Shooting of freelance reporter increases fear for South Sudan’s press
Freelance journalist Peter Julius Moi used to ride a motorbike without wearing a helmet, despite warnings from one of his colleagues to be more careful. Moi would just shrug off those concerns, saying that as a South Sudanese journalist “risk was simply part of life.” Last month, the reporter was shot dead as he walked…
Colombian journalist shot to death in Huila state
Bogotá, Colombia, September 11, 2015–A Colombian journalist was shot dead on Thursday in front of the radio station where she worked, according to news reports. Flor Alba Núñez Vargas had received threats in connection with her reporting, a local journalist told the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Sudanese journalist arrested in Saudi Arabia, faces deportation
New York, September 3, 2015–A Sudanese journalist has been detained for more than a month without charge in Saudi Arabia, according to news reports. Waleed al-Hussein al-Dood could face deportation to Sudan, where he is at risk of arrest and abuse by security forces who have threatened his life, according to statements by his family…
Case will test Bangladesh and its commitment to justice for bloggers
Murder charges filed this week against five suspected Islamist militants in the killing of a Bangladesh blogger give the government a chance to prove it’s serious about protecting the nation’s bloggers. The formal charges, filed in connection with the March killing of Washiqur Rahman Babu, mark the first time charges have been brought in any…
Hasina government must do more to protect Bangladesh’s bloggers
Asif Mohiuddin’s stab wounds are still visible two years on. In January 2013, the outspoken Bangladeshi blogger narrowly escaped death after he was attacked near his office by knife-wielding assailants. His attackers stabbed him nine times on his neck, head, and back, narrowly missing his spine.
The murder of Mexican photographer Espinosa has touched a nerve
The July 31 murder of Mexican photographer Rubén Espinosa hit the press freedom community really hard. Espinosa, who was found in an apartment with four female victims–all of them shot in the head–had fled the state of Veracruz in June and sought refuge in Mexico City, where he thought he would be safe from threats…
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir threatens to kill journalists
Nairobi, August 17, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns statements made by South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Sunday in which he threatened to kill journalists for reporting “against the country.” Kiir made the statement at the airport in the capital, Juba, before flying to Addis Ababa to attend peace talks with former Vice President…
Brazilian journalist dies after being shot while hosting radio program
New York, August 7, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder on Thursday of Brazilian radio journalist Gleydson Carvalho in the municipality of Camocim in the northeastern state of Ceará and calls on authorities to bring the killers to justice. Carvalho was presenting a program on Radio Liberdade FM when two unidentified gunmen entered…
CPJ urges Maldives to launch independent investigation into case of missing journalist Rilwan
Dear President Yameen: The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent international press freedom organization, is writing to express its concern about a Maldivian journalist who has been missing for a year and to call on your government to ensure a credible and independent investigation into his disappearance.