Media ethics code could restrict free press in Sri Lanka
New York, June 19, 2013–A draft media code introduced in the Sri Lankan parliament would impose harsh restrictions on journalists’ ability to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The code, which is before a parliamentary advisory council for discussion, could be considered for adoption in September, according to news reports citing an…
Violence, jail, threats force journalists into exile
CPJ launches 2012-2013 Journalists in Exile special report New York, June 19, 2013–Fifty-five journalists from 21 countries fled their homes due to violence, imprisonment, and death threats in the past year, according to a new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists.The annual survey, marking World Refugee Day on June 20, spotlights the plight of journalists…
Family murdered, Veracruz journalist seeks asylum in US
A fellow newspaper photographer phoned him and said he had to get right over to his parents’ home because something very bad had happened. When Miguel Angel López remembers seeing when he got there was “just blood. You can’t understand that much hatred.” He was talking about the murders of his mother, his father–a senior…
Exiled journalists in risky places need helping hand
It was well past mid-day in Eastleigh, a shanty district on the east side of Nairobi, Kenya. The billows of dust rising from the rock-scarred road showed a government that had long lost interest in the neighborhood. A young man, struggling with horribly dry conditions, was fighting with his patrons. “Welahi, today’s khat is so…
Audio: Exiled Somali journalist Abdiaziz Abdinuur
In our special report, “Journalists in Exile,” CPJ examines the issues facing journalists who are forced to flee their countries due to intimidation, threats, or fear of imprisonment. Abdiaziz, 26, a Somali journalist exiled in Uganda, contributed to local and international media outlets before being arrested in January 2013. He was accused under Article 269…
For one Brazilian journalist, harsh reality after exile
I have always been convinced that journalism is an instrument that transforms people and realities. I believe in this profession as a means of change, even if this implies some risk. I’ve been beaten almost to death and at another time have had to move to another city because I went to the limit of…
Audio: Exiled Afghan journalist Barat Ali Batoor
In our special report, “Journalists in Exile,” CPJ examines the issues facing journalists who are forced to flee their countries due to intimidation, threats, or fear of imprisonment. Batoor, 29, an Afghan photojournalist, began receiving threats soon after a photo essay he worked on, “The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan,” was published in The Washington Post.…
Iraqi government detains two journalists without charge
New York, June 18, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the detention of two Iraqi journalists who have been held for two weeks without formal charge or access to a lawyer in connection with the alleged theft of a senior official’s notebook.
Zimbabwean journalists targeted amid pre-election tension
Cape Town, South Africa, June 18, 2013–All parties in Zimbabwe’s government of national unity must respect the responsibility of journalists to document events and report the views of citizens, especially in the run-up to the country’s elections in July, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In four different cases this month, reporters have been…