-winning journalist Eskinder Nega and reject his appeal, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: 

"This ruling trivializes the serious crime of terrorism, upholds a politically motivated travesty of justice, and lessens Ethiopia's international standing," CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita said. "As a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Ethiopia should comply with its obligations under international law and its own constitution and release Eskinder unconditionally. The persecution of Eskinder and other journalists is the hallmark of a regime fearful of the opinions of its citizens."

CPJ Impunity Index: Nigeria enters ranking; Somalia, Pakistan, Brazil and Mexico persist

New York, May 2, 2013--Unpunished, deadly violence continues to plague the press globally and has notably increased in Nigeria, according to the 2013 Impunity Index, the Committee to Protect Journalists' annual ranking of countries where journalists are murdered regularly and their killers go free.

"In countries where authorities fail to deliver justice in the killing of journalists, the result is more killings, while journalists try to survive by exercising self-censorship," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "Nigeria's entry on the index suggests that violence is beginning to limit coverage of crucial issues, posing a grave threat to the country's democracy. The government must exert the necessary political will to solve these crimes."

CPJ to launch 2013 Impunity Index

New York, April 30, 2013 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists will release its 2013 Impunity Index, a global tally of countries with the highest number of unsolved press murders, on May 2, 2013. The index, which calculates unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of each country's population, shows that authorities are often unwilling or unable to pursue justice in journalist killings. Since 1992, more than 650 journalists have been murdered in direct relation to their work, a disturbing trend that sends a chilling message to those reporting uncomfortable truths. 

Film screening & discussion with Jon Stewart

New York, April 26, 2013--As Iran nears elections in June, the government has renewed its assault on the local press with arrests, prosecutions, and harassment, according to research by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Bangkok, April 26, 2013--The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the decision by Thailand's Ministry of Culture to reverse its earlier imposed ban on the locally produced documentary Fah Tam Pan Din Soon (Boundary).

"The ministry's reversal of its censorship order against director Nontawat Numbchapol's documentary is a step in the right direction," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "We would encourage government authorities to reconsider their banning of various other politically-oriented films, books and websites currently censored."

New York, April 25, 2013-The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the approval today of legislation that will implement a constitutional amendment that gives federal authorities in Mexico broader jurisdiction to prosecute crimes against freedom of expression. 

"This is a legislative milestone and a step forward in the fight against the impunity that persists in crimes against the press," said CPJ senior Americas program coordinator, Carlos Lauría. "We urge President Enrique Peña Nieto to immediately sign these measures into law and then ensure that authorities effectively use this new tool to bring the killers of journalists to justice."   

New York, April 22, 2013--The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a death threat sent to the Mexico office of the international freedom of expression organization Article 19.

"Mexican authorities must launch an exhaustive investigation into this threat and bring those responsible to justice," said CPJ Senior Americas Program Coordinator Carlos Lauría. "The authorities have a responsibility to ensure that journalists and defenders of press freedom can work without fear for their safety."