Monitoring the Lee, Ling case in North Korea
I’ve been staying up nights waiting for news on journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who are detained and facing trial in North Korea. The government in Pyongyang, through its official Korean Central News Agency, posted this terse item on Thursday: “The Central Court of the DPRK will start a trial of American journalists Laura…
Call for journalists’ release as trial date nears in North Korea
New York, June 3, 2009–On the eve of the June 4 criminal trial date for U.S. television journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling in North Korea, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls for all countries involved in the Six Party Talks to work together to ensure their freedom. The countries in the talks are North…
Families of Ling, Lee urge talks to resolve detentions
New York, June 1, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on all parties to pursue diplomatic efforts to gain the release of detained U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who are facing trial in North Korea this week. The families of the two journalists spoke out this morning on U.S. television to urge diplomatic…
Euna Lee, Laura Ling families to speak out
With a June 4 criminal trial date looming for what North Korea calls “hostile acts,” the families of Euna Lee and Laura Ling have decided to speak out about the two journalists’ detention in Pyongyang. The two women have been held since March 17. In a Facebook announcement, the families told supporters: “Our families have…
Documentary captures a fixer’s harsh reality
In New York, the Tribeca Film Festival showed a strong documentary, The Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi, on Sunday. After the screening, I moderated a panel that featured director Ian Olds and Naqeeb Sherzad, a close friend of Ajmal, shown at left. The panel also included U.S. journalists Christian Parenti, who helped produce the…
Press Freedom Awardees draw attention
We announced the 2008 International Press Freedom Award recipients on Tuesday, and the news has been well-received worldwide. Bilal Hussein of Iraq, Danish Karokhel and Farida Nekzad of Afghanistan, Andrew Mwenda of Uganda, and Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez of Cuba will all be honored by CPJ on November 25 for their courageous work. Beatrice Mtetewa, of Zimbabwe will…
