After deadly metro blast, Belarus cracks down on press
New York, April 26, 2011–Belarusian authorities must immediately stop harassing independent media outlets in retaliation for their critical reporting on the recent lethal bombing on the Minsk subway, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Following the blast, authorities–including the Information Ministry, the general prosecutor’s office, and the Belarusian security service (KGB)–launched a campaign of…
Haitian radio station destroyed in arson attack
New York, April 26, 2011–The Community to Protect Journalists condemned Thursday’s arson attack on Haitian community radio station Tèt Ansanm Karis and called on local authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. The blaze destroyed the station’s offices and all equipment and left the northeastern city of Carice without a local radio station.
How the U.S. should raise human rights in China dialogue
One day ahead of two-day bilateral talks with the U.S., China’s Foreign Ministry rejected what it labeled “interference” in the country’s internal affairs under the rubric of human rights, according to international news reports. Despite this obstructionist tone, CPJ hopes that Washington officials, led by Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Michael Posner,…
Bahrain detains columnist; 4 located in Libya
New York, April 25, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Bahraini authorities to disclose the whereabouts of Haidar Mohammed al-Nuaimi, a columnist for daily newspaper Al-Wasat. Roughly 30 uniformed and plainclothes police raided al-Nuaimi’s family home in Manama today, dragging him into the street and beating him, local journalists told CPJ.
Another Lanka eNews journalist arrested
New York, April 25, 2011–Police arrested a journalist with the independent Sri Lankan news website Lanka eNews today, according to local news reports. CPJ has called on the United Nations and the international diplomatic community this year to respond to a series of uninvestigated attacks targeting the outspoken site.
Chris Hondros: Images of life and death
Photojournalist Chris Hondros, who was killed in Libyaon April 20, captured humanity at its worst and its best, in times of war and despair and at moments of kindness and hope. Here are some of his photos, from some of the world’s most treacherous spots, courtesy of Getty Images. « Previous Image | Next Image…
Tribute to Chris Hondros, who ventured far with his torch
My dear friend Chris. In the silence, I hear the symphony of memories that was your life as I knew it. I see your waving hand gestures and wry smile as you recount stories whilst we sit together in the tropical Liberian heat discussing everything from classical music to aperture priority. My heart and mind…
Anti-press violence in Iraqi Kurdistan, past and present
Kurdistan is different, as nearly every Iraqi Kurd I have ever met has said. Far less violent than the rest of Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, the parts of the north controlled by the Kurdish Regional Government have escaped the kind of sectarian unrest that continues to flare in the south. But in…
Tim Hetherington: A star inexorably, humbly rising
I first met Tim Hetherington in Monrovia in 2005, in the run-up to Liberia’s then historic elections, which officially drew the line under the country’s 14-year civil war. Tim had already reported from Liberia in the chaotic final stages of that war in 2003, marching for days on end through dense and unforgiving tropical bush…