Kyrgyzstan Supreme Court upholds Askarov sentence
New York, December 20, 2011–Today’s ruling by Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court upholding a life sentence for independent journalist Azimjon Askarov on fabricated charges is a lethal blow to press freedom and justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
Pursuing justice for Gambia’s Deyda Hydara
December 16 will be the seventh anniversary of the killing of Deyda Hydara, the dean of Gambian journalism. It is also the 20th anniversary of the first issue of The Point, the courageously independent-minded daily that Hydara founded and directed for many years. He was murdered in a drive-by shooting as he drove himself and…
Several tallies, one conclusion on Turkish press freedom
Press freedom in Turkey is under assault. Thousands of criminal cases have been filed against reporters, the Criminal Code and Anti-Terrorism Act are used routinely to silence critical news coverage, and Kurdish journalists face constant persecution. Today CPJ released its annual prison census, which tracks cases of journalists jailed for their work globally. (The list…
Q & A: Khudaiberdiyev on Kyrgyz trial, press freedom
In late October, a regional court in Jalal-Abad, southern Kyrgyzstan, convicted and sentenced in absentia to hefty prison terms two ethnic Uzbek media owners, Dzhavlon Mirzakhodzhayev of Mezon TV and Khalil Khudaiberdiyev of Osh TV. Both men were tried in connection to the ethnic conflict that ravaged southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010. Authorities accused both…
South Africa lower house passes information bill
New York, November 22, 2011–The South African National Assembly today passed an information bill which would sanction unauthorized possession and publication of classified state information with a prison term of up to 25 years, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the upper house of parliament to reject the bill, which has…
Zuma spokesman targets South African weekly
New York, November 21, 2011–The spokesman for South African President Jacob Zuma filed a criminal complaint on Saturday against two journalists investigating his alleged role in a $US5 billion international arms deal that became embroiled in scandal, according to news reports. Weekly investigative paper Mail & Guardian sought comment last week from presidential spokesman Mac…
Q & A: Dzhavlon Mirzakhodzhayev on Kyrgyz ‘justice’
On October 28, a regional court in Jalal-Abad, southern Kyrgyzstan, announced its verdict in the trial of six men–all ethnic Uzbeks–charged in connection with violent ethnic conflict in June 2010. Among the defendants were owners of what was once the region’s most influential media–Khalil Khudaiberdiyev of Osh TV and Dzhavlon Mirzakhodzhayev of Mezon TV. The…
Ethiopia charges six journalists with terrorism
New York, November 11, 2011–A judge in Ethiopia’s federal high court charged six journalists with terrorism on Thursday under the country’s antiterrorism law, bringing the number of journalists charged under the statute since June to 10, CPJ research found.