2013
Two Ethiopian journalists held for a week without charge
Nairobi, August 9, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the arrest and week-long detention without charge of two journalists working for Radio Bilal, a station that has provided extensive coverage of ongoing anti-government protests staged by Ethiopian Muslims.
Gunman sentenced in murder of Brazilian journalist
New York, August 9, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Tuesday’s conviction for the 2010 murder of Brazilian radio journalist and blogger Francisco Gomes de Medeiros. João Francisco dos Santos was sentenced to 27 years in prison on charges of shooting and killing the journalist in the northeastern city of Caicó, according to news reports.
Hong Kong news outlets face litigation over sources
Hong Kong, August 9, 2013–The government’s anti-corruption agency has demanded two news outlets turn over notes and other material related to interviews they conducted with an oil executive who is under investigation. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Independent Commission Against Corruption to withdraw its requests.
Thai journalist harassed over Facebook postings
Bangkok, August 9, 2013–A Thai journalist has been harassed and questioned today in connection with comments he posted to his personal Facebook page in early August that speculated about a possible military coup, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Thai authorities to drop the criminal investigation against Sermsuk Kasitpradit and to refrain…
Q&A: Nadia Sharmeen on journalists in Bangladesh
Nadia Sharmeen was attacked when she tried to cover a protest in April. (Ekushey TV)It has been a turbulent year for journalists in Bangladesh. It began with blogger Asif Mohiuddin being stabbed in January as he left his office in Dhaka. The following month, blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was killed for his writing. Four other…
Despite official repression, Sri Lanka media report attack
Details are emerging of Sri Lanka’s effort to control media coverage of an ugly attack on demonstrators by security forces last week. In Rathupaswala village in the town of Weliweriya, outside Colombo, on August 1, soldiers beat and fired on people protesting what they feared was contamination of their drinking water by a nearby factory.…
Journalists sentenced in alleged Ergenekon plot
Istanbul, August 7, 2013–A Turkish appellate court should overturn the convictions of numerous journalists who have been convicted in connection with Ergenekon, a broad anti-government conspiracy, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The journalists were convicted on flawed penal and anti-terror laws that conflate news coverage and commentary with terrorism.
Press freedom at risk in Egypt
New CPJ report looks at repressive tactics of successive governments New York, August 7, 2013–Hopes for press freedom were high after the 2011 revolution ousted Hosni Mubarak. But more than two years later, a deeply polarized Egyptian press has been battered by an array of repressive tactics, from the legal and physical intimidation of Mohamed…