Three Orient News journalists killed in Syria
New York, December 9, 2014–Three journalists from the Syrian opposition TV station Orient News were killed on Monday while headed to cover the aftermath of clashes in the village of Sheikh Miskeen in Daraa Province, according to their station and other news reports. The station said it believed the journalists were directly targeted by the…
Freelancer Luke Somers killed in hostage rescue attempt in Yemen
New York, December 6, 2014–Luke Somers, an American freelance journalist held hostage by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was killed along with fellow hostage Pierre Korkie, a South African teacher, during a failed rescue attempt by U.S. special forces on Saturday morning in Yemen, according to U.S. officials and news reports.
CPJ calls for release of U.S. journalist held in Yemen
New York, December 4, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of U.S. freelance journalist Luke Somers, who has been held hostage in Yemen for more than a year. Following a video released on Wednesday that showed the journalist pleading for his life, U.S. government officials issued press releases today publicly acknowledging…
Accounting for impunity is obligation for all states
This week, members of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication will meet to discuss the director general’s biannual report, which examines the cases of nearly 600 journalists killed around the world from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2013. The report, and lacklustre response from member states who had been asked to provide…
Algerian journalist held for more than a year without charge
New York, November 14, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the imprisonment of Algerian journalist Abdelhai Abdessamia, who has been held since August 18, 2013. News of Abdessamia’s imprisonment was reported by his family in early November, according to news reports.
CPJ joins call for UN members to push for greater human rights in Iran
The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined 29 other organizations in calling on member states of the U.N. General Assembly to vote in favor of a resolution for the promotion and protection of human rights in Iran. The vote is scheduled to take place on November 18.
Jason Rezaian’s family appeals for Iran to release him
Last week, Mohammad Javad Larijani, a top adviser to the country’s supreme leader, said in an interview with Euronews television that the case of Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post correspondent who has been imprisoned in Iran since July, might be resolved in “less than a month.”
As election nears, Egyptian press in peril
CPJ and See Media release new documentary, ‘Under Threat’ New York, November 6, 2014–As Egypt prepares to elect a new parliament, the government continues to crack down on the press, forcing independent and critical voices into silence, exile, or prison. These threats are explored in a short documentary, “Under Threat,” by the Committee to Protect…
Under Threat: Egyptian Press in Peril
On November 6, CPJ and See Media released a new documentary film, “Under Threat,” that highlights the perils of working for Egyptian media across the political spectrum and examines the media environment under President al-Sisi ahead of Egypt’s parliamentary vote. CPJ has documented an unprecedented number of anti-press abuses, including six journalists killed and dozens…
Rosewater: An Iranian journalist’s journey from prison to silver screen
In 2009, the sketch comedian Jason Jones traveled to Iran to interview Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari for “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart. Shortly after the disputed June 12 elections, the series of reports aired amid a brutal crackdown on Iranian journalists and the opposition. Bahari was among those arrested. Among the “evidence” presented by…