Imprisoned

March 20 marked the sixth anniversary of the three-day 2003 crackdown on the independent Cuban press. That day, Oleivys García Echemendía was scheduled to visit her husband, imprisoned Cuban journalist Pablo Pacheco Ávila, at 1 p.m. at the Morón prison in the central province of Ciego de Ávila. 

New York, March 20, 2009–Ivorian authorities on Thursday abruptly jailed a journalist who was scheduled to appear in court next week on libel charges related to a column critical of the government, according to local journalists and press reports. The imprisonment appeared to violate the 2004 Ivorian press law, which decriminalized press offenses and banned pretrial…

New York, March 19, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists called today  for an immediate investigation into the March 18 death of an Iranian blogger imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison‎. 

The Czech prime minister has expressed support for CPJ’s efforts to gain the release of imprisoned Cuban jouirnalists. We sent Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, who is also president of the Council of the European Union, a copy of a March 17 letter to an EU envoy. In the letter, we asked envoy Louis Michel to seek the…

Dear Mr. President: The Committee to Protect Journalists urges you on the eve of the 53rd anniversary of Tunisia’s independence from France to end an ongoing cycle of repression of critical journalists and media outlets. We ask that you abide by the commitment you have made repeatedly since coming to power in 1987 to promote freedom of expression. The last time you reiterated this commitment was in November 2008 at a rally in Tunis marking the 21st anniversary of your ascent to power.

There’s a familiar pattern emerging in Sri Lanka, one we’ve seen in many countries. When the government doesn’t have a viable case against a critical journalist, prosecutors turn to state security laws to keep them in detention.

New York, March 18, 2009–A Burundian online journalist jailed since last September was acquitted today, according to local journalists. In a separate case on Tuesday, however, authorities detained two journalists covering the activities of a former CPJ Press Freedom Award winner, according to the same sources. 

New York, March 18, 2009–Chinese public security officials in northwest Gansu province should release two Tibetan journalists detained in the past month or charge them with an offense, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. 

Dear Mr. Michel: Your planned trip to Havana this week coincides with the sixth anniversary of Cuba’s massive crackdown on independent journalists and dissidents. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on you to urge Raúl Castro’s government to release the 21 journalists still jailed in Cuban prisons and extend the internationally guaranteed right of free expression to all Cubans.