2009

  

CPJ urges Moroccan king to reform media restrictions

Your Majesty: On the eve of the 10th anniversary of your ascent to the throne, the Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to express our disappointment with the continued use of the courts to suppress freedom of expression. International human rights groups praised Morocco around the time of your ascension to the throne for having made significant steps toward the rule of law. Unfortunately, just a few years later it was among the 10 nations worldwide where press freedom had deteriorated the most.

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Madagascar's political crisis has led to public distrust of the media. (AFP)

In Madagascar, media torn along partisan lines

“Are you sure about coming back here now?” My cousin in Antananarivo was a bit hesitant about the wisdom of my plan to visit the family while the political crisis was still weighing on the daily lives of Malagasy citizens. I had not been back to my home country in nine years until this summer.…

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Bolivian cameraman brutally attacked in La Paz

New York, July 28, 2009–Following a vicious attack on a cameraman for the La Paz-based television network Gigavisión outside the station’s offices early Saturday morning, the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Bolivian authorities today to thoroughly investigate and bring those responsible to justice.

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Al-Jazeera bureau chief threatened in Yemen

New York, July 27, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the safety of Al-Jazeera staff in Yemen after an unknown caller threatened to kill the satellite broadcaster’s bureau chief on Sunday. 

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Radio commentator shot dead in the Philippines

New York, July 27, 2009–Police in Mindanao must investigate the motive for today’s shooting murder of radio journalist Godofredo Linao and pursue those responsible, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Bloggers held in Egypt without charge

New York, July 24, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Egyptian authorities today to explain why they have detained three bloggers this week without charge.  

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Petition for Maziar Bahari, held in Tehran

CPJ will be collecting signatures until July 31 on a Facebook petition in support of Maziar Bahari, Newsweek’s Tehran correspondent, who is being held without charge in Iran.

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Political group attacks photojournalist covering Indian elections

A group of political supporters attacked freelance photojournalist Jay Mandal at an election rally in Nandigram, West Bengal, India, on May 5, 2009, according to news reports and the New York-based South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA). 

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Chinese newspaper appeals Taiwan distribution ban

China Daily filed an appeal on July 2, 2009, challenging the Taiwanese government’s decision to revoke distribution rights of the Beijing-based English-language newspaper in Taiwan, according to international news reports. 

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Anti-terrorism legislation further restricts Ethiopian press

Dear Prime Minister: We are writing to express our serious concerns about legislation that would further restrict press freedom in Ethiopia and about an ongoing pattern of criminal prosecutions, administrative restrictions, and Internet censorship. We are concerned that these measures, which official rhetoric has publicly justified as policies to safeguard the “constitutional order,” actually criminalize independent political coverage and infringe on press freedom as guaranteed by the Ethiopian Constitution. We call on you to use your influence to reverse this trend.

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