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…
Mission Journal: Creeping authoritarianism in Hungary
On the Buda side of the River Danube stands the glass and steel headquarters of the thriving German-owned entertainment channel RTL. On the Pest side of the Hungarian capital, tucked in a corner of a converted department store, lies the cramped office of struggling online news outlet Atlatszo.
Turkey’s leaders defend press freedom record but agree to address delegation’s concerns
Ankara, October 3, 2014–In unprecedented meetings with a joint delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute, senior Turkish government officials defended their country’s press freedom record while agreeing to take steps to improve conditions for journalists. The meetings, which included President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Minister…
Siamak Ghaderi, Iran
2014 CPJ International Press Freedom Awardee (Courtesy of ABC News) Siamak Ghaderi is an Iranian freelance journalist and a former editor and reporter for the Islamic Republic’s official news agency IRNA. Ghaderi made international headlines when he chose to rebut former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s claim in 2007 that there were no homosexuals in Iran by…
Journalists investigating deaths of Russian soldiers are threatened and attacked
Journalists investigating the deaths of Russian soldiers that news reports claimed were killed during Russia’s alleged involvement in Ukraine’s conflict have been targeted in a series of attacks since late August, according to a press freedom group. Russia has denied that its soldiers were involved in the conflict, but journalists who spoke to the Committee…
Indian journalist jailed in Assam state for alleged links to militants
New York, September 8, 2014–An Indian journalist who has been held in police custody for six days was denied bail in court today and faces possible anti-state charges over accusations that he promoted an outlawed separatist group after interviewing its commander, according to news reports.
Bahrain court should overturn Ahmed Humaidan’s conviction
New York, August 22, 2014 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Bahrain High Court of Appeals to overturn the baseless conviction of freelance photojournalist Ahmed Humaidan. The court is expected to rule on Humaidan’s appeal on August 25, according to news reports.