2012

  
Assailants target newspaper publisher Saouti Labass Haïdara. (Le Challenger)

In Mali, masked gunmen seize, assault publisher

Abuja, Nigeria, July 13, 2012–Armed, masked assailants abducted and beat a veteran journalist in Mali on Thursday, leaving him with a broken hand and other injuries, according to news reports and local journalists. 

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Maldives media offer first-hand accounts

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 situation here.

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Eskinder Nega sentenced to heavy prison term

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.  

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MDP supporters demonstrate at a rally in Male in February. (AFP)

At least four journalists attacked in Maldives protests

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.

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News coverage of economic sanctions barred by Iran

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.

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Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, right, has said stamping out corruption is a priority. (Reuters//Vladimir Pirogov)

A litmus test for Kyrgyzstan’s anti-corruption campaign

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. 

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Russian lawmakers attend a session of the lower house of parliament on July 6, 2012. (AP/Misha Japaridze)

Russian parliament votes to recriminalize defamation

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. 

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Soldiers stand in front of the offices of a news outlet that was attacked early Tuesday morning. (AFP/Julio Cesar Aguilar)

Three Mexican news outlets targeted in one day

New York, July 11, 2012–Unknown assailants using explosives, grenades, and guns attacked three news outlets in northern Mexico on Tuesday, causing property damage but no injuries, according to news reports.

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Abdulsemed Mohammed (Courtesy Abdulsemed)

Former Ethiopian state radio journalist released

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 capital, Addis Ababa, sentenced Abdulsemed Mohammed,…

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Álvaro Uribe speaks at a 2011 congressional hearing about his alleged responsibility in the wiretapping of political opponents and journalists. (AP/William Fernando Martinez)

Uribe’s angry tweets do more than antagonize

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 in August 2010. Instead of retiring…

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2012