Russia and impunity

By Joel SimonIn August 2008, when the Olympic torch is lit in Beijing, more than 20,000 journalists will be on hand to cover the competition between the world’s greatest athletes. Behind the scenes, another competition will be taking place. If the Chinese government has its way, this one will remain hidden. It will be a…

IRAQ The war in Iraq, the deadliest conflict for journalists in recent history, kept the country at the top of the world’s most dangerous places for the press. Thirty-two journalists and 12 media support staffers were killed during the year, bringing the record toll to 174 media personnel killed in the line of duty since…

PHILIPPINES Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno told a visiting CPJ delegation in July that he would personally seek justice for the unsolved killings of journalists and use his judicial authority to better protect press freedom. “The fact that the killings remain unsolved heightens public distrust in our system of justice,” Puno told CPJ.…

New York,  January 11, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists applauds the arraignment yesterday of two suspects in the 2001 killing of Philippine radio reporter Rolando Ureta. In a December 21 alert, CPJ called on the government to “vigorously prosecute” the case of the two suspects, Amador Raz and Jessie Ticar, who were arrested separately on…

Joel Simon Published in The Huffington Post December 18, 2007 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joel-simon/the-year-of-reporting-dan_b_77208.html Do you know the names Salih Said Aldin, Khalid W. Hassan, or Namir Noor-Eldeen? All three were reporters for international media outlets who were killed in Iraq in the last year.

Journalist Deaths Hit Decade Peak Half in Iraq; record number in Somalia

Washington, November 1, 2007—A delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists met with the Kyrgyz ambassador to the United States, Zamira Sydykova, today to express alarm at the murder of independent journalist Alisher Saipov in the southern city of Osh last week. “There are strong reasons to believe that Alisher Saipov was murdered because of…

Justice is served in less than 15 percent of journalist murders. Our research suggests that the absence of justice promotes a higher incidence of murder. “Impunity,” one Russian lawyer tells CPJ, “is a chronic disease.”

Did a respected military reporter really jump to his death? In the case of Ivan Safronov, there are many questions, few answers, and not much hope.

WASHINGTON–In August 2 testimony on Capitol Hill, CPJ urged the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe to use diplomatic pressure to combat impunity in journalist murders in Russia and other former Soviet states. Here are excerpts of remarks given by Nina Ognianova, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator.