Five journalists sentenced to jail in Burma
Bangkok, October 17, 2014–Three journalists and two publishers were sentenced on Thursday to two years in prison on anti-state charges in Burma, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the harsh verdict and calls for their release on appeal.
Chinese reporter arrested in connection with Hong Kong protest coverage
New York, October 14, 2014–The arrest of a Chinese reporter working for a German weekly is cause for alarm and signals a threat to other Chinese journalists working for foreign media in China, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Zhang Miao, an arts reporter for the German magazine Die Zeit, has been in jail…
Turkey’s reform fatigue, the EU’s enlargement fatigue, and press freedom
“The European Commission expressed serious concern about developments in the area of rule of law and fundamental rights (in Turkey).” It is progress report season in Brussels. As every year in early October, the commissioner in charge of enlargement unveils documents that judge the progress of all candidate countries in adopting European Union (EU) laws…
As al-Sisi promises freedom of speech, TV host Youssef is put under investigation
The Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was given a great platform for his country last week, with a speech at the United Nation’s General Assembly in which he said that his “new Egypt” would “guarantee freedom of speech,” and his first ever meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama.
‘We are journalists’: Delegation in Turkey to discuss press freedom
Reuters editor-at-large Harry Evans had a question for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: Would he be willing to meet with a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute (IPI) when it visited Turkey?
Undercover in Vietnam: Room for debate frees up but bloggers remain imprisoned
In the final part of CPJ’s “Undercover in Vietnam” series on press freedom in Vietnam, Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin reveals how prominent blogger Nguyen Van Hai remains behind bars for his critical writing despite the margin for debate opening. The series concludes with recommendations for the Vietnamese government and international bodies. Incarcerated for the…
Undercover in Vietnam: Reporters become martyrs for their paper’s cause
In the second of CPJ’s four-part “Undercover in Vietnam” series on press freedom in Vietnam, CPJ Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin reveals the persecution faced by Redemptorist News journalists, who have been jailed, harassed, and had their passports revoked for reporting on human rights. In part three, due to be published Monday, Crispin interviews a…
Undercover in Vietnam: Bloggers play risky game of cat-and-mouse to report
In the first of a four-part “Undercover in Vietnam” series on press freedom in Vietnam, CPJ Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin explores the risks bloggers take so they can cover news events and protests. Under near-constant surveillance and with the threat of arbitrary detention hanging over them, the desire for an independent press drives Vietnam’s…
CPJ joins call for Rouhani to improve press freedom and human rights in Iran
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 25 human rights and civil society groups today in signing an open letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday about steps toward an open and effective relationship with the United Nations Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.