CPJ outraged by police beating of award-winning media lawyer in Zimbabwe
New York, May 10, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for a full and transparent investigation into the police beating on Tuesday of prominent Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, a 2005 recipient of CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award, and three other attorneys.
Concern in Pakistan as Supreme Court threatens to stifle news coverage
New York, May 10, 2007—The Pakistani Supreme Court should immediately withdraw the alarming press directive issued on Wednesday that is designed to stifle coverage of a controversial issue involving the court, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The court warned print and electronic media to avoid “any interference” in the high-profile dispute over the…
In meeting with Mexican ambassador, CPJ urges action on press attacks
Washington, D.C., May 9, 2007—Mexico’s federal government must take concrete steps to protect press freedom and prosecute those responsible for crimes against the press, a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a meeting Tuesday with the Mexican ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana.
Palestinian group claims it’s holding Johnston, makes public demands
New York, May 9, 2007—The Palestinian militant group Jaish al-Islam has issued a recording in which it claims to be holding BBC correspondent Alan Johnston and demands the release of Muslim prisoners held by the United Kingdom in exchange for the journalist’s freedom. The audio and visual recording, published on an extremist Web site and…
Media company chief slain in Iraq; three others killed
Editor’s Note: The original text of this alert has been altered to reflect the correct spelling of Raad Mutashar’s name. New York, May 9, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s murder of an Iraqi journalist, his driver, and two passengers, who were gunned down outside the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Gunmen riding in…
In Puntland, radio contributor shot during army raid
New York, May 9, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death on Saturday of Mohammed Abdullahi Khalif, a contributor to the private radio station Voice of Peace in Somalia’s northeastern, semi-autonomous region of Puntland. Khalif was killed by crossfire while covering an army raid on an illegal gun market in the city of Galkayo.…
Panel raises concerns about journalists held without charge by U.S.
Washington, D.C., May 8, 2007—A panel sponsored by the Committee to Protect Journalists and the National Press Club’s Freedom of the Press Committee today expressed concern about the ongoing detentions without charge of two journalists by the U.S. military in Iraq and at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
CPJ mourns death of AP African correspondent Anthony Mitchell
New York, May 8, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists extends its condolences to the colleagues and family of respected Associated Press reporter Anthony Mitchell, who was killed in a weekend plane crash in Cameroon. Mitchell, 39, a staff reporter with the AP’s Kenya bureau, was among 114 passengers killed when a Kenya Airways aircraft crashed…
Journalist freed in Uzbekistan, but conviction stands
New York, May 8, 2007—A Tashkent appellate panel set independent Uzbek journalist Umida Niyazova free from prison today, reducing the jail term handed down last week to a suspended sentence. The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed Niyazova’s release but expressed concern at her standing conviction. “We are relieved that our colleague Umida Niyazova is free…
Brazilian journalist who denounced corruption shot to death
New York, May 7, 2007—Brazilian journalist Luiz Carlos Barbon Filho, known for investigative reporting that exposed political corruption, was gunned down on Saturday evening in the southern state of São Paulo. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Brazilian authorities today to thoroughly investigate the murder and bring those responsible to justice. “We offer our…