Joining the global call for justice
On November 23, 2009, Esmael Mangudadatu decided to register his candidacy for governor of Maguindanao, in the southern Philippines. Because his rivals from the Ampuatan clan had pledged to block him from filing the papers, he dispatched his female relatives, believing that they would not be harmed. He also thought it would increase security to…
Glimmer of hope for justice in Kenyan death
Slain journalist Francis Nyaruri received threatening calls from a senior policeman shortly before he disappeared and his decapitated body was found in Kodera forest, western Kenya, a court sitting in Kisumu heard today in the presence of two murder suspects and four witnesses.
UN report: Mexico 5th most dangerous place in the world for journalists
On Monday the UN and Organization of American States released a joint report naming Mexico as the 5th most dangerous place in the world for journalists with over 70 deaths since 2000. CPJ ranks Mexico 8th in the Impunity Index and 9th in total journalist deaths. So far in 2011 there have been 8 journalists murdered in the…
From Karachi to New York: A tale of fear, loss, and hope
On Monday, a well-known Pakistani journalist came to our office in New York. We had been messaging and texting for a few weeks, so I knew what to expect. Despite the harsh reality check that CPJ’s Sheryl Mendez and I offered during our 90-minute meeting, he is going ahead with the process of applying for…
Analysis: Journalist’s murder a test case for Russia’s Putin
October 7 marks the fifth anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya being gunned down in broad daylight in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building. CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova talks with Reuters about the ongoing investigation into the murder, the state of press freedom under Vladimir Putin’s leadership and what it means…
Justice still pending in Politkovskaya murder case
New York, October 7, 2011–Five years after the brutal assassination of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Russian authorities to prosecute the masterminds of her killing and end impunity in the murder of journalists.
In Nepal, killers of journalists could go free
Dear Prime Minister Bhattarai: We are alarmed by recent reports regarding the planned amnesty of criminal cases pending from past political violence in Nepal and are writing to express our concern that people convicted of killing journalists could go free based on political decisions made by your government.
UN plan on journalist security could bring improvement
Representatives from U.N. agencies, member states, and nongovernmental organizations convened on Tuesday at the United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting on Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity to plan how to address journalist security. Participants of the meeting, which was convened by UNESCO at its Paris headquarters, also discussed how the United Nations could promote…
Retired police official charged in Politkovskaya murder
New York, September 2, 2011–Russia’s Investigative Committee brought charges today against retired police Lt. Col. Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov in connection with the 2006 murder of renowned investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, and named convicted criminal Lom-Ali Gaitukayev as an organizer of the slaying.
In Russia, new suspect detained in Politkovskaya’s slaying
New York, August 24, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the detention of a new suspect in the murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, left, who was shot in her apartment building in 2006. The suspect, retired Lt. Col. Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, is said to have formed a criminal group tasked with killing her, and the journalist’s…