Cameroonian journalist Charles Artangana came to the United Kingdom in 2004 following 40 days of imprisonment and abuse. After seven years, three deportation attempts, multiple detentions and a vigorous campaign on his behalf by the National Union of Journalists, Artangana was finally granted asylum in April 2011.
Omar Ruiz Hernández, a reporter for the Havana-based independent news agency Grupo de Trabajo Decoro in the province of Villa Clara, was arrested when he was 62 during the massive 2003 crackdown on the island’s dissidents and independent press. He shared quarters with 11 prisoners in a small barracks until he was freed in July…
Alfredo Felipe Fuentes, an economist by training, began working for the Cuban independent press in 1991. He was given 26 years in prison in 2003 for violating Article 91 of the Cuban penal code and acting against “the independence or the territorial integrity of the state.”
Kavita Menon, Senior Program Officer for CPJ, has reported across South Asia and contributed to news outlets including the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and NPR. She previously headed CPJ’s Asia program and led missions to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Follow her on Twitter @kavita718.