Vietnamese blogger ‘Mother Mushroom’ fears arrest for Facebook activity
New York, November 7, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is greatly concerned about the safety of Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who has been repeatedly questioned by local police in Nha Trang about her activity on Facebook, and says that she fears arrest. Vietnam currently imprisons 17 journalists, most of them bloggers, according to…
Azerbaijan pressures press freedom advocate’s family, raids apartment
New York, November 6, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the harassment by Azerbaijani officials of the family of Gulnara Akhundova, a regional expert with the Denmark-based press freedom group International Media Support (IMS). Akhundova’s 67-year-old mother was interrogated on Wednesday by prosecutors in Baku who raided her apartment the same day, according to local…
Ecuador court paves way for media regulation under constitution
Bogotá, November 5, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a decision by Ecuador’s highest court that has paved the way for a constitutional amendment that would categorize the news media as a “public service” subject to government regulation.
In Sierra Leone, journalist imprisoned after criticizing president
Abuja, Nigeria, November 4, 2014–A journalist in Sierra Leone has been imprisoned after criticizing President Ernest Bai Koroma’s handling of the Ebola outbreak, according to news reports and local journalists. David Tam Baryoh was arrested on Monday.
Kenyan journalist covering police detained, harassed
Nairobi, November 4, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kenyan police to stop harassing and threatening a journalist in Kisumu city, western Kenya. Last month, police threatened and briefly detained Justus Ochieng, a reporter for the privately owned daily The Star, in connection with a story he wrote that alleged criminal activity by police…
Journalists arrested after covering protest in Somaliland
Nairobi, November 3, 2014–Authorities in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland arrested two journalists from privately owned television stations last week after they each aired coverage of a protest in the northwest town of Gabiley, local journalists told CPJ. Authorities arrested Horn Cable TV reporter Mukhtar Nouh Ibrahim on October 30 and SomSat TV reporter Mohamed…
CPJ calls on authorities to explain no-fly zone in Ferguson
New York, November 3, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a news report that law enforcement authorities in Ferguson, Missouri, sought a no-fly zone during unrest in August with the intent of blocking access for the press.
Azerbaijan jails yet another critical reporter
New York, October 30, 2014–A court in Azerbaijan today sentenced Khalid Garayev, a reporter for the embattled opposition newspaper Azadliq and the technical director of “Azerbaijani Hour,” Azadliq’s online TV program, to almost a month in prison on charges of hooliganism and disobeying the police, according to news reports.
Argentine authorities raid news outlet and confiscate materials
New York, October 30, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Tuesday’s raid by Argentine police on the offices of La Brújula 24, a radio station and news website, in which the outlet’s journalistic materials were confiscated.