Critical editor convicted, jailed in Azerbaijan
New York, November 14, 2013–Authorities in Azerbaijan should release on appeal a journalist sentenced to four years in jail on trumped-up charges of hooliganism, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The conviction comes as Azerbaijan is scheduled to assume the rotating chairmanship in the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe in May.
African media leaders must address Ethiopia’s repression
New York, November 5, 2013–As media leaders and officials of regional institutions gather in Addis Ababa this week for the African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF), the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the participants to ensure that press freedom is squarely on the agenda.
Vietnamese blogger jailed on tax evasion charges
Bangkok, October 4, 2013–Vietnamese blogger Le Quoc Quan was sentenced to prison on Wednesday for tax evasion, a charge that government authorities frequently use to stifle critical voices. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the appellate court to reverse the politically motivated ruling and urges Vietnamese authorities to end state persecution of Vietnam’s independent…
Nguyen Van Hai, Vietnam
2013 CPJ International Press Freedom Awardee (Courtesy of Univision) UPDATE: On November 25, 2014, Nguyen Van Hai attended CPJ’s 2014 International Press Freedom Awards and received his award in person. Scroll down to watch or read his speech. Nguyen Van Hai is one of the best-known bloggers in Vietnam’s burgeoning community of online journalists, who…
Editor jailed on retaliatory charges in Azerbaijan
New York, August 5, 2013–Authorities in Azerbaijan should stop their practice of jailing journalists in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A district court in Baku on Friday ordered the imprisonment of Sardar Alibeili, chief editor of the independent newspaper P.S. Nota, for two months pending investigation of a criminal…
Zambia blocks another website, re-arrests reporter
Cape Town, July 30, 2013–Zambian authorities should stop blocking access to critical news websites and halt their harassment of journalists accused of working with the websites, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today after reports emerged of widening government obstruction.
China, local leaders threaten Hong Kong press freedom
In “Dark Clouds on the Horizon,” the Hong Kong Journalists Association’s latest annual report, the group warns that China is tightening its grip over Hong Kong media. The findings come at a time when attacks on a pro-democracy media group, Next Media, have raised fears of aggression against news outlets known for being critical of…
The guide Jennifer Lopez should have read before she sang in Turkmenistan
After Jennifer Lopez performed at an event in Turkmenistan on Saturday night, the Guardian created a guide to the “-stans” so “no pop star need be caught out by accidentally singing happy birthday to a despotic ruler in this region ever again.” The guide points to the fact that Uzbekistan was sixth on CPJ’s list…
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, June 2013
CPJ releases report on journalists in exile Fifty-five journalists fled their homes fearing threats of violence and imprisonment in the past year, according to CPJ’s annual survey, which is based on cases the organization has supported, from which it derives global trends. The report, “Journalists in Exile,” was released on June 19, ahead of World…
Exiled journalists in risky places need helping hand
It was well past mid-day in Eastleigh, a shanty district on the east side of Nairobi, Kenya. The billows of dust rising from the rock-scarred road showed a government that had long lost interest in the neighborhood. A young man, struggling with horribly dry conditions, was fighting with his patrons. “Welahi, today’s khat is so…