Africa
2010
CPJ meets jailed Burundian journalist, calls for his release
Bujumbura, December 9, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for the release of journalist Jean-Claude Kavumbagu after visiting him in prison in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura. CPJ made the call at a press conference marking the end of a four-day mission to Burundi.CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney and East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes met with Kavumbagu, at…
Video: Shining Light on a Dark Prison Cell
In this video companion to CPJ’s 2010 census of imprisoned journalists, Sri Lankan columnist J.S. Tissainayagam describes his own time in prison and how international advocacy can make a difference in winning the freedom of jailed reporters, editors, photojournalists, and bloggers. (4:09) Read the special report “Iran, China drive prison tally to 14-year high” and…
Facebook gets caught up in Egypt’s media crackdown
As CPJ has previously documented, journalists in Egypt have faced a deterioration in press freedom in the run-up to the parliamentary vote on Sunday. Editors have been fired, TV shows suspended, and regulations over SMS texting suddenly tightened. In the final few days, a new forum found itself caught up in this attempt to control…
Journalists on the frontlines of press freedom honored
New York, November 24, 2010–Outstanding journalists at the forefront of the battle for press freedom in Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela were honored Tuesday evening at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 20th Annual International Press Freedom Awards benefit dinner.
Dawit Kebede IPFA 2010 Video
Dawit Kebede is managing editor of the Awramba Times in Ethiopia. After the government’s crackdown on the press in 2005, he survived a 19-month prison term to restart the only remaining independent media outlet in Ethiopia. Kebede is a 2010 CPJ International Press Freedom Awardee. Read about other awardees here.
CPJ Press Freedom Awardee: ‘I always wanted answers’
The last few weeks have been extremely busy for everyone at CPJ as we’ve been preparing for the 2010 International Press Freedom Awards. Today’s press conference in Washington will be followed by a series of events culminating in our awards ceremony Tuesday in New York. As always, the awardees make it special.
Zimbabwe detains reporter on criminal defamation charges
New York, November, 18, 2010–Reporter Nqobani Ndlovu remained in police custody today despite expectations that he would appear in court on criminal defamation charges, local journalists told CPJ. Police in Zimbabwe’s second largest city, Bulawayo, arrested Ndlovu, a reporter for the private weekly Standard, on Wednesday and charged him with criminal defamation in relation to an…
In exile in the U.S., Ethiopian journalist struggles forward
After almost a year in exile in America, an icy ocean away from his home in Ethiopia, journalist Samson Mekonnen, left, only recently received his work permit in Washington. In the interim, like most journalists undergoing the emotionally and financially grueling resettlement process, he has relied on friends, family, and international organizations like CPJ to…