In Egypt, verdict expected in trial of Al-Jazeera journalists
New York, July 28, 2015–An Egyptian court is scheduled to issue a verdict on Thursday in the retrial of Al-Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, Baher Mohamed, and Peter Greste, according to news reports. Greste is being tried in absentia. A court in February ordered the retrial because of lack of evidence leading to the journalists’…
In Pakistan, Geo bureau chief abducted and robbed, then released
New York, July 27, 2015–Unidentified armed men in Pakistan abducted the Karachi bureau chief of the TV channel Geo News on Saturday and beat and robbed him before releasing him, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Faheem Siddiqui’s abduction and calls on Pakistani authorities to ensure the assailants are held to…
Dogged by fraud allegations, Malaysia targets media
Investigative reporting on alleged mismanagement of a Malaysian state investment fund has triggered a backlash against muckraking media. On Friday, the Home Ministry ordered the suspension of two local news publications, The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily, for three months on the grounds that their reporting on the fund, known as 1Malaysia Development…
Egypt arrests press advocate, accuses him of belonging to banned group
Washington, July 24, 2015–Egyptian authorities on Tuesday arrested the head of a journalists syndicate and accused him of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arrest and calls on the Egyptian government to release Aboubakr Khallaf immediately.
Moroccan king must allow Ali Lmrabet to practice journalism
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 161 organizations, writers, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and politicians in calling on the king of Morocco to stop the administrative harassment of Ali Lmrabet. The satirical journalist has been on hunger strike outside the U.N.’s Geneva offices since June 24, according to news reports.
New hurdles for Hungary’s press as Orbán restricts FOI requests
“This is the best thing that has ever happened in Hungary.” Katalin Erdélyi, a freedom of information activist, was referring to a ground-breaking website launched in Hungary in 2012. “I was glad because I realized the potential and how it will help me get all the information I longed for,” she told me. The website,…
CPJ welcomes sentence of murder mastermind in Russia
New York, July 24, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the sentencing to life in prison today of a Russian nationalist leader in connection with the 2009 fatal attack on human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov, in which Novaya Gazeta journalist Anastasiya Baburova was also killed. The Moscow City Court ruled that Ilya Goryachev, a leader…
Mission Journal: Will Obama’s visit boost hopes for press freedom in Kenya?
President Barack Obama is expected to address a range of topics when he arrives in Kenya tomorrow. The Kenyan government says it plans to discuss security and trade, while opposition parties and civil society want good governance and human rights added to the agenda, according to news reports. We hope the discussion includes the commitments…
Tunisia charges editor with complicity in terrorist attack
New York, July 23, 2015–Tunisian authorities should drop charges against an editor accused of complicity in the June 27 terrorist attack on Sousse beach that killed at least 39 people, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Noureddine Mbarki was charged in connection with publishing a photograph of a car that purportedly transported the gunman.…
CPJ calls on Azerbaijan to free jailed journalist Khadija Ismayilova
New York, July 23, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist who has been imprisoned since December on charges of embezzlement, tax evasion, and abuse of power, among others. Ismayilova’s trial is scheduled to be held on Friday in Baku, according to news reports. If…