DRC journalist found dead after missing for 12 days
Abuja, Nigeria, May 23, 2013–Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo should identify the motive behind the murder of a radio presenter who was found on Friday after being missing for 12 days, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
As impunity reigns, Pakistani press threatened from all sides
New York, May 23, 2013–With the release of a new report on widespread impunity, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the incoming government of Pakistan to urgently address the issue of violence against the press by bringing perpetrators of past crimes to justice. “Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records of prosecuting anti-press…
Q&A with an editor of South Sudan’s Juba Monitor
Police arbitrarily arrested Michael Koma, the managing editor of South Sudan’s daily Juba Monitor, on May 2 and detained him for four days following the publication of an article critical of the deputy security minister. A veteran journalist, Koma has experienced firsthand the poor state of press freedom within Africa’s newest country. CPJ spoke with…
Press must be able to work freely in South Sudan
Dear President Salva Kiir Mayardit: We are writing to express our deep concern about the deteriorating state of press freedom in your country. In the past six months, CPJ has documented several cases of attacks, intimidation, and detention of journalists by security agents in South Sudan and we are concerned that this harassment has led to self-censorship and even exile among the local press corps. We urge you to use the power of your office to ensure that journalists are allowed to work freely without harassment and censure from state security officials.
Premature praise for Burma’s press reforms
Burmese President Thein Sein made a historic visit to the White House on May 19, the latest in a series of high-level symbolic exchanges between the two nations. While Thein Sein has been regularly commended by U.S. officials for his broad democratic reform program, President Barack Obama’s praise this week overlooked a significant backtracking on…
In Iran, news coverage stifled amid election controversy
New York, May 21, 2013–Internet access has slowed, critical websites have been blocked, and several journalists have been summoned back to prison in Iran as the country’s Guardian Council made a key decision today barring two leading candidates from the presidential election. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the broad efforts to deny Iranian citizens…
European Parliament reaffirms principles, but action lacks
The European Parliament, meeting in a plenary session in Strasbourg, France, adopted today a resolution stating that “changes in EU member state’s media laws that make it easier for governments to interfere in the media should be monitored every year at EU level.”