Committee sees sharp rise in jailed journalists
The Associated Press ran a story about CPJ’s 2010 prison census on December 8 along with several other media outlets around the world. CPJ’s analysis concludes Iran’s sustained crackdown on critical voices and China’s brutal suppression of ethnic journalism have pushed the number of journalists imprisoned worldwide to its highest level since 1996. Click here…
Tajik journalist arrested on defamation, insult charges
New York, December 16, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists today denounced the imprisonment in northern Tajikistan of Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov, a reporter with the Dushanbe-based independent weekly Nuri Zindagi. Ismoilov was arrested in Sogd region on November 23, but the regional press first reported on the case on Monday. Ismoilov is currently being held in a pretrial facility in the city…
Movement in Umar Cheema’s case ‘frustratingly slow’
On Wednesday, we identified Pakistan as the country where the most journalists–eight–have been killed for their work in the past year. Six of them were on the job when they were killed in crossfire or a suicide bombing. Two others were assassinated.I’ve been posting reports on one journalist–Umar Cheema–who wasn’t killed, but whose case represents…
In Iraq, bomb kills one journalist; another denied access
New York, December 15, 2010–Omar Rasim al-Qaysi, an anchor working for Al-Anbar TV, was killed on Sunday in a car bombing in central Ramadi, al-Anbar province. His brother, a fellow staffer at the station, was injured in the attack. Security forces then detained a journalist for the daily Al-Anbar, preventing him from covering the explosion’s aftermath.
How to show support for Liu Xiaobo…in China
Although China continues to censor references to imprisoned writer Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel peace prize in the news and online, some have been finding creative ways to express support for him. An outspoken newspaper published a front-page picture featuring empty chairs on Sunday, in what appears to be a covert reference to the seat left vacant…
Journalists honored with press freedom awards
The Ethiopian-American community magazine Tadias published a story about the International Press Freedom Awards on November 22, with a focus on Ethiopian journalist Dawit Kebede. The three things you should know about Kebede, as quoted in the article: “First, it is impossible for me to live without the life I have as a journalist. Second,…
In Pakistan, local news has global, dangerous implications
As CPJ reports today, eight of the 42 journalists killed this year were on the job in Pakistan. It’s accurate to say the Pakistani victims were like most journalists killed worldwide: They were local journalists covering stories in their communities. But with Pakistan’s political and sectarian unrest aggravated by a decade-long war in neighboring Afghanistan,…
Group honors 4 international journalists
The Associated Press ran a story on November 22 about the International Press Freedom Awards and quotes CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon: “We celebrate these journalists because they embody the struggle to report without fear of reprisal. In each of their countries, asking questions and exposing uncomfortable truths is a dangerous task.”Click here for the full…