Iran arrests four journalists; dozens deteriorating in prison
New York, December 7, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s arrest of four Iranian journalists at the daily Sharq. CPJ is also disturbed by recent news reports that indicate the abusive treatment endured by dozens of imprisoned Iranian prisoners has adversely affected the health of many of them–including Issa Saharkhiz, at left, a founding member of the now-defunct Association…
Journalists on the frontlines of press freedom honored
New York, November 24, 2010–Outstanding journalists at the forefront of the battle for press freedom in Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela were honored Tuesday evening at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 20th Annual International Press Freedom Awards benefit dinner.
Mohammad Davari IPFA 2010 Video
Mohammad Davari, editor-in-chief of the news website Saham News, is being held at Evin Prison in Iran for compiling testimony of detainees who were raped and tortured at Kahrizak Detention Center. Davari is a 2010 CPJ International Press Freedom Awardee. Read about other awardees here.
CPJ Press Freedom Awardee: ‘I always wanted answers’
The last few weeks have been extremely busy for everyone at CPJ as we’ve been preparing for the 2010 International Press Freedom Awards. Today’s press conference in Washington will be followed by a series of events culminating in our awards ceremony Tuesday in New York. As always, the awardees make it special.
Two German reporters charged with espionage in Iran
New York, November 17, 2010–Iranian authorities announced on Tuesday that two German reporters for Bild am Sonntag will be charged with espionage, according to international news reports. They were arrested in October while interviewing the son of a woman sentenced to death by stoning on charges of adultery. The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by these developments and…
Internet Blotter
Egyptian blogger Karim Amer is finally free after four years in prison. Iran launches yet another police force to deal with the Internet, headquartered with the Revolutionary Guard. Its commander says the state plans to quadruple its Internet control budget. Google lobbies U.S. policymakers to consider online censorship a free trade issue. Is breaking into…
Press Club honors jailed Iranian Kouhyar Goudarzi
The National Press Club next week will honor an Iranian journalist who is languishing in prison. Kouhyar Goudarzi, an online reporter and human rights activist, was pursuing an aerospace degree at Sharif Industrial University when security agents put him behind bars, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Goudarzi, left, was an…
Internet blotter
CPJ protested the arrest of Bahrain blogger Ali Abdel Imam back in September — The Wall Street Journal has a story on his continuing detainment. Activism around the imprisonment of Canadian-Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan continues: PEN Canada is focusing on his case and Canada and France’s foreign ministers have urged his release. Local Thai ISPs are…
Internet Blotter
Omid Memarian gives insight into the Iranian hardliner in-fighting that led to “blogfather” Hossein Derakhshan’s arrest and sentencing.Pakistan blocks Facebook, but doesn’t block militant jihadi sites.What happened when the authorities shut down the Internet in China’s Xinjiang province.”Deleted” Facebook photos can stay available for years (from the excellent Ars Technica, now banned in Iran).Quote of…
Petition highlights Nokia sales to Iran
Access, a global Internet freedom advocacy group, has launched a “No To Nokia” petition as part of a campaign supporting Iranian journalist Issa Saharkiz’s lawsuit against Nokia Siemens. The Saharkiz lawsuit claims that Nokia Siemen’s sales of mobile tracking technology to Iran was instrumental in allowing the Iranian government to locate the journalist when he…