Asia

The Chinese government backed away on Thursday from its attempt to mandate censorship software, “Green Dam” and “Youth Escort,” on personal computers, a move that was previously delayed. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology official Li Yizhong denied there was ever an intention to require pre-installation of the programs on Thursday, saying the government’s May…

New York, August 14, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by U.S. immigration officials’ decision to detain without explanation Rahman Bunairee, a Pakistani reporter for Voice of America who said he had been targeted for attack in his home country. CPJ calls on immigration officials to release Bunairee immediately and allow him to resume…

New York, August 14, 2009–Security forces should immediately investigate today’s shooting murder of TV journalist Siddique Bacha Khan in the city of Mardan in Pakistan’s restive North West Frontier Province, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. 

In response to news that Pakistani reporter Rahman Bunairee was detained Monday by immigration officials at Washington Dulles International Airport while trying to enter the country to accept a one-year position with Voice of America, we issued this statement…

New York, August 12, 2009–Tuesday’s roadside bomb attack that seriously wounded two Associated Press journalists highlights the dangers journalists face in covering the escalating conflict in Afghanistan. 

Police threatened to arrest two journalists based in Srinagar, capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, on July 10, 2009, for reporting that the family of a missing youth, Asrar Mushtaq Dar, feared he may have “disappeared” in police custody, according to a statement issued by the Kashmir Press Bureau. Dar was later…

Journalist Shiva Oli returned to his village in Doti district, in western Nepal, on July 28, 2009, after hiding for three days following harassment for his work, according to the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and other news sources. 

CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon is one of four diverse voices featured on The New York Times “Room for Debate” blog. The debate centers on the risk of venturing into dangerous territories, whether for recreation or journalism. You can read Simon’s take on the Times’ Web site.

Roxana Saberi, who was imprisoned in Iran for nearly four months, published a statement on her personal Web site to Euna Lee and Laura Ling after their release from North Korea on Tuesday. Saberi had previously expressed her support for the two imprisoned journalists in an interview with CPJ on June 9.