Letters

  

CPJ concerned about media crackdown

Your Majesty: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the sharp erosion of press freedom in Morocco in recent months, including the arrest and criminal prosecutions of newspaper editors and the closure of independent publications. These actions contravene the internationally guaranteed right to freedom of expression and continue to undermine Morocco’s standing as a country that permits open media.

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Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply alarmed by the death of Canadian-Iranian free-lance photographer Zahra Kazemi. Although you have ordered several government ministries to officially investigate her death, we demand that an immediate, independent inquiry be conducted—including an autopsy—and that the results be made public. According to the official Iranian news…

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Journalist sentenced to life in prison for blasphemy

Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is dismayed that Munawar Mohsin, a former subeditor of the national daily Frontier Post, has been sentenced to life in prison by a court in North West Frontier Province on charges of blasphemy.

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CPJ remains concerned about jailed South Korean journalist

Dear Minister Zhang: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing once again to draw your attention to the unjust imprisonment of South Korean photographer Jae Hyun Seok, whose appeal may be heard later this month. Seok, a well-known free-lance photojournalist who worked regularly for The New York Times and Geo magazine, among other publications, was arrested in January in Shandong Province while documenting the plight of North Korean refugees. On May 22, he was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of human smuggling.

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CPJ urges AU to promote press freedom

Your Excellency, On the eve of the Assembly of Heads of State at the African Union (AU) summit in Maputo, Mozambique, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to express deep concern over the state of press freedom in Africa.

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CPJ concerned about journalists missing in Aceh

Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the safety of journalists Ersa Siregar and Ferry Santoro, who went missing over the weekend while reporting on the conflict in the northwestern province of Aceh for the private Indonesian television channel RCTI.

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CPJ calls on Putin not to sign legislation

Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, is very concerned about a bill, titled “On Amendments and Addendums Brought into Certain Legislative Acts,” that was passed by the lower and upper houses of Russia’s parliament on June 18 and June 25, respectively. The bill, which seeks to strengthen state regulation over independent media outlets, particularly their coverage of election campaigns, currently awaits your approval.

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CPJ protests media restrictions

Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned by the continuing efforts by Indonesian authorities to sharply restrict reporting by journalists attempting to cover the military operations in the restive Indonesian province of Aceh. The latest evidence of such efforts is the series of restrictive new rules, announced yesterday, which will prohibit independent reporting from the region.

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O CPJ preocupado por recentes ameaças contra jornalistas

Prezado Sr. Cortez: O Comitê para a Proteção dos Jornalistas (CPJ, por sua sigla em inglês) envia a presente para condenar as recentes ameaças e ataques violentos aos jornalistas guatemaltecos. Considerando que as eleições presidenciais e legislativas estão fixadas para o dia 9 de novembro, nos preocupa que estes incidentes possam se multiplicar e, com isso, aumentar a autocensura no meio jornalístico e evitar que os guatemaltecos participem de um debate político aberto e positivo.

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CPJ concerned about series of recent attacks against journalists

Dear Mr. Cortez: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to condemn a series of recent threats and violent attacks against Guatemalan journalists. With presidential and legislative elections scheduled for November 9, we are concerned that these incidents could multiply, increasing self-censorship among journalists and preventing Guatemalans from engaging in an open and meaningful political debate.

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