South African journalists probed over scandal coverage
July 30, 2012 7:00 PM ET
Johannesburg, July 30, 2012--South African authorities should immediately drop a criminal investigation against three newspaper journalists who have sought to report details on a multi-billion-dollar arms scandal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
Mexico's El Norte attacked for the third time this month
July 30, 2012 6:22 PM ET
New York, July 30, 2012--Mexican authorities must immediately investigate an arson attack on the offices of a supplement owned by the daily El Norte, the third attack on an El Norte publication this month, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
Tanzanian authorities ban weekly indefinitely
July 30, 2012 6:06 PM ET
Nairobi, July 30, 2012--The Tanzanian government today banned indefinitely the critical Swahili-language weekly MwanaHalisi, accusing the paper of publishing seditious articles, according to local journalists and a statement by the information ministry. The ministry claimed that MwanaHalisi's four July editions contained seditious and false material but did not specify particular...
Mexico must investigate threat against Lydia Cacho
July 30, 2012 5:04 PM ET
New York, July 30, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a death threat made Sunday against Lydia Cacho, the Mexican investigative reporter and author, and calls on federal authorities to launch a thorough investigation....
Ethiopians still looking for answers on Meles
July 30, 2012 4:33 PM ET
Since I published a blog last week on the lack of information about the health and whereabouts of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, readers have deluged it with comments (over 175 as of today), reflecting the pent-up interest in the premier's status and deeply divided views of his leadership....
Time to reassess U.S. military counterinsurgency tactics
July 27, 2012 4:16 PM ET
One year ago, on July 28, 2011, Ahmad Omaid Khpalwak, 25, was killed by American troops during a brutal close-quarters battle with a Taliban suicide squad backed by gunmen. Khpalwak was one of 22 people killed in the hours-long siege on government buildings that included the governor's office and...
Viewing the London Olympics coverage from China
July 27, 2012 2:09 PM ET
Chinese propaganda officials must be thrilled that they're not responsible for the Olympics coverage in the British papers. Back during the Beijing Games, they worked hard to censor unrest and dissatisfaction in the domestic media. Reports of China's press freedom and human rights abuses were blocked, the kind of information...
Stressed out: How should newsrooms handle trauma?
July 27, 2012 1:49 PM ET
The rampage inside a Colorado movie theater that killed 12 people and injured dozens more is the most recent reminder that a journalist anywhere can face sudden, great emotional stress. Any story involving tragedy--from domestic violence to natural disasters--can inflict an emotional toll on field journalists. The very empathy...
For journalists, danger lurking in your email
July 27, 2012 7:47 AM ET
This week, Morgan Marquis-Boire and Bill Marczak of the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab provided a disturbing look into the likely use of a commercial surveillance program, FinFisher, to remotely invade and control the computers of Bahraini activists. After the software installs itself onto unsuspecting users' computer, it can...
Propaganda officials miss the boat on 'China's Katrina'
July 26, 2012 4:59 PM ET
Chinese journalists are questioning government propaganda due to conflicting reports of the death toll following Saturday's devastating flooding in Beijing. Like the Wenzhou train crash and the Sichuan earthquake, the tragedy has galvanized mainstream and online journalists--and the official narrative is crumbling under their scrutiny....
Unknown men abduct radio journalist in Colombia
July 26, 2012 4:55 PM ET
New York, July 26, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the kidnapping of a Colombian journalist and calls on authorities to secure her safe return. Élida Parra Alonso, who covers children's rights and hosts a program for Sarare Estéreo radio station, was abducted from her home on Tuesday, according to...
Where is Meles Zenawi? Ethiopians don't know.
July 26, 2012 4:09 PM ET
If you search for the name of Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles Zenawi, on Twitter these days, you'll see a flurry of incongruent postings: Meles is hospitalized in critical condition; he's fine and returning to work; he died two weeks ago; he's on holiday. Journalists for international news outlets have...
CPJ Impact
July 26, 2012 3:11 PM ET
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, July 2012 CPJ calls for release of jailed Ethiopian blogger CPJ's condemnation of the trial and conviction of Ethiopian blogger Eskinder Nega this month has received widespread coverage in the international media, as has a follow-up story on the Ethiopian government's attempts to...
CPJ testifies on global threats to freedom of expression
July 26, 2012 1:51 PM ET
CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in Washington on Wednesday, highlighting global attacks on press freedom and, in particular, assaults on the press in Honduras, Russia, and Turkey....
Crime journalist reported missing in Veracruz
July 25, 2012 4:51 PM ET
New York, July 25, 2012--Mexican authorities must immediately investigate the disappearance of a crime photojournalist who was last seen on Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Miguel Morales Estrada worked in Veracruz, which has become Mexico's most dangerous state for the press, according to CPJ research....
Defense tools for Sri Lanka's online onslaught
July 25, 2012 2:17 PM ET
Sanjana Hattotuwa, the founder of the citizen journalism website Groundviews, sent us the links to a new series of posters and videos focused on digital communications security. The material, which is aimed at a Sri Lankan audience, is available in English, Sinhala, and Tamil, but is relevant to anyone who...
News site blocked after covering Tajik official's murder
July 24, 2012 5:13 PM ET
New York, July 24, 2012--Authorities in Tajikistan blocked domestic access to the independent regional news website Asia-Plus on Monday after the outlet reported on the murder of a high-ranking security official and its aftermath, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the government to immediately restore...
#Maldives media debate unfolds on Twitter
July 24, 2012 4:23 PM ET
It started at 6:34 p.m. Monday. Abdulla Riyaz (@riyazabdulla), whose Twitter bio describes him as commissioner of the Maldives Police Service (MPS), published the following on his personal account: "MPS decides NOT to cooperate to Raajje TV [sic]. A statement will be released today."...
A year after Wenzhou, China still censoring disaster stories
July 24, 2012 1:35 PM ET
New York, July 24, 2012--A year after drawing public ire for censoring coverage of a high-speed train crash, Chinese authorities should allow journalists to freely cover the aftermath of Saturday's deadly flooding in and around the capital, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. International news accounts said 37...
Ethiopian weekly blocked for reporting on Meles' health
July 23, 2012 4:55 PM ET
Nairobi, July 23, 2012--Ethiopian authorities blocked the publication of a prominent independent newspaper over the weekend in connection with its stories on the health of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, according to local journalists....
Sudan restricts protest coverage, cracks down on press
July 20, 2012 5:31 PM ET
New York, July 20, 2012--Authorities in Sudan must stop their crackdown on press coverage of the ongoing protests in Khartoum and allow the media to report independently without fear of retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At least two journalists have been detained without charge; a third...
Face-blurring comes into focus for journalists
July 20, 2012 5:24 PM ET
This week, YouTube announced a feature that should catch the eye of video journalists and bloggers working in dangerous conditions. After uploading a video to YouTube, you can now deploy a "blur faces" post-production tool that, in theory, should disguise the visual identity of everyone on the screen. The...
Three years on, Natalya Estemirova's murder unsolved
July 19, 2012 4:16 PM ET
Three years ago this week, Natalya Estemirova, a contributor to the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and a local staffer for the Moscow-based rights group Memorial, was murdered in the North Caucasus, Russia's volatile region, where she was famous for her work as a defender of human rights. ...
KGB puts editor in jail over photos of teddy bears
July 18, 2012 3:52 PM ET
New York, July 18, 2012--Belarusian security agents should immediately release a website editor who has been jailed for publishing photographs of teddy bears, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The KGB, the nation's security service, is holding Anton Suryapin for alleged complicity in an illegal border crossing--a charge...
Rwandan police arrest political reporter in Kigali
July 18, 2012 3:50 PM ET
Nairobi, July 18, 2012--Police in Kigali are holding a newspaper reporter whose employer had earlier filed a complaint alleging that security agents had seized and interrogated him, according to news reports. On Tuesday, police arrested Idriss Gasana Byiringiro, a political reporter for the private weekly Chronicles, on suspicion of...
Two Iraqi journalists killed in Syria
July 18, 2012 3:44 PM ET
New York, July 18, 2012--Two Iraqi journalists living in Syria and covering the conflict in that country were killed on Saturday although news reports differed on crucial details. The Committee to Protect Journalists continues to investigate the circumstances of the deaths, which come amid reports of increasing violence toward Iraqis...
Afghanistan's draft media law slowed, but not stopped
July 17, 2012 2:29 PM ET
For now, the Afghan government's apparent attempt at railroading through a less-than-media-friendly new Mass Media Law without consultation seems to have been sidelined, though not derailed. On Sunday in Kabul, representatives of the Ministry of Information and Culture received recommendations from civil society workers and journalists, including some from the...
Libyan journalists released after nine days
July 17, 2012 1:41 PM ET
New York, July 17, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of two Libyan television journalists who were kidnapped on July 7 after covering the country's first elections in decades. Abdelqadir Fassouk, a reporter and cameraman for the private Misurata-based Tobacts TV station, and Yusuf Badi, a cameraman...
Cambodian broadcaster detained on insurrection charges
July 17, 2012 12:01 PM ET
Bangkok, July 17, 2012--Cambodian authorities should immediately release Mam Sonando, one of the country's leading critical journalists, who has been held since Sunday on anti-state charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. ...
Ecuador must allow closed stations to resume broadcasts
July 17, 2012 11:38 AM ET
Dear Mr. Jaramillo: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the closure of at least 11 Ecuadoran broadcasters since May. Our review of the closures, detailed in an attached list, found that in some instances government regulators did not follow the due process guarantees specified by law. CPJ's review also found that more than half of the stations that were closed had been critical of the government. While the government has the right to regulate the airwaves, it also has an obligation to do so in a transparent and unbiased manner.
Former police colonel indicted in Politkovskaya murder
July 16, 2012 5:59 PM ET
New York, July 16, 2012--Russian authorities have formally indicted retired police Lt. Col. Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov on charges of complicity in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, Russia's Investigative Committee said today. Politkovskaya, an investigative reporter with the Moscow-based independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and a fierce critic of the war in...
Indian newspaper editor shot, in critical condition
July 16, 2012 12:53 PM ET
New York, July 16, 2012--Authorities must immediately investigate Sunday's attack on Tongam Rina, a journalist for a local Indian daily, and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Rina was in critical condition today in a local hospital, according to news reports....
China's diverse censors
July 16, 2012 10:45 AM ET
Attempts to rein in microblogs like Sina Weibo are a huge part of China's sophisticated information control strategy these days. However, news reports last week serve as a reminder that propaganda authorities also rely on methods that are more old school. ...
Ethiopia sentences Eskinder, 5 others on terror charges
July 13, 2012 5:02 PM ET
Nairobi, July 13, 2012--An Ethiopian court today handed down heavy prison sentences to six journalists convicted on vague terrorism charges, local journalists and news reports said. Award-winning blogger Eskinder Nega got an 18-year term; the others live in exile and were sentenced in absentia....
Internet law: a good bad example of Russia's backsliding
July 13, 2012 3:16 PM ET
Russia's State Duma has passed a number of new laws in the past week, all seemingly aimed at reining in civil society and criticism of public figures. The bills would re-criminalize defamation and impose limits and labels on NGOs. They follow the introduction last month of excessive fines for unauthorized...
Bossa Nova's home and Olympics host is risky for press
July 13, 2012 3:14 PM ET
The jagged mountains ringing Rio de Janeiro descend to a temperate valley with two storied beaches on the Atlantic. Here is the city that gave the world a new, eclectic musical beat with the Bossa Nova, the South American jewel that will host the summer Olympic Games in 2016....
Maldives media offer first-hand accounts
July 13, 2012 1:36 PM ET
Violent clashes between police and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protesters continued in the streets of the capital, Malé, on Thursday night, according to international news reports. You can read CPJ's news alert on journalists swept up in the unrest--and background on the demonstrations--here, and some lively discussion on the...
Eskinder Nega sentenced to heavy prison term
July 13, 2012 9:26 AM ET
New York, July 13, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the harsh prison sentences issued by Ethiopia's High Court today for blogger Eskinder Nega and five independent journalists on vague and politically motivated terrorism charges. ...
At least four journalists attacked in Maldives protests
July 12, 2012 5:12 PM ET
New York, July 12, 2012--Authorities in the Maldives must ensure journalists are able to cover ongoing political demonstrations in the country without fear of being attacked, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
News coverage of economic sanctions barred by Iran
July 12, 2012 4:30 PM ET
New York, July 12, 2012--Iranian authorities have issued new censorship guidelines barring domestic news outlets from reporting on the impact of Western economic sanctions, local and international news outlets reported Wednesday. And, with at least three imprisonments reported, the government is continuing its years-long anti-press campaign....
A litmus test for Kyrgyzstan's anti-corruption campaign
July 12, 2012 1:03 PM ET
Campaigners from local rights activists to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay are urging Kyrgyz authorities to review the case of Azimjon Askarov, an investigative reporter and human rights activist serving a life sentence in Kyrgyzstan. ...
Russian parliament votes to recriminalize defamation
July 11, 2012 5:32 PM ET
New York, July 11, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned over Russia's moves to return defamation to the criminal code, and calls on the parliament to reject the restrictive bill on its second reading. ...
Former Ethiopian state radio journalist released
July 11, 2012 4:29 PM ET
Nairobi, July 11, 2012--A veteran Ethiopian state journalist who was twice imprisoned on vague corruption and copyright charges and recently convicted on the lesser charge was released today on account of a reduced sentence, local journalists said. A panel of judges at the Lideta Federal High Court in the...
Uribe's angry tweets do more than antagonize
July 11, 2012 4:17 PM ET
More than a year after he left office, Álvaro Uribe Vélez confessed that "it was not in him" to live as a former president. And in fact, having dominated Colombian politics for eight years, it has been impossible for Uribe to fade from the public eye since leaving office...
Gambian journalist detained on contempt of court charges
July 11, 2012 3:31 PM ET
Abuja, Nigeria, July 11, 2012--A Gambian judge ordered the arrest of a journalist Tuesday on contempt of court charges, the third instance of a journalist being detained on such charges in as many weeks, according to local journalists.Police arrested Sidiq Asemota, the legal affairs correspondent of the pro-government Daily Observer,...
In detaining blogger, Malaysia invokes secrets act
July 11, 2012 12:04 PM ET
Bangkok, July 11, 2012--Malaysian authorities must immediately release independent blogger Syed Abdullah Syed Hussein al-Attas who has been in police custody since July 4, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
Mexican journalist released after 24 hours in prison
July 11, 2012 10:27 AM ET
Prominent Mexican journalist Sanjuana Martínez was arrested on July 5, 2012, in the state of Nuevo León under unclear circumstances related to a civil custody dispute, and was released from jail the following day, according to news reports. Martínez was detained by armed police, which is unusual in a civil...
DRC denies entry to independent Belgian journalist
July 10, 2012 5:57 PM ET
Abuja, Nigeria, July 10, 2012--A Belgian journalist who released a critical documentary on the murder of a human rights activist was denied entry into the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday. The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces the country's decision to block Thierry Michel entry into the country...
Libyan journalists kidnapped after covering elections
July 10, 2012 5:35 PM ET
New York, July 10, 2012--Libyan authorities must establish the whereabouts of two journalists kidnapped on Saturday and do all in their power to secure their safe release, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The journalists were abducted on their way to the city of Misurata after covering the country's...
The Maldives backslides on press freedom
July 10, 2012 3:55 PM ET
CPJ has been watching the Maldives with concern since its first democratically-elected President Mohamed Nasheed relinquished power in February following what he describes as a military coup. New President Mohamed Waheed Hassan says Nasheed's resignation was voluntary and refuted criticism that his rule marked a return to the ways...
Brazilian journalist who covered sports gunned down
July 10, 2012 2:40 PM ET
New York, July 10, 2012--Brazilian authorities must investigate the murder of radio journalist Valério Luiz de Oliveira and apprehend the perpetrators, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Luiz was shot and killed on Thursday afternoon in the western city of Goiânia, according to news reports....
Sri Lankan editor needs backup after minister's tirade
July 10, 2012 11:41 AM ET
As far as Frederica Jansz is concerned, "The Sri Lankan media have been completely cowed into submission by this regime with the exception of The Sunday Leader. It is Mahinda Rajapaksa's biggest success story next to winning the war."...
In Sudan, journalists detained after covering protests
July 9, 2012 4:54 PM ET
New York, July 9, 2012--Sudanese authorities must immediately release two journalists who were taken into custody nearly a week ago after covering anti-government protests in Khartoum, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The whereabouts or any charges against the journalists have not been disclosed....
In Mali, masked gunmen kidnap, beat journalist
July 9, 2012 4:31 PM ET
Unidentified armed men wearing masks abducted Abdrahmane Keïta, editor of the private bi-weekly L'Aurore, in a public square in Bamako, the capital, at about 8:30 p.m. on July 2, 2012, according to local journalists and news reports. The gunmen dragged Keïta onto their vehicle while repeatedly kicking and beating him...
Another Somali journalist survives shooting
July 9, 2012 4:14 PM ET
Nairobi, July 9, 2012--Two unidentified gunmen shot Universal TV reporter and anchor Abdulkadir Omar Abdulle on Saturday evening near his home in the southern Wadajir district of the capital, Mogadishu, but he survived the attack, local journalists told CPJ. An eyewitness spotted two men removing pistols from their waists...
What to know about covering the conventions
July 9, 2012 2:51 PM ET
If May's NATO Summit in Chicago is any indication, journalists covering events outside the national political conventions in Tampa, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C., later this summer can expect that everyone--mainstream media, bloggers, citizen journalists, protesters, and bystanders--will have a camera of one kind or another. With the widespread proliferation...
Togolese reporter attacked while covering protest
July 6, 2012 5:59 PM ET
Abuja, Nigeria, July 6, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an attack on a Togolese journalist who was trying to cover a demonstration on Monday and calls on authorities to immediately investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice. Atayi Ayi, a reporter for the daily Forum de la Semaine,...
Ugandan press finds unexpected ally in judiciary
July 6, 2012 4:15 PM ET
With a medical drip attached to his hand, camped outside police headquarters along Parliamentary Avenue in Uganda' capital, Kampala, William Ntege was determined to get his video cameras back. Police had beaten Ntege, a journalist with the private broadcaster WBS, and damaged two of his cameras as he covered...
CPJ concerned about arrest of Mexican journalist
July 6, 2012 12:14 PM ET
New York, July 6, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the arrest of prominent Mexican journalist Sanjuana Martínez Thursday in Nuevo León under unclear circumstances related to a civil custody dispute. The judge who ordered the detention was the subject of critical reporting by Martínez in 2008....
Blogger harassed, briefly detained by police in Vietnam
July 6, 2012 11:54 AM ET
Bangkok, July 6, 2012--Vietnamese authorities must stop their harassment of independent blogger and rights activist Huynh Thuc Vy and allow her to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Huynh was briefly detained by police and threatened with anti-state charges on Wednesday, according to news reports....
Victory for press freedom in Sarkozy video case
July 6, 2012 10:56 AM ET
"Champagne." Augustin Scalbert's tweet on Monday could not have better expressed the joy and relief at Rue89, a leading French news website. After four years of legal procedures, a Paris judge had just announced he was dropping all charges against the journalist "for lack of evidence" in a case...
Editor of Talysh paper further targeted in Azerbaijan
July 5, 2012 5:19 PM ET
New York, July 5, 2012--Authorities in Azerbaijan should drop new, politically motivated charges against Hilal Mamedov, chief editor of a paper serving ethnic Talysh, and release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
Afghan donors must address media repression
July 5, 2012 4:06 PM ET
One thing that had better be high on the agenda this weekend at the meeting of 70 or so international aid donors for Afghanistan in Tokyo is the recently released official draft version of the Mass Media Law (a copy of the draft can be found here). I mentioned...
US should press Israel to return confiscated equipment
July 5, 2012 2:33 PM ET
Dear Secretary Clinton: We are writing to bring to your attention the Israeli Ministry of Communication's refusal to return U.S.-funded equipment that was confiscated from a private Palestinian broadcaster about four months ago.
Shallow victory for China's journalists, protesters
July 5, 2012 1:51 PM ET
Shi Junrong, Xi'an Evening News bureau chief in the city of Wei'an, ran into trouble recently after he reported on the costly brand of luxury cigarettes favored by local officials. He announced on his microblog that the paper suspended him soon after, according to the U.S. government-funded Radio Free...
Photographer gunned down in Ecuador
July 3, 2012 3:47 PM ET
Bogotá, Colombia, July 3, 2012--Ecuadoran photographer Byron Baldeón was shot dead Sunday in front of his home in El Triunfo, about 60 kilometers (100 miles) north of the city of Guayaquil. The photographer had become a witness in a criminal case involving alleged police corruption, according to news reports. ...
Sudan must end crackdown on press covering protests
July 3, 2012 3:15 PM ET
New York, July 3, 2012--Sudanese authorities should allow journalists to cover anti-government demonstrations in Khartoum, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Over the past week, authorities have raided a media office and a journalist's home, arrested one journalist and interrogated another, deported a third journalist, and blocked at...
Palestinian security forces assault journalists at protests
July 2, 2012 5:17 PM ET
New York, July 2, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned attacks by Palestinian security forces on at least four journalists who were covering protests against the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah on Saturday and Sunday, according to news reports....
The New York Times takes on China's censors
July 2, 2012 4:55 PM ET
Well, that didn't take long. Just days after The New York Times' soft launch of its Chinese-language edition and accompanying microblog accounts, Berkeley-based China Digital Times website reports that the @nytchinese Sina Weibo feed is no longer accessible in China, along with two accounts hosted by Netease and Sohu. We...
In Belarus, journalist charged with libeling Lukashenko
July 2, 2012 3:37 PM ET
New York, July 2, 2012--Andrzej Poczobut, the prominent Grodno-based correspondent for the largest Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, was formally indicted Saturday on criminal charges of libeling President Aleksandr Lukashenko through a series of articles critical of administration policies....