2010
Press fuels democracy in Cameroon, across continent
On January 1, 1960, during the proclamation of independence of the French speaking part of Cameroon, I was forced, with comrades from Leclerc high school in Yaoundé, to take part in the big parade organized by President Ahmadou Ahidjo. At that time, I would occasionally write articles for the school magazine, but also for Les…
CPJ calls for immediate release of Tunisian journalist
New York, July 15, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Tunisian authorities to immediately release Fahem Boukadous, a correspondent for the satellite television station Al-Hiwar al-Tunisi, and to overturn his four-year prison sentence.
Ivory Coast detains three journalists over sources
New York, July 15, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the arrest of three journalists in Ivory Coast who have been detained since Tuesday, when they refused to disclose sources for an investigative report detailing the results of a government probe into corruption in the coffee and cocoa export trade, according to local journalists…
CPJ seeks thorough investigation into Estemirova murder
New York, July 15, 2010—On the first anniversary of the brutal murder of prominent journalist and human rights defender Natalya Estemirova, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Russian authorities to thoroughly probe professional motives and aggressively pursue all suspects in the killing. Estemirova, left, who for 10 years documented the human toll of the…
Punjab Assembly condemns—then praises—media
Pakistan’s spirited press is once again caught up in arms over the latest and most absurd attempt to discredit its voice. On Sunday, various journalist organizations in Larkana, Sindh province, followed in the recent footsteps of their colleagues in Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi and observed a “black day” of protest, according to Pakistan’s The News.
CPJ asks OSCE to put Kazakh press freedom on agenda
Dear Members of the OSCE Ministerial Council: In advance of your July 16-17 meeting at the Ak-Bulak Resort in Kazakhstan, the Committee to Protect Journalists—an independent advocacy group that defends the rights of journalists worldwide—would like to draw your attention to the poor press freedom record of Kazakhstan, the current chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
In Cuban releases, difficult choices, moral dilemmas
The Havana government has not explicitly demanded that political prisoners go into exile as a condition of release, but it’s clear that’s what Cuban authorities want. The first journalists and dissidents to be freed from jail were immediately whisked away to Spain, which, along with the Catholic Church, had negotiated for their freedom. That leaves…
Remembering Pius: The devastation of his death
It’s 7:50 a.m. I’m up early—lots of work to finish today. I check my e-mail. There’s a message from CPJ’s Lauren Wolfe, who I don’t know. The opening line reads: “I’m not sure if you heard that Pius Njawé was killed in a car crash yesterday in Virginia. Anne Nelson told us you worked closely with him when he was chosen…