2013
CPJ calls on Obama to preserve press freedom climate in the U.S.
Dear President Obama: We are writing to express our concern regarding a pattern of actions taken by your administration that impedes the flow of information on issues of great public interest and thwarts the free and open discussion necessary to a democracy. We cite specifically the use of secret subpoenas against news organizations, prosecutions that equate leaking classified documents to the press with espionage, and the increased limitations on access to information that is in the public interest.
Vietnamese blogger jailed on tax evasion charges
Bangkok, October 4, 2013–Vietnamese blogger Le Quoc Quan was sentenced to prison on Wednesday for tax evasion, a charge that government authorities frequently use to stifle critical voices. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the appellate court to reverse the politically motivated ruling and urges Vietnamese authorities to end state persecution of Vietnam’s independent…
Broadcast journalist held without charge in Gambia
Abuja, Nigeria, October 3, 2013–Gambian authorities should immediately release Fatou Camara, a journalist who has been held incommunicado since September 17, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The government has not disclosed Camara’s whereabouts or any charges against her, according to news reports.
Knowing how law and technology meet at US borders
Border crossings have long posed a risk for journalists. In many nations, reporters and photographers alike have been subjected to questioning and having their electronic devices searched, if not also copied. But more recently, protecting electronically stored data has become a greater concern for journalists, including those who are U.S. citizens, upon entering or leaving…
Who Shot Ahmed?
On the night he was shot, Ahmed Ismail Hassan al Samadi was working. Protestors had gathered along a highway near his home in a small Bahraini village. With his handheld camcorder, Ahmed filmed as they marched. He filmed as security forces arrived in marked and unmarked cars. The citizen journalist had tens of hours of…
Nigeria attacks news websites for their news coverage
The Nigerian government on September 27, 2013, accused two leading independent online news websites–the Abuja-based Premium Times and the New York-based Sahara Reporters–of publishing frequent reports that “incite mutiny” within the military and undermine ongoing military operations against terrorist activities in northern Nigeria, according to news reports.
Journalist covering Greenpeace ship detained in Russia
On September 18, 2013, British freelance journalist and former videographer for The Times of London Kieron Bryan, 29, was detained along with Russian freelance photographer Denis Sinyakov and 28 Greenpeace activists and ship crew members off the north coast of Russia. Bryan was covering a Greenpeace demonstration in protest of oil mining in the Arctic,…
Sudan orders news outlets to toe government line
New York, October 1, 2013–Amid violent protests in Sudan last week, authorities asked journalists to refrain from publishing news that they said would “disturb the public,” according to news reports. Several journalists were subsequently detained and multiple outlets shut down, news reports said.