A freed Yemeni editor offers thanks
Yemeni editor Abdel Karim al-Khaiwani walked out of a Sana’a prison today after being granted a presidential pardon. The outspoken journalist was serving a six-year prison term on what were widely seen as retaliatory antistate charges. Al-Khaiwani, whose case was the focus of a CPJ advocacy campaign, offered his gratitude. I thank the Committee to…
Press freedom in the news 9/25/08
The Canadian Press has coverage of the release of CTV reporter Jawed Ahmad, who was freed from U.S. detention on September 22. The article quotes Ahmad as saying that he believes the Canadian military “told them I was a risk.” The piece also mentions our alert urging the U.S. military to reveal the evidence against…
Press freedom in the news 9/24/08
CPJ’s letter to Spanish President Zapatero urging him to pressure Cuba on jailed journalists received significant coverage in the Spanish language press. Radio Marti ran a piece on the letter and the Spanish Web site PR Noticas has a story online. Cubaencuentro also has news coverage of the letter.Also today, the Web site of MarketWatch has…
Q & A: Andrew Berends and Aaron Soffin
CPJ interviewed documentary filmmaker Andrew Berends and producer Aaron Soffin at CPJ’s headquarters in New York. Berends spent 10 days in the custody of Nigeria’s State Security Services in Port Harcourt, from August 31 to September 9. He had been in the country for six months working on his film “Delta Boys.” Soffin worked to get…
Press freedom in the news 9/23/08
Reuters is reporting that Iraqi Kurdistan’s Parliament has passed a revised media law that protects the rights of journalists in the region and abolishes criminal defamation. CPJ travelled to the region in May to protest a much harsher version of the media law, and presented recommendations to Kurdish President Masoud Barzani. Also making news this…
Press freedom in the news 9/22/08
The failed assassination attempt against Iraqi Journalist Syndicate head Muaid al-Lami is the topic of various news stories today. Reuters reported that a bomb exploded as al-Lami left the front entrance of the syndicate’s headquarters in Baghdad on Saturday. The San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Voice of America, and the India…
Mexico must federalize crimes against press
In Mexico, where violence against the press has become an epidemic, a debate is raging about what should be done to confront this terrible problem. Since 2000, 21 journalists have been killed, seven of them in direct reprisal for their work. The record of violence has produced widespread self-censorship, particularly among regional journalists covering drug…
Venezuela proves intolerant to criticism
During his weekly television and radio address a year ago, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez warned that foreigners who criticize him or his administration while visiting the country would be expelled. Chávez ordered officials to scrutinize statements by foreign public figures and deport any outspoken critics. While analysts thought this declaration was yet another instance of…
Press freedom in the news 9/19/08
Our announcement of the 2008 International Press Freedom Award winners has gotten coverage today, with stories running in the Arab, African, and Asian press. The Philippine-based Pinoy Press has an article about the awardees, and The Zimbabwe Independent reports on the winners but leads with the news of Beatrice Mtetwa winning CPJ’s Burton Benjamin Award. In the Arab press, the…
Press freedom in the news 9/18/08
In the news today the Canada-based Web site Asian Pacific Post has a news brief about the imprisonment of Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Van Hai, also known as Dieu Cay. The brief cites CPJ’s condemnation of the 30-month sentence given to him on September 11. Also today, New York’s Lower Hudson Valley Journal News has more coverage of…