2012

  
Journalist Mazhar Tayyara, also known as "Omar the Syrian," was killed early on February 4. (AFP/Youtube)

Syrian journalist killed in Homs

New York, February 8, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death of Syrian journalist Mazhar Tayyara, a stringer for Agence France-Presse and other international outlets, who was killed by government forces’ fire in the city of Homs early Saturday morning.

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At least 10 journalists have been attacked during protests in the Egyptian city of Suez over four days. (AFP/STR)

Journalists attacked, threatened in Suez protests

New York, February 8, 2012–Journalists covering political unrest in the Egyptian port city of Suez have been subjected to at least 10 attacks over a four-day period, according to news reports. One journalist was chased, fired upon, and threatened in four separate incidents, CPJ research shows.

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Solange Lusiku Nsimire is honored by the Université catholique de Louvain for her courage as a journalist and women's rights defender. (Anne-Marie Impe)

DRC journalist Solange Lusiku honored for fortitude

Seated near the fireplace in a historical home in Tournai, a medieval town 70 miles from Brussels and a stone’s throw from the French border, while snow fell outside, Solange Lusiku Nsimire was enjoying not only the company of friends, but the chance to live for a few days without fearing suspicious noises in the…

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Over 60 journalists reporting from the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, are locked out of their long-time press center. (AP/Sunday Alamba)

Nigerian airport journalists locked out, equipment held

New York, February 7, 2012–Nigerian authorities have locked reporters based at the country’s biggest airport out of their press center and withheld their equipment since Saturday, according to local journalists and news reports.

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Ecuadoran journalists Christian Zurita (right) and Juan Carlos Calderón have been ordered to pay President Correa US$1 million each in damages for defamation. (AFP/Agencia Prensa Independiente)

Ecuadoran journalists ordered to pay president $2 million

New York, February 7, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentence handed to two Ecuadoran journalists yesterday after they were found guilty of defaming President Rafael Correa.

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Pakistani journalists protest the killing of Mukarram Khan Aatif in Peshawar. (AP/Mohammad Sajjad)

Pakistan’s Abbas: Journalists hostage to ‘power of gun’

CPJ award winner Mazhar Abbas penned a strong Sunday op-ed piece, “Death is the only news–Challenges of working in conflict zones,” for The News. It’s about conditions for journalists working in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Baluchistan. As Abbas says, “The killing of one journalist is a message for another.” He goes on…

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Several journalists have been arrested for not having proper accreditation at Occupy Oakland protests like this one. (Reuters/Stephen Lam)

Accreditation disputes at center of US arrests

The issue of press accreditation continues to reverberate. In November, when the Occupy movement came into conflict with law enforcement across the country and at least 20 journalists covering the events were arrested, CPJ reported that disputes over press accreditation were at the center of many of those arrests. Last week, credentials played a role…

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An Egyptian protester throws back a gas canister during clashes with security forces in Cairo this weekend, in which at least two journalists were attacked. (Reuters/Mohammed Salem)

In Egypt, two journalists attacked, one detained

New York, February 6, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns official attacks on journalists covering political unrest in Egypt this weekend. At least two journalists were shot by security forces in the past three days, and a third journalist was assaulted in police custody, according to news reports.

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Tunisian court should drop prison term given to journalist

New York, February 6, 2012–A Tunisian appeals court should throw out the prison sentence against journalist Abdel Aziz al-Jaridi at a February 10 hearing and authorities should use his case as an opportunity to break from the repressive practices of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s era, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. 

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An Iranian hardline student protests against the BBC during a demonstration outside the British embassy in Tehran on August 14, 2011. (AFP/Behrouz Mehri)

Iran detains, harasses relatives of BBC Persian service staff

New York, February 3, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention and harassment in Iran of relatives of BBC Persian service staff who work outside the country, which is part of a sustained campaign to intimidate journalists into not reporting critically on Tehran’s activities.

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