Somaliland authorities shut down independent papers
Nairobi, April 8, 2014–Police in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland on Thursday raided the Hargeisa offices of the independent Somali-language paper Haatuf and its sister English-language weekly, Somaliland Times, and suspended them indefinitely, according to local journalists and news reports.
In Philippines, tabloid reporter shot dead in her home
New York, April 7, 2014–Authorities in the Philippines must conduct a thorough and efficient investigation into the murder of a local reporter on Sunday and do their utmost to bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Amid rising repression, Burmese journalist given jail term
Bangkok, April 7, 2014–A Burmese journalist was sentenced to one year in prison today on charges of “trespassing” and “disturbing an on-duty civil servant” while reporting a news story, according to local reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the verdict to be overturned on appeal.
CPJ condemns attack on AP journalists in Afghanistan
New York, April 4, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalist mourns the loss of Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus and the wounding of AP reporter Kathy Gannon in Khost, Afghanistan. The two were shot by an Afghan police officer who approached their car in an election convoy and opened fire on them in the back seat,…
CPJ condemns attacks, harassment of Mexican daily
New York, April 3, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an attack early today on Adrián López Ortiz, general director of the Grupo Noroeste, a media group that owns the daily Noroeste, in the state of Sinaloa. CPJ is also alarmed by a series of threats and harassment against the paper in recent weeks and…
Kazakh authorities shut down another newspaper
New York, April 3, 2014–An independent paper, the Assandi Times, was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns recent measures taken by Kazakh authorities to shut down independent news outlets in the country.
Somali police should release Sky FM journalist
Nairobi, March 31, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Somali authorities in the capital, Mogadishu, to release a radio journalist who has been held without charge since Sunday. Nuradin Hassan is an editor of Sky FM, as well as a news presenter, according to news reports and Sky FM.
Journalist flees Kazakhstan after court orders her arrest
New York, March 28, 2014–Authorities should drop all charges against a Kazakh journalist who has been accused of libel in connection with a story she has denied writing, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. If convicted, Natalya Sadykova faces up to three years in jail under Kazakhstan’s criminal libel law.
Journalist shot dead covering clashes in Egypt
New York, March 28, 2014–An Egyptian journalist was shot dead in Cairo today while covering deadly clashes, according to news reports. Mayada Ashraf was a reporter for the daily Al-Dustour. She had covered previous protests for the paper, the reports said.
Turkish courts release eight journalists in two days
New York, March 27, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release this week of at least eight imprisoned journalists in Turkey, but calls on Turkish authorities to scrap the charges against them and release all of the journalists jailed in the country.