In Libya, 4 journalists detained, 3 missing, one killed
New York, March 20, 2011–Al-Jazeera said today that Libyan authorities have been holding four of its journalists in Tripoli for several days, while Agence-France Presse reported that two of its journalists and a third journalist are missing in eastern Libya. On Saturday, the founder and manager of a Libyan online broadcaster was killed by gunfire…
Bahrain expels CNN reporter, detains WSJ correspondent
New York, March 17, 2011–Bahraini authorities expelled a CNN reporter and briefly detained another international reporter on Wednesday amid an intensified crackdown on political unrest. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Bahraini government’s ongoing obstruction of news media and calls for authorities to allow journalists to cover this story of international import. Elsewhere in…
Libya must free Guardian reporter; obstruction continues
New York, March 11, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, left, a correspondent for London’s Guardian newspaper whom Libyan officials now acknowledge holding in detention. CPJ also demands that authorities halt ongoing obstruction and intimidation of journalists. A number of foreign journalists invited to cover events in the…
In Libya, 7 journalists unaccounted for, 3 others abused
New York, March 10, 2011–At least seven journalists covering the conflict in Libya are unaccounted for, according to research by the Committee to Protect Journalists, which expressed deep concern today about their well-being. The most recent to go missing is Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, a correspondent for London’s Guardian newspaper, whose disappearance was reported today.
U.N. to investigate Prageeth Eknelygoda’s disappearance
Tuesday’s letter from CPJ and four other groups to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon apparently had some impact. The Canadian Press reported today that Ban has asked the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNESCO, which oversees press freedom, to look into the case of Prageeth Eknelygoda, a Sri Lankan columnist and cartoonist missing for…
Journalists missing in Libya; one killed in Iraq bombing
New York, February 24, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists remains alarmed by the Libyan government’s ongoing, threatening rhetoric against the press, as well as the continued violence against journalists–a number of whom have not been heard from since demonstrations began on February 17. In a separate development, an Iraqi journalist was killed and another reporter…
Reporter missing in Libya; attacks continue in Yemen, Iraq
New York, February 22, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the ongoing deterioration of conditions for the media in the Middle East, including the disappearance of Atef al-Atrash, a critical Libyan journalist, since anti-Qaddafi demonstrations began February 17. The Internet has been intermittently down since Saturday in the country, according to international news…
At Attacks launch: What if governments are perpetrators?
When we launched the new edition of Attacks on the Press at the United Nations today, I was hit with questions about Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Both dealt with what amounts to the same problem: What do you do when you’re asking a government to investigate a crime in which it might have been the…
United Nations must intervene to protect Sri Lanka’s media
New York, January 31, 2011–Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon must press the United Nations to address the string of uninvestigated and unprosecuted attacks on journalists and media houses under the government of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. CPJ responded after an early Monday morning arson attack on the offices of…