CPJ welcomes Supreme Court ruling in the Philippines
New York, September 17, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes a Supreme Court ruling in the Philippines granting a change of trial venue in the case against two suspects charged with ordering the March 2005 murder of investigative reporter Marlene Garcia-Esperat.
CPJ delegation meets with Russian Investigative Committee
A delegation, led by CPJ Board Member Kati Marton, and including Senior Advisor Jean-Paul Marthoz and Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova, had a two-hour-long substantive meeting today with 11 officials from Russia’s Investigative Committee, including Petros Gaibyan, the senior investigator in charge of the probes into Anna Politkovskaya’s and Paul Klebnikov’s murder…
Philippine murder case granted change of venue
A Supreme Court decision to allow a change of venue in the trial of three suspects accused of murdering journalist Dennis Cuesta, at left, in August 2008 sets a hopeful precedent in the fight against impunity in media killings in the Philippines. The decision was granted in mid-July and press freedom groups tracking the case…
Second investigator on murder case killed in Mexico
For the second time in less than a month, the lead federal investigator in the case of a journalist murdered in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, has been shot and killed in the streets of that city, according to news accounts. The second investigator, Pablo Pasillas Fong, was shot 13 times on August 26, according to the…
Witness protection key in Philippine journalist murders
This week, CPJ’s Shawn W. Crispin examined the incredible risks and challenges confronting witnesses to journalist murders in the Philippines. Crispin’s report, “Under Oath, Under Threat,” featured Bob Flores, a man who has demonstrated extraordinary courage in identifying a gunman in the slaying of radio journalist Dennis Cuesta. Crispin and I had met Flores earlier…
Mexican officer’s murder reinforces impunity
In June, CPJ traveled to Ciudad Juárez to report on the extraordinary challenges that Mexican reporters face in covering the drug trade. As CPJ’s Mike O’Connor noted in his report, self-censorship is rife and many critical stories are uncovered. The primary reason is impunity: Those who kill or threaten journalists know there is almost no…