2016
Secular blogger hacked and shot to death in Bangladesh
New York, April 7, 2016–Unidentified assailants attacked blogger Nazimuddin Samad with sharp weapons and then fatally shot him in Dhaka Wednesday night, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Bangladeshi government to determine the motive for the killing, and to take immediate steps to bring his attackers to justice
Djibouti expels BBC journalists ahead of elections
Nairobi, April 6, 2016-Djibouti should ensure that journalists can report on presidential elections without harassment or fear of expulsion, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today, condemning Djiboutian authorities’ recent expulsion of a team of BBC journalists from the country.
Foreign press in China face fewer visa delays but obstacles remain, FCCC finds
The results of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China’s annual survey, released at the end of March, are a mixed bag. While problems raised in previous surveys, such as renewing visas, have eased, the responses show challenges remain for the international press.
CPJ turns 35, jailed journalists walk free, reporters on trial in Turkey, and more
CPJ Newsletter: April edition Four imprisoned journalists freed in Azerbaijan The president of Azerbaijan in March issued a decree pardoning 148 people, including three imprisoned journalists–Hilal Mamedov, Tofiq Yaqublu, and Parviz Hashimli.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of March 27
Erdoğan, in Washington, says not at war with press; bodyguards insult, harass journalists Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, visiting Washington, on Thursday told the American television station CNN that he and his government were “not at war with the press,” in remarks broadcast after his security detail harassed, insulted, and attempted to forcibly eject critical…
In Somaliland, authorities order newspaper to close down
Nairobi, March 31, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland to reopen the daily Codka Shacabka (The Voice of the People). The attorney general’s office issued an order March 24 for the privately owned paper to immediately cease publication, according to human rights campaigners.