Transparency, accountability at stake in Manning trial
On June 3, when the long-anticipated court-martial of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning begins in Fort Meade, Md., journalists will crowd the courtroom. But at some point the press and the public likely will be ordered out while confidential testimony–including from State Department officials and active military personnel– is heard. If the pre-trial proceedings are any…
In Nepal, press faces litigation for critical coverage of courts
New York, May 16, 2013–Judicial authorities in Nepal should stop targeting outlets of the Kathmandu-based Kantipur Publications and dismiss a case filed against the organization and one of its journalists that accuses them of contempt of court, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
In Uganda, media muzzled over alleged Muhoozi project
While Uganda’s politicians and social media are abuzz over a sensational letter reportedly written by a top security official about a high-level assassination plot, police have dutifully harassed the mainstream press in a bid to suppress the chatter.
Azerbaijan extends criminal defamation to Internet speech
New York, May 14, 2013–Azerbaijani parliament’s approval to extend criminal defamation laws to include Internet speech is a serious setback for press freedom in a country that severely curtails free expression already, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. CPJ calls on President Ilham Aliyev to veto the bill.
Small attack on Thai newspaper has large implications
To head off rising tensions between supporters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and cartoonist Somchai Katanyutanan, who faces possible criminal defamation charges for critical comments he posted on his personal Facebook page, Thailand’s government has to make sure police fully investigate this weekend’s attack on Thai Rath, the country’s largest circulation daily newspaper. The government’s…
In Egypt, journalists face prosecution, attacks, detention
The editor-in-chief of the daily Al-Watan, Magdy el-Galad, and a reporter for the paper, Ahmed el-Khatib, were referred to a criminal court on May 8, 2013, for publishing a “false report that could disturb public peace,” according to news reports.
Zimbabwe journalists charged after military-MDC story
Cape Town, South Africa, May 8, 2013–Police in Harare have filed criminal charges against two Zimbabwean journalists on accusations they published “false statements prejudicial to the state” in a story about behind-the-scenes discussions between military leaders and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.