Thai media owner, editor handed prison sentences
New York, September 14, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Thai criminal court decision on Thursday to sentence media owner, television commentator, and political activist Sondhi Limthongkul to two years in prison in connection with criminal libel charges filed by a former government minister.
To blog in Cuba: defying hazards, enjoying freedom
I share with my fellow Cuban independent journalists the drunkenness of writing freely under a totalitarian dictatorship; of experiencing the catharsis of denouncing the regime’s violations; of feeling useful to my people knowing that, in the long run, what I write will contribute to a better future.
Gabonese media under attack since election
New York, September 3, 2009–Five journalists and a TV station covering Gabon’s disputed presidential election, which has already been marred by media censorship, have been attacked since Wednesday, according to local journalists and news reports. Official results announced today declared Ali Ben Bongo–son of Omar Bongo, the late 41-year ruler of the oil-rich, equatorial nation–the…
Filmmaker who documented Salvadoran gangs is slain
New York, September 3, 2009–The bullet-ridden body of journalist Christian Poveda, whose new documentary on a violent Salvadoran street gang was scheduled for wide release this month, was discovered Wednesday afternoon just north of the capital, San Salvador, according to local and international press reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Salvadoran authorities…
Pentagon questions profiling of reporters in Afghanistan
No doubt Stars and Stripes is a Pentagon-authorized newspaper. But no one should doubt the daily’s editorial independence from the Defense Department. This week Stars and Stripes beat the rest of the press pack in breaking a story that not only made Defense Department officials uncomfortable, but that compelled veteran Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman to…
Press freedom slips in Zambia
In Zambia, the coming week will mark the anniversary of the untimely death of President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa. The late president had championed press freedom with his commitments to reform, and, with his passing, the Zambian media lost an ally. Worse, the media freedoms gained in recent years are now slipping.
Cacho, a top Mexican reporter, describes a life under threat
A month ago I sat next to a cop, turned on my computer, and opened my blog. The threats were there: “My dear lydia cacho get ready to be found soon with your throat slit, your pretty head will be left outside your apartment if you think you are so brave bye.”
Pro-Chávez militant arrested in Globovisión attack
At noon on Tuesday, Venezuelan authorities arrested pro-government activist Lina Ron and took her to Caracas’ military intelligence headquarters, according to an official statement by the Venezuelan Minister of Interior and Justice Tarek El Aissami. Ron, a founding and very public member of the far-left political party Union Patriótica Venezolana (UPV), appeared in footage of…
Pro-government militants attack Venezuela’s Globovisión
New York, August 3, 2009–A group of more than 30 armed pro-government militants riding motorcycles stormed the premises of private broadcaster Globovisión today and set off tear gas, local press reports said. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the attack and called on authorities to provide Globovisión and its staff members the necessary protection to…