Since 2001, CPJ has documented the cases of 340 journalists forced into exile after their reporting exposed them to harassment, violence, or imprisonment. They face many difficulties in their new homes, from language and cultural adjustments to emotional and economic hardships. Here are five snapshots of journalists in exile.
New York, November 17, 2008–Authorities should halt harassment of media and human rights lawyer Harrison Nkomo, CPJ said today. Nkomo is awaiting word on whether he will face criminal charges after a client left Zimbabwe in the midst of a case, said Beatrice Mtetwa, co-founder of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
Alexis Sinduhije, a 2004 International Press Freedom Award recipient, has been charged with “contempt for the president” in his home country of Burundi. Sinduhije has given up journalism to pursue a career in politics. The Boston Globe has coverage of the arrest today.
New York, November 7, 2008–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s release of a Belgian journalist, his interpreter, and his driver, who were kidnapped on Tuesday while reporting on the war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. CPJ remains concerned about the safety of journalists in the rebel-held town of Kiwanja, where the only radio station…
We issued the following statement today after the release of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung journalist Thomas Scheen, interpreter Charles Ntiricya and driver Roger Bangue, who were kidnapped by a pro-government militia last Tuesday in Kiwanja, in the war-torn east of the Democratic Republic of Congo…
The Web site EurasiaNet has an article today looking at concerns surrounding the shutdown of foreign radio broadcasts in Azerbaijan. We released an alert on this troubling development on November 3, expressing concern at plans by President Ilham Aliyev’s administration to discontinue the broadcasts of the BBC, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and the Voice of America.