Maldives media offer first-hand accounts
Violent clashes between police and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protesters continued in the streets of the capital, Malé, on Thursday night, according to international news reports. You can read CPJ’s news alert on journalists swept up in the unrest–and background on the demonstrations–here, and some lively discussion on the situation here.
A litmus test for Kyrgyzstan’s anti-corruption campaign
Campaigners from local rights activists to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay are urging Kyrgyz authorities to review the case of Azimjon Askarov, an investigative reporter and human rights activist serving a life sentence in Kyrgyzstan.
The Maldives backslides on press freedom
CPJ has been watching the Maldives with concern since its first democratically-elected President Mohamed Nasheed relinquished power in February following what he describes as a military coup. New President Mohamed Waheed Hassan says Nasheed’s resignation was voluntary and refuted criticism that his rule marked a return to the ways of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, a dictator…
In Mali, masked gunmen kidnap, beat journalist
Unidentified armed men wearing masks abducted Abdrahmane Keïta, editor of the private bi-weekly L’Aurore, in a public square in Bamako, the capital, at about 8:30 p.m. on July 2, 2012, according to local journalists and news reports. The gunmen dragged Keïta onto their vehicle while repeatedly kicking and beating him with truncheons, the reports said.
Another Somali journalist survives shooting
Nairobi, July 9, 2012–Two unidentified gunmen shot Universal TV reporter and anchor Abdulkadir Omar Abdulle on Saturday evening near his home in the southern Wadajir district of the capital, Mogadishu, but he survived the attack, local journalists told CPJ. An eyewitness spotted two men removing pistols from their waists and warned Abdulkadir before the two…
Togolese reporter attacked while covering protest
Abuja, Nigeria, July 6, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an attack on a Togolese journalist who was trying to cover a demonstration on Monday and calls on authorities to immediately investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice. Atayi Ayi, a reporter for the daily Forum de la Semaine, was taking photographs of a protest…
Ugandan press finds unexpected ally in judiciary
With a medical drip attached to his hand, camped outside police headquarters along Parliamentary Avenue in Uganda’ capital, Kampala, William Ntege was determined to get his video cameras back. Police had beaten Ntege, a journalist with the private broadcaster WBS, and damaged two of his cameras as he covered elections last year, according to local…