Holding intermediaries liable for users’ content
Earlier this month, I spoke as an expert witness in the ongoing trial of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, the editor of Thailand’s Prachatai.com website, who is being criminally prosecuted under that country’s Computer Crime Act and Lesé Majesté laws. The crime involves online posts allegedly disrespectful to Thailand’s monarchy, but Chiranuch herself is not accused of originating…
A personal side to Anna Politkovskaya’s legacy
Internationally renowned for her work, respected for her courage and still mourned by thousands around the world five years after her murder, Anna Politkovsakya has become an iconic symbol in the global human rights struggle. But Sunday night, family, friends, colleagues and others came together to share a more personal picture.
Zenawi calls jailed Swedish journalists terror accomplices
New York, October 11, 2011–Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s public accusations on Monday against two imprisoned Swedish journalists compromise the presumption of their innocence and predetermine the outcome of their case, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The journalists were arrested in Ethiopia in July and charged with terrorism for associating with armed separatists.In…
Natalya Radina Award Acceptance Speech
Natalya Radina Charter 97, Belarus Acceptance Speech CPJ International Press Freedom Award 2011 November 22, 2011 Waldorf-Astoria, 301 Park Avenue, New York City Ladies and gentlemen, I am Belarusian. My country, Belarus, is in the heart of Europe. Regrettably, I am certain, many in the West know very little about Belarus. They know much…
CPJ Impact
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, September 2011 Journalist ID’d in WikiLeaks cable, flees Ethiopia U.S. diplomatic cables disclosed last month by WikiLeaks cited Ethiopian journalist Argaw Ashine by name and referred to his unnamed government source, forcing Ashine to flee the country after police interrogated him over the source’s identity. It is the…
Press freedom heroes in Southeast Asia
Three Southeast Asian journalists–Cambodia’s Hang Chakra, Malaysia’s Zulkiflee Anwar Ul Haque, or Zunar, and Thailand’s Chiranuch Premchaiporn–were among the 48 awardees of the Hellman/Hammett grant, given to writers targeted with political persecution, who were recognized today by Human Rights Watch for their commitment to press freedom.
The ‘new’ Syrian media law is nothing new
On August 28, President Bashar al-Assad approved a new media law that purportedly upholds freedom of expression and bans the arrest of journalists. Yet less than a week later, on Saturday, a Syrian journalist and contributor to the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat was arrested, CPJ reported. Just two days before the endorsement of the law, Syrian…
A killing field: The targeting of journalists in Pakistan
For the past several weeks, CPJ’s Asia and Journalist Assistance programs have been in regular contact with local and international organizations who are concerned about the rising number of journalists and media workers at risk in Pakistan. CPJ and several other groups are working together on viable, in-country solutions: Journalists in Pakistan are in need…
CPJ Impact
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, August 2011 Detention of a new suspect in the Politkovskaya murder In a significant development in the investigation into the murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation–the agency tasked with solving Politkovskaya’s murder–announced on August 16 that it had detained retired…
UK must not undermine news media
Dear Prime Minister Cameron: The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned about the steps to curb recent riots in the United Kingdom that are under consideration by your government. These measures would set alarming precedents that hinder press freedom and the free flow of information.