Rwandan editor, jailed for opinion piece, fails in appeal
Nairobi, March 26, 2013–An appellate court judge in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, on Monday upheld the criminal conviction of an editor who is serving a one-year prison sentence in connection with an opinion column, according to local journalists.
CPJ condemns siege at Cairo’s Media Production City
New York, March 25, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the violent siege on Sunday of the Media Production City, a complex housing numerous private news outlets in Cairo, an episode that followed a series of inflammatory anti-press comments by President Mohamed Morsi and members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Visiting Somali journalist shot dead in Mogadishu
EDITOR’S NOTE: Subsequent to the publication of this report, questions were raised about the veracity of the account given by the primary sources. CPJ has published two follow-up reports detailing those questions, which raise doubts as to whether a killing took place as described. CPJ continues to monitor the case.Nairobi, March 25, 2013–Somali authorities must…
Journalists threatened in sectarian violence in Burma
Bangkok, March 25, 2013–Violent mobs have threatened journalists covering communal riots in central Burma and destroyed their reporting materials, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities to make the security of journalists working in the violence-hit area a top priority.
Indian reporter who filmed attack on women free on bail
New York, March 25, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release on bail of Naveen Soorinje, a television reporter jailed for more than four months after documenting a large-scale assault on a group of young women in Karnataka state. CPJ considers the pending criminal charges to be baseless and retaliatory, and calls on authorities…
In Togo, court rejects repressive press law amendments
Lagos, Nigeria, March 21, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Wednesday’s ruling by Togo’s Constitutional Court to reject repressive amendments to a media law that granted the state-run media regulator sweeping powers of censorship.
Obama should press Israel to return Wattan TV property
New York, March 19, 2013–During his trip to the region this week, U.S. President Barack Obama should call on Israeli authorities to return the equipment of an independent broadcaster that was seized more than a year ago, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.