Israel extends Al-Jazeera journalist’s detention
New York, August 17, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by Israel’s continued detention of Al-Jazeera journalist Samer Allawi, who has been held without charge for eight days.”Israeli authorities must publicly explain and provide evidence as to why they continue to hold Samer Allawi,” said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa…
Iran must work toward improving press freedom
Dear Dr. Shaheed: Ahead of your report on human rights in Iran to the U.N. General Assembly in September, I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with an assessment of the country’s state of press freedom as documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Authorities were detaining 34 journalists when CPJ conducted its annual worldwide census of imprisoned journalists on December 1, 2010, making Iran, along with China, the world’s worst jailer of the press. In reviewing these cases and their developments, we have identified three distinct and worrying developments to which we would like to draw your attention.
Angola denies entry to Mozambican journalists
New York, August 16, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is troubled that Angolan immigration authorities barred Joana Macie and Manuel Cossa, two Mozambican journalists, from entering the country on Thursday, claiming they lacked the proper entry visas.
Gongadze murder suspect’s trial should be open to public
New York, August 16, 2011–The Pechersky District Court in Kyiv must open to the public the ongoing trial against Aleksei Pukach, a former interior ministry general charged with the notorious 2000 killing of independent journalist Georgy Gongadze, the Committee to Protect Journalist said today.
Journalist gunned down in Pakistan, another still missing
New York, August 15, 2011–Alarm continues to mount for the safety of Pakistani journalists with the assassination of a reporter on Sunday in restive Baluchistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Also, a senior reporter remains missing in Waziristan, after being abducted on August 11.
A global partnership to assist journalists in distress
One of the most rewarding parts of my job at Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) for the last eight years has been my work on our Journalists in Distress program. Through this program I have had quick glimpses into the lives of hundreds of courageous journalists from countries all over the world. Most of…
Independent journalist brutally attacked in Kyrgyzstan
New York, August 15, 2011–Kyrgyz authorities must thoroughly investigate Wednesday’s brutal attack on Shokhrukh Saipov, the Osh-based editor and publisher of the news website UzPress, and bring his assailants to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Shokhrukh Saipov is the younger brother of Alisher Saipov, the prominent journalist killed in southern Kyrgyzstan in…