2016
South Korean court finds blogger guilty of blogging positively about North Korea
New York, January 22–The Seoul Western District Court on January 21 found a 73-year-old, South Korean journalist guilty of blogging positively about North Korea and handed him a one-year suspended prison sentence, according to news reports. The court acquitted the journalist, identified only by his surname Lee in the South Korean media to protect his…
Three journalists face military trial in Cameroon
New York, January 21, 2016– The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Cameroonian authorities to drop all charges against three journalists for failing to disclose information to the state. The three are scheduled to stand trial before a military court on Friday.
How U.S. copyright law is being used to take down Correa’s critics in Ecuador
On December 30, César Ricaurte, the executive director of Fundamedios, received a copyright complaint with the potential to close his entire website. The complaint, filed on behalf of Ecuador’s communications regulator SECOM by a company called Ares Rights, ordered the independent press freedom group to remove an image of President Rafael Correa from its website,…
Two journalists missing, believed abducted in Yemen
New York, January 21, 2016 – Two journalists and a driver have gone missing and are believed to have been abducted in the Yemeni city of Taiz, their respective employers reported today. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for their immediate release and for anyone with information on their whereabouts to come forward.
Tanzania imposes permanent ban on weekly newspaper
New York, January 21, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Tanzania to end their harassment of the weekly newspaper Mawio. The Kiswahili-language newspaper was permanently banned from publishing in print and online Friday and two of its editors were briefly detained, according to reports.
CPJ urges Putin to ensure Chechen officials cease harassing journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists writes to Russian President Vladimir Putin to express its deep concern at the menacing language employed on social media and in the press by officials in Chechnya against critical journalists and rights activists.
CPJ condemns attack on Tolo TV employees in Afghanistan
New York, January 20, 2016–A suicide bombing in Kabul today killed seven employees from the Afghan station Tolo TV, according to news reports and the station. The attack on staff returning from work at the privately owned station injured 27 others, including 26 staff, according to Tolo TV. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the…
Coalition calls for release of two journalists in Chhattisgarh, India
A coalition of free expression and human rights advocacy groups led by the Committee to Protect Journalists wrote to Chief Minister Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh to ask him to intervene to ensure that police and prosecutors swiftly release journalists Somaru Nag and Santosh Yadav.
We’re live from Taipei! Please don’t tell China’s censors
Typically, news organizations like to promote original reporting. When an outlet covers a breaking news event at the time and from the place where the event is happening, they want their audience to know. However, for Chinese commercial media that covered this weekend’s presidential election in Taiwan, this was apparently not the case.
Freelance journalist killed by Saudi coalition airstrike in Yemen
New York, January 19, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the killing of Almigdad Mojalli. The Yemeni freelance journalist was killed by a Saudi-led coalition airstrike outside the capital of Sanaa on Sunday morning while on assignment for Voice of America, the outlet reported this weekend.