New York, October 14, 2008–Mexican editor and publisher Miguel Angel Villagómez Valle was executed hours after being kidnapped on Thursday in the state of Michoacán. His body was found on Friday in neighboring Guerrero state. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating possible links between Villagómez’s death and his work as a journalist.
New York, October 14, 2008–The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the welfare of Russian lawyer Karinna Moskalenko, who represents the family of slain Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Moskalenko was the target of an apparent poisoning in Strasbourg, France, days before she was due to appear in a Moscow court for pretrial…
New York, October 9, 2008–An Uzbek court should reject the politicized prosecution of independent journalist Salidzhon Abdurakhmanov and acquit him on fabricated drug possession charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Prosecutors are seeking a 17-year prison term for Abdurakhmanov, defense lawyer Rustam Tulyaganov told CPJ today. Nukus District Court Judge Kadyrbay Dzhamolov, who…
New York, October 9, 2008–Two U.S. journalists missing since October 1 are being held in Syria in connection with visa issues, several news organizations reported today. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today that Holli Chmela, 27, and Taylor Luck, 23, were arrested when they entered Syria without visas, news reports said.
New York, October 8, 2008–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned for the safety of two American journalists on vacation in Lebanon who have not been heard from since October 1. Holli Chmela, 27, who had just finished an internship at The Jordan Times, and Taylor Luck, 23, a staff writer at the paper, had…
New York, October 7, 2008–The Committee to Protect Jounalists welcomes today’s provisional release of veteran Nigerien journalist Moussa Kaka after more than a year behind bars on anti-state charges. An appeals court in the capital, Niamey, ordered Kaka’s release on bail pending trial by a magistrate court on amended charges of “undermining national territorial integrity…