2009

New York, January 29, 2009–Journalists in at least three Iraqi cities were harassed on Wednesday as police, soldiers, prisoners, some government employees, and displaced persons kicked off the early voting phase of Iraq’s provincial councils elections, according to local and international news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ. 

New York, January 29, 2009–A Tunisian police officer today threatened a journalist at knife point, according to local journalists, prompting the Committee to Protect Journalists to call for his immediate suspension.

New York, January 28, 2009–Plainclothes police surrounded the offices of a newly launched satellite radio station and detained one of its journalists on Tuesday, according to local journalists. Police continued their siege of the station today.

New York, January 27, 2009–The Palestinian Authority (PA) has detained at least three journalists in the West Bank since Saturday, according to local news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ. 

Saudi Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz made an unexpected phone call last week to a live talk show on a Saudi sports channel. The prince made the angry call to Al-Riyadiyya from Mascat, Oman, on January 17 after he’d watched Oman’s national soccer team defeat Saudi Arabia in the Gulf Cup. He picked up the phone…

The Israeli Supreme Court announced today that international journalists must be allowed total access to Gaza in light of the official end of hostilities on January 18. Since November, the Israeli government has said that restricting the entry of these journalists has been for their own safety. Tel Aviv’s Foreign Press Association called the claim…

Although Israeli military operations have officially come to an end in Gaza, access for journalists has improved only marginally. Despite a December 31 ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court (on the fifth day of military operations) to allow eight journalists to enter Gaza each time the Erez crossing was opened, the government failed to implement the…

The murder of prominent Sri Lankan editor Lasantha Wickramatunga remains in the news with The New York Times running an editorial about him over the weekend. The Daily Times of Pakistan also has coverage of Wickramatunga’s death, which has garnered worldwide attention with the publication of the editor’s final column–it explained why he felt compelled to risk…

Dear Prime Minister Olmert: Since the Israeli military campaign began last month, international journalists have been denied independent access to Gaza. With the declaration of a cease-fire, we urge your government to immediately lift the ban and allow international journalists to independently report on events in Gaza.

Inter Press News has an article about the continued struggle journalists are facing to report on the conflict in Gaza. The story quotes our letter to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak criticizing the IDF’s decision to bar journalists from entering Gaza. The article cites CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon who says, “By preventing journalists from…