Turkey releases five more journalists
New York, May 12, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release from jail today of five Turkish journalists–Nurettin Fırat, Yüksel Genç, Turabi Kişin, Ertuş Bozkurt, and Ramazan Pekgöz. The journalists were arrested in December 2011 as part of the Turkish government’s crackdown on pro-Kurdish news outlets and were accused of membership or participation in…
Journalists released from Turkish jails pending appeal
New York, May 9, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release from jail on Thursday of Fusün Erdoğan, former general manager of Özgür Radyo, and Bayram Namaz, a columnist for the weekly Atılım, and urges Turkish authorities to remove restrictions on their travel and lift their prison sentences on appeal.
Ilham Tohti’s daughter fights for his freedom
At first glance, 19-year-old Jewher Ilham may seem like a typical college student. As she clutched her smart phone, the face of a cat imprinted on the cover peered through her fingers. She spoke in short sentences with little pause. Her thoughts pulled her in various directions as she spoke about her love for dance,…
Chinese journalist Gao Yu jailed for leaking secrets
Hong Kong, May 8, 2014–A Chinese journalist missing since April 24 was detained by authorities and has been accused of leaking a confidential Communist Party document, according to news reports. Gao Yu’s arrest comes amid the detention of several government critics as the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown approaches, according to news reports.
Vietnamese blogger arrested on anti-state charges
Bangkok, May 7, 2014–Vietnamese police in Hanoi arrested the founder of a popular blog and his assistant on Monday on accusations of disseminating anti-state articles, according to news reports. In 2007, blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh started the Ba Sam news website and aggregator, which often posted materials critical of the government and its policies, reports…
CPJ calls on Turkey to address press freedom challenges
New York, April 30, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is disturbed by reports in Turkey’s pro-government media that made false claims about CPJ. The reports said CPJ made a statement on April 18 saying Turkey holds only 15 journalists behind bars. CPJ did not issue a statement.
Egypt jails two journalists, renews detention of another
Saaid Shihata, reporter for Yaqeen, an online news network that is supportive of former President Mohamed Morsi, was arrested on December 30, 2013, while another Yaqeen reporter, Ahmed Gamal, was arrested two days prior, according to Yahya Khalaf, Yaqeen’s executive director, who spoke to CPJ. Both journalists were held after covering clashes between students and…
CPJ welcomes renewed probe into Askarov’s case
New York, April 30, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists commends today’s decision by Oktyabrsky District Court in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, to renew the investigation into the case of imprisoned journalist and rights defender Azimjon Askarov, who was imprisoned in 2010 in retaliation for his work exposing official wrongdoing.
A message from son of Vietnam blogger Nguyen Van Hai
In preparation for today’s Congressional Briefing on Media Freedom in Vietnam, organized by members of the U.S. House of Representatives and featuring a panel of Vietnamese bloggers and others, CPJ has been in close contact with the family of Nguyen Van Hai, a blogger who has been in jail since 2008. We have also met…