Azerbaijani president pardons five journalists; three left behind bars
New York, December 28, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s pardon of five journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan, but it calls on President Ilham Aliyev to free the three journalists who remain unjustly jailed. Samir Sadagatoglu, Rafiq Tagi, Faramaz Novruzoglu, Rovshan Kebirli, and Yashar Agazadeh were among 114 prisoners pardoned by presidential decree. The five…
KRG President Barzani opposes new press billIRAQ: KRG President Barzani opposes new press bill
New York, December 17, 2007—The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said today that he will reject a restrictive new press bill that was approved by the regional parliament on December 11. President Masoud Barzani told a delegation from the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate (KJS) on Monday that he would not sign the bill once…
Editor detained, charged over editorial
DECEMBER 14, 2007 Posted January 14, 2008 Nadjikimo Bénoudjita, Notre TempsIMPRISONED, LEGAL Armed policemen on board four pick-up vehicles arrested Bénoudjita, the director of the private weekly Notre Temps, at his home office in the capital, N’Djamena, shortly after 5 a.m., according to local journalists and news reports.
Editor detained, charged over editorial
DECEMBER 14, 2007 Posted January 10, 2008 Nadjikimo Bénoudjita Notre Temps IMPRISONED, LEGAL Armed policemen on board four pick-up vehicles arrested Bénoudjita, the director of the private weekly Notre Temps, at his home office in the capital, N’Djamena, shortly after 5 a.m., according to local journalists and news reports.
Kurdish parliament approves restrictive press bill
New York, December 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about a restrictive new press bill approved on Tuesday by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG’s) parliament. The bill, which awaits approval of the KRG President Masoud Barzani before becoming law, has yet to be made public; however Tuesday’s parliamentary session was broadcast live…
Chandrasekaran, Sawyer, and Williams join CPJ board
New York, November 5, 2007–CPJ is pleased to welcome three leading journalists to its board of directors: Rajiv Chandrasekaran of The Washington Post, Diane Sawyer of ABC News, and Brian Williams of NBC News. “We are delighted to welcome these three exceptional journalists to our board of directors,” said CPJ Board Chair Paul E. Steiger.…
In Iraqi Kurdistan, CPJ delegation highlights press freedom concerns
Arbil, Iraq, November 5, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists concluded a two-week fact-finding mission to Iraqi Kurdistan today by calling on Iraqi Kurdish leaders to investigate a spate of unsolved assaults on outspoken journalists, and by urging legislators to remove vague prohibitions from a press bill now before parliament.