Two Vietnamese bloggers given prison sentences
Bangkok, August 17, 2012–Harsh prison sentences handed down recently to two independent Vietnamese bloggers represent the latest official abuses in a widening crackdown on Internet freedoms in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Egyptian government attempts to suppress the media
New York, August 16, 2012–President Mohamed Morsi’s government and allies are pushing back against critical news coverage, suppressing critical journalists and state-run newspapers, putting a journalist on trial, and attacking three journalists on the street, according to news reports.
In Gabon, gunmen burn opposition TV station’s transmitter
Lagos, Nigeria, August 16, 2012–Unidentified gunmen today stormed a private television station owned by Gabon’s main opposition leader and burned down its transmitters, according to local journalists and news reports. It was the second armed attack on the broadcaster since 2009.
The Gambia shuts independent radio station
New York, August 15, 2012–Gambian national security agents summarily shut an independent radio station early this morning without providing an explanation, according to news reports. Authorities have censored Taranga FM at least twice before in retaliation for its exclusive news review program, according to news reports. Officers of the Gambian National Intelligence Agency stormed Taranga…
Syrian journalist kidnapped in Homs
New York, August 15, 2012–Unidentified armed men on Monday kidnapped a correspondent for Al-Alam, an Iranian satellite broadcaster supportive of the Syrian government, the latest incident in a series of abductions and attacks against pro-government media in Syria, according to news reports.
In Djibouti, reporter detained for a week without charge
Nairobi, August 15, 2012–Authorities in Djibouti must immediately release a journalist for an opposition news website who has been jailed for a week without charge or access to a lawyer or his family, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Two police officers arrested Houssein Ahmed Farah, a contributor to the Europe-based news website La…
Nigerian photographer assaulted in a government hospital
Lagos, Nigeria, August 14, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Nigerian authorities to immediately investigate an attack on the grounds of a government hospital that targeted a photographer seeking to cover the release of the remains of June plane crash victims to their families.
In Syria, wave of deadly attacks against journalists
New York, August 14, 2012–A series of attacks against journalists in Syria over the past two weeks have included the killing of at least three journalists and the kidnapping of several others, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Pro-government media have borne the brunt of the recent attacks.