In Nepal, e-mail claims journalist killed during abduction
New York, July 11, 2007—A freelance reporter remained missing in Nepal today, nearly a week after he was abducted from his home in the western district of Kanchanpur, according to international and local news reports. On Monday, a group calling itself the National Republican Army Nepal (NRAN) claimed in an e-mail that it had killed…
BBC correspondent Alan Johnston Freed
New York, July 3, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed the release early Wednesday morning local time of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, who had been held captive for nearly four months in the Gaza Strip. CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said: “We are relieved that Alan Johnston has finally been freed after this cruel ordeal.…
Iraqi journalist who endured abductions, threats is slain in Mosul
New York, June 7, 2007—An Iraqi journalist who had been abducted, shot and threatened with death was slain in Mosul today by unidentified gunmen who answered her cell phone after the killing and told the caller “she went to hell.” The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the murder of Sahar Hussein Ali al-Haydari, 44, a…
Palestinian group claims it’s holding Johnston, makes public demands
New York, May 9, 2007—The Palestinian militant group Jaish al-Islam has issued a recording in which it claims to be holding BBC correspondent Alan Johnston and demands the release of Muslim prisoners held by the United Kingdom in exchange for the journalist’s freedom. The audio and visual recording, published on an extremist Web site and…
Panel raises concerns about journalists held without charge by U.S.
Washington, D.C., May 8, 2007—A panel sponsored by the Committee to Protect Journalists and the National Press Club’s Freedom of the Press Committee today expressed concern about the ongoing detentions without charge of two journalists by the U.S. military in Iraq and at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Worldwide rallies seek release of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston
New York, May 3, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists joined with colleagues at a rally at U.N. headquarters today to call for the release of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, abducted in Gaza more than seven weeks ago. Journalists in London, China, and Indonesia also rallied today, World Press Freedom Day, in support of Johnston’s release.…
Backsliders: The 10 countries where press freedom has most deteriorated
New York, May 2, 2007–Three nations in sub-Saharan Africa are among the places worldwide where press freedom has deteriorated the most over the last five years, a new analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists has found. Ethiopia, where the government launched a massive crackdown on the private press by shutting newspapers and jailing editors,…
Palestinian leaders confirm BBC correspondent is alive
New York, April 25, 2007—Despite encouraging statements from Palestinian leaders, the Committee to Protect Journalists remains deeply concerned about the safety of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, abducted in Gaza six weeks ago. Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Azzam al-Ahmad said in a statement that Johnston was alive and “in good health,” the BBC reported Tuesday. “The…
In Mexico, a missing reporter is found dead
New York, April 24, 2007—Saúl Noé Martínez Ortega, a Mexican crime reporter who had been abducted a week ago, was found dead yesterday morning in the northern state of Chihuahua. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating possible links between Martínez’s murder and his professional work.
Unknown Palestinian group claims it killed BBC correspondent
New York, April 16, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists remains deeply concerned for the safety of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, abducted in Gaza five weeks ago, following an uncorroborated claim made by a previously unknown Palestinian militant group that they had killed him. On Sunday morning, the Brigades of Tawhid and Jihad (Brigades of Unity…