Asia
2015
Indian journalist named on hit list as threats against critical voices escalate
“These people will kill you,” Nikhil Wagle, a prominent journalist in India, told me as we discussed reports of him being named as a target by a member of a hard-line Hindu group who is being questioned by police over the murder of a writer.
As world leaders take to UNGA stage, CPJ highlights countries of concern
Press freedom records of Egypt, Russia, Iran, China, Nigeria, Mexico, Ecuador New York, September 25, 2015–Each year, the world’s leaders are invited to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where they are given a platform to speak freely and openly. But while the leaders of many countries enjoy this privilege, their journalists back…
CPJ welcomes arrests in 2011 murder of Philippine journalist
Bangkok, September 21, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the arrest in Thailand of two former Philippine politicians wanted in the 2011 murder of environmental journalist Gerardo Ortega. Joel Reyes, a former governor of Palawan province, and his brother, Mario Reyes, a former municipal mayor in the same province, were arrested on Sunday by Thai…
CPJ welcomes release of Vietnamese blogger Ta Phong Tan
New York, September 20, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release from prison of Vietnamese blogger Ta Phong Tan and calls on authorities to release all other journalists and bloggers imprisoned in the country. Tan was freed from prison and traveled to the United States, where she arrived late Saturday, according to local and…
Harassment in China: Foreign correspondents’ club releases report
From being followed by plain clothes policemen to being locked in a hotel conference room, the life of an international journalist in China comes with its challenges. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China released details on September 13 of six cases of members being harassed by authorities between March and August this year.
CPJ Announces 2015 International Press Freedom Awards
Awardees from Ethiopia, Malaysia, Paraguay, and Syria New York, September 15, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor journalists from Ethiopia, Malaysia, Paraguay, and Syria with the 2015 International Press Freedom Awards. The journalists have endured death threats, physical attacks, legal action, imprisonment, or exile in the course of their work.
Prominent Thai reporter held by military government
New York, September 14, 2015– The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention of Pravit Rojanaphruk, a prominent Thai journalist at the English-language daily The Nation, who is being held in military detention at an undisclosed location, according to reports.
In China, last of the liberals under pressure to toe party line
The day after a lavish military parade was held in Beijing on September 3 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and China’s role in defeating Japan, three major Chinese newspapers–Southern Weekend, Southern Metropolis, and Southern Daily–published pages of photographs and articles brimming with nationalist sentiment. The papers all belong…