Syria tops survey of journalists fleeing into exile
CPJ releases annual report on exiled journalists to commemorate World Refugee Day New York, June 17, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists has helped more journalists fleeing into exile from Syria than any other country in the past five years, according to a report released today. Over that period, Syria and Ethiopia surpassed Iran as the…
Exiled: When the most dangerous place for journalists is your country
Syrian journalists have been harassed or imprisoned by the Assad regime as well as threatened or attacked by militant groups such as Islamic State. Ultimately, dozens have been forced to flee into exile. These are four of their stories. A Committee to Protect Journalists special report by Nicole Schilit
Ecuadoran daily fined for publishing unsatisfactory government rebuttal
Bogotá, June 16, 2015–Ecuador’s state media oversight commission on Saturday fined the independent daily El Universo about US$350,000, accusing the paper of unsatisfactorily publishing a government rebuttal to a story, according to news reports.
UN report promotes encryption as fundamental and protected right
On Wednesday, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression David Kaye will present his report on international legal protection for encryption and anonymity to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The report is an important contribution to the security conversation at a time when some Western leaders are calling for ill-informed and impossible loopholes…
Thai junta bans FCCT event on lese majeste law
New York, June 16, 2015–Thailand’s ruling military junta has banned an event on Wednesday by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand to discuss the country’s draconian lѐse majesté law, news reports said. This is the second ban this month of an FCCT event that was scheduled to discuss the country’s declining human rights situation.
Dieu Cay on solitary confinement, hunger strikes, and his fight for press freedom
EDITOR’S NOTE: Held in solitary confinement and stripped of his human rights, Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Van Hai suffered greatly during his six and a half years in prison. The 63-year-old outspoken critic of the repressive Vietnamese government was granted early release from a 12-year sentence last year, thanks in part to campaigning by CPJ. Hai,…
Indian journalist beaten and dragged behind motorbike
New York, June 15, 2015–An Indian journalist was beaten by a group of men and dragged behind a motorcycle in Uttar Pradesh state on June 13, in apparent reprisal for his critical reporting, according to reports. The attack comes days after freelance journalist Jagendra Singh was killed in the same state in a case that…
Media freedom advocate Emin Huseynov flees Azerbaijan as Baku hosts European Games
New York, June 13, 2015-Azerbaijani journalist Emin Huseynov was flown into exile in Switzerland on June 12, a few hours after the opening ceremony of the European Games in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, according to reports. Fearing imminent arrest during the country’s crackdown on rights groups and the press, Huseynov, the director of media freedom group…
Rwandan journalist arrested in Burundi, charged with spying
New York, June 12, 2015–A Rwandan journalist who was arrested in Burundi on Monday has been charged with espionage, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Burundian authorities to release the journalist and drop the charge immediately.