CPJ presses slow, cautious Council of Europe on Azerbaijan
Strasbourg prides itself on being the “European capital of human rights.” The historic French city, located on the border with Germany, is home to the Council of Europe (CoE), a 47-member institution focused on the promotion of democracy and the rule of law. It is also the seat of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR),…
CPJ concerned about rash of journalist arrests in Turkey
New York, March 7, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the wave of journalist arrests in Turkey in connection with an alleged plot to overthrow the government known as “Ergenekon.” At least 12 journalists have been detained in less than a month; and at least nine are currently in custody, according to international…
Last Black Spring reporter freed; one still jailed in Cuba
New York, March 7, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Cuban independent journalist Pedro Argüelles Morán on Friday, and calls on Cuban authorities to eliminate all conditions on his freedom. Argüelles Morán, at left, was the last of 29 reporters arrested during a 2003 massive government crackdown on dissent to be allowed…
Angolan journalist gets year in prison for defamation
New York, March 3, 2011–A court in Angola’s southwestern province of Namibe sent a journalist to prison today without due process over his coverage of a sexual harassment scandal that implicated the province’s top judicial official, according to local journalists and news reports.Judge Manuel Araujo sentenced Armando José Chicoca, a freelancer who reports for U.S. government-funded…
After ‘trial by fire,’ Cuba’s Maseda back to journalism
Almost three weeks after being released from jail following eight years of inhumane treatment in Cuba’s infamous prison system, CPJ’s 2008 International Press Freedom award winner Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez said he is committed to going back to independent journalism. “That’s my will, and I have decided to do it here in Havana,” Maseda said in…
Iraq cracks down on media; violations in Yemen, Libya
New York, February 25, 2011–The Committee to protect Journalists documented additional attacks today in Iraq, Yemen, and Libya as journalists tried to cover anti-government protests. Iraqi authorities cracked down on media: Security forces stormed a satellite TV office, detained dozens of journalists, and confiscated equipment, according to local journalists and news reports. In Yemen, at…
China detains, censors bloggers on ‘Jasmine Revolution’
New York, February 25, 2011–China’s censors tightened Internet controls and security officials harassed and detained writers and activists in the wake of an online appeal for a “Jasmine Revolution” in China, according to international human rights groups and news reports. The apparent crackdown came in advance of two top legislative meetings, the National People’s Congress…
Cameroon security forces obstructing journalists
New York, February 25, 2011–Cameroon’s government is obstructing journalists from reporting on issues of public interest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Security forces detained a journalist without charge for six days after he interviewed a jailed former official. They also seized footage from reporters covering the brutal repression of a banned opposition march…
Lawyer’s footage of house arrest published in China
Men in plainclothes recently harassed at least six foreign journalists in Shandong province. Vivid news footage shoes a group pelting CNN reporter Stan Grant and his photographer with rocks when they tried to visit the home of an activist under house arrest. Brice Pedroletti from France’s Le Monde, Stephane Lagarde with Radio France Internationale, and…