March 2013 - Page 8 of 10 - Committee to Protect Journalists

For Iran and U.S., mutually restrictive visa policies

March 7, 2013 11:25 AM EST

Istanbul-based McClatchy correspondent Roy Gutman has been honored for his reporting from Srebrenica to Baghdad. But he can’t get a visa for Iran. He blames the U.S. government, at least in part.

Journalist detained by security agents in Mali

March 6, 2013 5:31 PM EST

New York, March 6, 2013–State security agents in Mali detained an editor today in connection with his newspaper’s publication of an open letter criticizing a financial package awarded to a former coup leader, according to news reports and local journalists. Six agents of State Security, Mali’s intelligence agency, arrested Boukary Daou, a top editor for…

Saudi Web manager released after a year in prison

March 6, 2013 4:55 PM EST

News accounts reported that Jalal Mohamed al-Jamal, manager of the local news website Al-Awamia, was freed from prison on March 5, 2013. It was unclear why the journalist, who was jailed without charge for more than a year, had been released.

Hassan Ruvakuki, seen here after his release from prison today. (RFI)

Burundi journalist Ruvakuki freed from jail

March 6, 2013 3:46 PM EST

Nairobi, March 6, 2013–Burundian authorities today released Hassan Ruvakuki, a reporter who has been imprisoned for 16 months on charges related to his interview with a rebel leader. The circumstances of the release were not immediately clear, and the Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities to vacate Ruvakuki’s conviction and prison sentence.

In Ukraine, editor brutally assaulted by unknown assailants

March 6, 2013 3:44 PM EST

New York, March 6, 2013–Ukrainian authorities must apprehend the assailants who brutally attacked an independent editor on Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Venezuelan authorities must ensure safety of press

March 6, 2013 3:08 PM EST

New York, March 6, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Tuesday’s attack on Carmen Andrea Rengifo, a correspondent for the Colombian TV station RCN, by crowds who had gathered in Caracas to mourn the death of President Hugo Chávez. CPJ calls on authorities to investigate the assault immediately.

Celebrated China journalist leaves newspaper

March 6, 2013 1:40 PM EST

Veteran investigative journalist Wang Keqin left his job at a prominent Chinese newspaper on February 25, 2013. An Agence France-Presse report citing two journalists who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal said that Wang was pressured into leaving by management at the Economic Observer.

New CPJ report: China’s censorship challenge

March 6, 2013 1:18 PM EST

Hong Kong, March 6, 2013–As China’s new leadership takes office, a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists will shed light on the shifting dynamics of censorship within China and the expanding role of its state media across the world.

In front of the Parliament building in Islamabad on January 28, journalists demonstrate a spate of recent killings. (Reuters/Faisal Mahmood)

From Islamabad to Hyderabad, journalist safety at issue

March 5, 2013 5:20 PM EST

Owais Toheed, head of ARY News, cancelled his speaking slot for Wednesday at the conference I’m attending in Islamabad. Organized by UNESCO, the Open Society Foundations, Intermedia, and International Media Support, the meeting’s title says it all: International Conference on Safety and Security of Journalists in Pakistan. The reason Toheed couldn’t attend is because he…

Sri Lanka seeks to ID sources for Channel 4 film

March 5, 2013 5:09 PM EST

New York, March 5, 2013–The Sri Lankan Defense Ministry says it wants to identify sources who provided information to the UK-based broadcaster Channel 4 for a new documentary alleging that government forces committed war crimes during the country’s long civil conflict, The Divaina, a Sinhala-language daily, reported today. In response, the producer issued a statement…