Editor charged with defamation in Morocco
New York, January 15, 2013–Authorities should drop the criminal defamation charges against an editor in Morocco who reported that a government official had ordered champagne to his hotel room while on a taxpayer-funded trip outside the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The official has disputed the account.
In Togo protests, journalists report being targeted by police
Abuja, Nigeria, January 14, 2013–At least four journalists were reported injured by police while covering an anti-government protest in Togo’s capital, Lomé, on Thursday, according to news reports. Several of the journalists, along with local press freedom group SOS Journalistes en Danger, said police had targeted a group of reporters with tear gas and rubber…
Egyptian prosecutions continue despite free-speech pledges
New York January 11, 2013–Egyptian authorities are continuing a stream of criminal prosecutions against journalists, despite President Mohamed Morsi’s recent pledge to allow free speech. At least three more criminal cases proceeded this week, on top of four that CPJ documented earlier this month.
Journalist arrested for interviewing reported rape victim
Nairobi, January 11, 2013–Somali authorities should immediately release a freelance journalist who has been in custody in Mogadishu since Thursday for interviewing a woman who claimed she was raped by government soldiers, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Globovisión probed over Chávez inauguration reports
Bogotá, January 10, 2013–Venezuelan authorities announced late Wednesday that they had launched an investigation against a private TV station that had aired reports questioning the legality of postponing the inauguration of President Hugo Chávez. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the government to immediately drop this politicized investigation and to end its persistent harassment…
At least two journalists killed in Quetta blasts
New York, January 10, 2013–At least two journalists were killed and two others seriously injured when a bomb went off near a billiards hall in Quetta, capital of Pakistan’s restive Baluchistan province, as the journalists were reporting on an explosion that was set off there just minutes earlier, according to local journalists and news reports.…
Bloggers imprisoned in mass sentencing in Vietnam
Bangkok, January 9, 2013–At least five independent bloggers were sentenced today to harsh jail terms in Vietnam, according to local and international news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns this move and calls on Vietnamese authorities to reverse the charges on appeal and release the bloggers.