2011
Egypt must stop censoring newspapers
New York, September 27, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the censorship of two newspapers in the past four days, the first instances of their kind since the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak in February. Production of the Saturday edition of the independent weekly Sawt al-Umma was halted, while the daily Rose al-Youssef was…
Iranian hacker dupes Google, activists worried
After reporting on fraudulent https certificates presumably being used by the Iranian government to spy on internet users, CPJ’s Danny O’Brien explains the impact of this security breach on journalists and activists in a radio interview with Public Radio International’s The World. Click here for the full story.
Reserved for press
CPJ’s Carlos Lauria, senior program coordinator for the Americas, took Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa to task on his dismal record on maintaining a free press at the Columbia University on Friday, September 23. When Lauria charged Correa with using the courts to silence and imprison critics he lashed out, claiming Lauria was “lying and a…
AU forces say four soldiers responsible for journalist’s death
New York, September 26, 2011–Four African Union soldiers deployed in Somalia have been suspended and returned to their home country of Burundi for potential trial after an internal investigation found them responsible for the shooting death of a Malaysian journalist this month. In a statement issued today, the African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM,…
UNESCO must reject Obiang prize bid
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined with eight other human rights organizations today in opposing the bid for a UNESCO life sciences prize named after Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. CPJ and other groups have consistently voiced their opposition to this prize, saying that Equatorial Guinea’s human rights record undercuts the UNESCO mission.…
Thai journalist dies from bomb blast injuries
New York, September 26, 2011–The Thai government must bring to justice the perpetrators of the September 16 bomb attacks that killed a journalist and five other people in the country’s insurgency-plagued southern region, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Correa lambastes press in Columbia speech
“Sir, you are lying and a liar.” With these words, uttered before an audience of around 150 people, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa dispelled any doubt as to whether he might cool his explosive rhetoric in the face of criticism. His harsh words came in response to a critical question posed by CPJ’s senior coordinator for…
Sniper fire claims life of Yemeni cameraman
New York, September 26, 2011–A Yemeni cameraman died in a Sana’a hospital on Saturday, five days after being struck by sniper fire while covering an anti-government protest in the capital, according to local and international news reports. Hassan al-Wadhaf, who filmed his own shooting, is the second journalist to be killed in Yemen since demonstrations…