CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon is one of four diverse voices featured on The New York Times “Room for Debate” blog. The debate centers on the risk of venturing into dangerous territories, whether for recreation or journalism. You can read Simon’s take on the Times’ Web site.
New York, August 6, 2009–Officials shut down the office of the Association of Iranian Journalists in Tehran on Wednesday night, just after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term, according to international news reports.
New York, July 31, 2009–Iran’s official news agency claimed that a prominent filmmaker arrested Thursday has been released, but there is no independent confirmation. Two other documentarians detained at the same time remain in custody, according to international news reports.
New York, July 30, 2009–After more than a month of detention, several journalists may face trial beginning on Saturday on charges of “sending pictures to enemy media.” Three documentary filmmakers were arrested today, bringing the total of journalists currently held in Iranian jails to 42, the highest count in the world.
New York, July 29, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists rejects the alleged confessions by two detained Iranian photographers held incommunicado in Iran since their arrests earlier this month. The two allegedly confessed to sending pictures to the “enemy” following the country’s disputed June 12 presidential elections, according to the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA).
Your Majesty: On the eve of the 10th anniversary of your ascent to the throne, the Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to express our disappointment with the continued use of the courts to suppress freedom of expression. International human rights groups praised Morocco around the time of your ascension to the throne for having made significant steps toward the rule of law. Unfortunately, just a few years later it was among the 10 nations worldwide where press freedom had deteriorated the most.