No sign of Sri Lankan journalist Eknelygoda one month on
New York, February 24, 2010—One month after the disappearance of her husband Prageeth Eknelygoda, the journalist’s wife, Sandhya Eknelygoda , told CPJ that she has not been able to get police or other government officials to actively investigate the case.
Iraqi radio journalist kidnapped by unknown gunmen
New York, February 18, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the fate of Iraqi reporter Hussam Daoud al-Eqabi, who was seized by unidentified armed men on Wednesday. Al-Eqbi is a political reporter for Al-Ahed, a radio station in Kirkuk affiliated with radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr.
As fighting surges, so does danger to press
By Bob Dietz As the United States redeploys forces to Afghanistan, and the Pakistani military moves into the country’s tribal areas, the media face enormous challenges in covering a multifaceted conflict straddling two volatile countries. Pakistani reporters cannot move freely in areas controlled by militants. International reporters in Afghanistan, at risk from kidnappers and suicide…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Afghanistan
Top Developments • Government tries to curb reporting on Election Day violence. • Abductions target foreign reporters, endangering local journalists, too. Key Statistic 20: Years that Parwez Kambakhsh would have spent in jail on an unjust charge. He was freed in August. Deepening violence, flawed elections, rampant corruption, and faltering development provided plenty of news…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Iraq
Top Developments• Fatalities and abductions plummet as security situation improves.• Prime minister, others file lawsuits to harass media. Kurdish courts jail six journalists. Key Statistic 4: Journalists killed in connection to their work, the lowest tally since the war began in 2003. Four Iraqi journalists were killed because of their work as the press continued to face…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Mexico
Top Developments• Amid threats and attacks, self-censorship becomes more pervasive.• Congress stalls on reforms to combat violence against the press. Key Statistic 9: Journalists missing since 2005. Most had covered crime and corruption. The deepening influence of organized crime and the government’s inability to curb worsening violence left the news media wide open to attack.…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Nepal
Top Developments• Government fails to investigate press freedom abuses. • Reporter slain after covering Maoist land seizures. Key Statistic 8th: Ranking on CPJ Impunity Index, making it one of world’s worst for press. Nepal’s news media entered 2009 in a state of crisis. Attacks on the press had escalated in late 2008 amid a climate…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Pakistan
Top Developments• Press has very limited access during two military offensives.• Reporters face attacks, threats from all sides. Four are killed. Key Statistic 6: Homes of journalists destroyed by militants in retaliatory attacks. As Pakistan’s military launched two major offensives within its borders, officials pressured news media to report favorably on the conflicts while the Taliban and…