In fight against extremism, press freedom must not be compromised
In an effort to counter extremists and militant groups who use a mix of violence and social media to spread their message, a summit was held in Washington, D.C. this week to discuss how to counter violent extremism. While there is little denying that these groups must be tackled, an approach must be found that…
Mozambique charges journalists investigating rhino poaching
New York, February 20, 2015–Mozambican authorities have charged two international journalists with trespassing and invasion of privacy in connection with their investigation of rhino poaching, according to news reports and one of the journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Mozambique to drop the charges and ensure the journalists’ safety.
Kuwaiti court upholds government shutdown of Al-Watan newspaper
Washington, February 19, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the official harassment of the Kuwaiti independent daily Al-Watan and calls on authorities to allow the paper to resume publishing its print edition. In the latest legal twist, a Kuwaiti court on Wednesday upheld the government’s decision to shut down the paper, according to news reports.
Sudan security agents confiscate print runs of 14 newspapers
New York, February 18, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the confiscation by Sudanese security agents of editions from at least 14 newspapers on Monday, in what the country’s National Council for Press and Publications described as an “unprecedented” action.
Malaysian authorities seize another book by political cartoonist
Bangkok, February 17, 2015–In an escalating campaign of harassment, Malaysian authorities seized copies of a new volume of political cartoons by Zulkiflee Awar Ulhaque, also known as Zunar, on Saturday, according to news reports. In the past three weeks, police have confiscated three separate volumes of Zunar’s cartoons and detained him for four days on…
Mission Journal: In Egypt, glimmer of hope in bleak press environment
After a series of high-level meetings to discuss press freedom concerns with Egyptian officials in Cairo this week, it was heartening to hear that journalists Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed had been granted bail after more than 400 days in prison.
Khadija Ismayilova slammed with new charges in Azerbaijan
New York, February 13, 2015–The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office today charged Khadija Ismayilova, an award-winning investigative journalist, with embezzlement, illegal business, tax evasion, and abuse of power, regional and international press reported. The new charges came the same week that news reports said a leading press freedom advocate, Emin Huseynov, has been in hiding in…
In Azerbaijan, journalist in hiding faces criminal investigation
New York, February 12, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijani authorities to drop the criminal investigation of Emin Huseynov, journalist and media freedom advocate, and allow him to work and travel without harassment and fear of arrest.
CPJ calls on Egypt to free Al-Jazeera journalists
New York, February 11, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to drop the charges against imprisoned Al-Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, whose retrial is scheduled to begin on Thursday. A court said it had ordered the retrial because of lack of evidence leading to their conviction of “conspiring with…
Cartoonist detained for critical tweets in Malaysia
Bangkok, February 11, 2015–Malaysian authorities arrested a political cartoonist on Tuesday on accusations of sedition, according to news reports. Zulkiflee Awar Ulhaque, also known as Zunar, was detained after posting critical tweets about a court decision to imprison the country’s main opposition leader.