Media squeezed in Thai military coup
Bangkok, May 22, 2014–Thailand’s military-led National Peace and Order Maintaining Council today seized administrative power in a coup and ordered local broadcast media to halt regular programming and local satellite and cable service providers to block international news channels, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the military-imposed censorship and calls for an…
Egyptian presidential candidates should support journalists, CPJ says
To presidential candidates Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi and Hamdeen Sabahi: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to express its deep concern about the state of press freedom in Egypt. Since the organization was founded in 1981, journalists in Egypt have never been under greater threat of assault, imprisonment, or even death, CPJ research shows.
Sri Lankan army restricts access to newspaper offices
On May 18, 2014, dozens of Sri Lankan army officers in the city of Jaffna surrounded the offices of Uthayan, a critical Tamil-language newspaper, blocked roads near the newspaper, and denied employees access to the premises, news reports said. The officers also conducted security checks on people headed to the newspaper’s office, according to reports.
Pakistan should renew visas for journalists facing expulsion
New York, May 15, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the impending expulsion of two foreign journalists from Pakistan. Meena Menon, a correspondent for The Hindu, and Snehesh Alex Philip, a correspondent for the Press Trust of India, are both Indian journalists.
Court in Azerbaijan sentences journalist to eight years in jail
New York, May 15, 2014–The eight-year prison term given today to a journalist in Azerbaijan is a breach of the country’s declared commitments to press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Parviz Hashimli is the editor of the independent news website Moderator and a reporter for the independent newspaper Bizim Yol.
Press freedom at low as Azerbaijan takes Council of Europe chairmanship
On Wednesday, Azerbaijan will assume chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. The chairmanship process is automatic; the position is rotated every six months among all of the council’s members, in alphabetical order. But Azerbaijan’s chairmanship has proven more problematic than most, as it comes at a time when the country’s fulfillment of…
Somaliland authorities arrest two journalists
Nairobi, May 12, 2014–A regional court in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland remanded two journalists into custody on Saturday after charging them with libel, false publication, and anti-state propaganda, according to news reports and the local Somaliland Journalists’ Association. Yusuf Abdi Gabobe, chairman of the Haatuf Media Network, and Ahmed Ali, chief editor of the…
Turkey releases five more journalists
New York, May 12, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release from jail today of five Turkish journalists–Nurettin Fırat, Yüksel Genç, Turabi Kişin, Ertuş Bozkurt, and Ramazan Pekgöz. The journalists were arrested in December 2011 as part of the Turkish government’s crackdown on pro-Kurdish news outlets and were accused of membership or participation in…