Morocco jails press freedom advocate Hicham Mansouri
New York, April 7, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentencing of Moroccan press freedom advocate Hicham Mansouri, who was handed a 10-month prison term and $4,057 fine over adultery charges by Rabat’s Court of First Instance on March 30, according to local and international news reports.
CPJ joins call to renew mandate of human rights rapporteur in Iran
The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with 35 human rights groups, today joined a call for member states of the U.N. Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran at the council’s 28th session.
Second Colombian journalist murdered in less than three weeks
New York, March 3, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder of Colombian radio journalist Edgar Quintero and calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate all motives and hold the killers to account. Quintero is the second journalist to have been killed in fewer than three weeks in Colombia.
Colombian photojournalist escapes kidnappers
EDITOR’S NOTE: On January 29, 2015, reports in the Colombian press said Johanny Vargas issued a statement saying he had not been kidnapped and that his disappearance occurred under personal circumstances. CPJ is investigating. Bogotá, January 23, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the abduction of Colombian news photographer Johanny Vargas and calls on authorities…
In Vietnam, arrests dash hopes that crackdown on bloggers will end
What one hand gives, the other takes in Vietnam. Last October’s early release of jailed blogger Nguyen Van Hai, more commonly known as Dieu Cay, has proven to be an anomaly as authorities have subsequently ramped up their repression of other independent bloggers.
Gunmen attack Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, kill at least 12
Brussels, January 7, 2015–Heavily armed and hooded gunmen attacked the Paris office of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo today, killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 11, in the worst attack on the media since the 2009 Maguindanao massacre in the Philippines.
In Kenya, press curbed as government seeks to fight terrorism
The Kenyan press is being caught in the crossfire as authorities seek to strengthen defenses against terrorists. On December 19, Kenya’s president signed into law a security bill that has the power to stop the press covering terror attacks. The government has also recently criticized the media over allegations that special units are carrying out…
Legacy of Rwanda genocide includes media restrictions, self-censorship
Twenty years after massacres, Rwanda stable but its media restricted The Rwandan government has taken great strides in bringing stability to the country since the 1994 genocide that claimed 800,000 lives, but moves to allow greater press freedom have been slow. While government control of the media has loosened, many journalists remain fearful that the…