BBC’s Rwanda documentary leads to illogical, illegal suspension
When the BBC released in early October its televised documentary “Rwanda’s Untold Story,” which questioned official accounts of the 1994 genocide, a massive outcry inside and outside Rwanda’s borders ensued. Locals and foreigners alike protested the documentary’s findings, parliamentarians demanded a ban and legal action, and authorities summarily suspended BBC’s vernacular Kinyarwanda news service, the…
The Road to Justice
Sidebar: Raising the Cost of Impunity, in the Name of Magnitsky Sergei Magnitsky, 37, a Russian lawyer and tax adviser, died in November 2009 after spending several months in Moscow’s Butyrka prison, which is known for its harsh conditions. An independent report by the Moscow Public Oversight Commission, a Russian NGO that monitors human rights…
Journalist probing illegal logging killed in Cambodia
Bangkok, October 14, 2014–A journalist investigating alleged illegal logging activities in eastern Cambodia was shot dead early Sunday, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the killing and calls on authorities to identify the motive and ensure the perpetrators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Turkey’s leaders defend press freedom record but agree to address delegation’s concerns
Ankara, October 3, 2014–In unprecedented meetings with a joint delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute, senior Turkish government officials defended their country’s press freedom record while agreeing to take steps to improve conditions for journalists. The meetings, which included President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Minister…
Indian journalist jailed in Assam state for alleged links to militants
New York, September 8, 2014–An Indian journalist who has been held in police custody for six days was denied bail in court today and faces possible anti-state charges over accusations that he promoted an outlawed separatist group after interviewing its commander, according to news reports.
Russian photojournalist Andrei Stenin killed in Ukraine
New York, September 3, 2014–Russian authorities and news outlets reported today that Andrei Stenin, the 33-year-old Russian photojournalist for the state-owned news agency Rossiya Segodnya, who went missing in Ukraine in early August, was killed in the country’s Donetsk region. “We condemn the killing of Andrei Stenin, which calls attention once again to the dangers…
CPJ calls for a renewed investigation in Askarov’s case
New York, June 12, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by Bishkek City Court’s refusal to open a new investigation into the case of Azimjon Askarov, a journalist and human rights defender who has been imprisoned in Kyrgyzstan since 2010 in retaliation for his work exposing wrongdoing. The court scrapped today an earlier decision…
Pakistan should renew visas for journalists facing expulsion
New York, May 15, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the impending expulsion of two foreign journalists from Pakistan. Meena Menon, a correspondent for The Hindu, and Snehesh Alex Philip, a correspondent for the Press Trust of India, are both Indian journalists.