Colombian journalist escapes being doused in gasoline
New York, June 6, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Colombian authorities today to thoroughly investigate the attempted murder of the director of a provincial television station in Colombia. Mario Esteban López Ortega, known for his criticism of local authorities, escaped an assassination attempt on Tuesday after he was abducted in the city of…
Q&A: Joel Simon on CPJ’s Impunity Index
Columbia Journalism Review published a Q&A with CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon on June 3 about CPJ’s 2011 Impunity Index. Among others questions, Simon answers the question: “It’s pretty startling to read in this report that 40 percent of journalists who were murdered in the listed countries in the last decade had received threats before…
Justice for Saleem Shahzad? We’ve seen this before…
An important distinction is emerging in the murder of Saleem Shahzad, at left, as details of a second post-mortem were released Thursday. Shahzad was not tortured as has been widely reported. He was more likely beaten to death fairly quickly, apparently with iron rods, according to media reports. Here’s the highly respected Amir Mir, writing…
Press watchdog: State complicit in murder
The Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star interviewed CPJ Impunity Campaign and Journalists Assistance Program Coordinator Maria Salazar-Ferro about CPJ’s 2011 Impunity Index. In the interview Salazar-Ferro talks about global trends in the murders of journalists as well as Lebanese cases. The interview was published in print and online on June 2. Click here for the full…
Suspected gunman indicted in Anna Politkovskaya’s murder
New York, June 2, 2011–Rustam Makhmudov, the suspected gunman in the 2006 murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, was indicted in Moscow today, according to Russian press reports. The charges follow Makhmudov’s arrest in Chechnya on Tuesday. The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed these developments and called on investigators to continue their efforts to solve the killing.
In Egypt, military harasses critical journalists
New York, June 2, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to stop its harassment of journalists who report critically on the military. Officers and military prosecutors have censored, harassed, or otherwise intimidated numerous critical journalists since February, and particularly in recent weeks.
Missing journalist found dead in Mexico
New York, June 2, 2011–With the news that the body of Noel López Olguín, a Mexican reporter who went missing in March, was found on Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Mexican authorities to thoroughly investigate his murder. López was found Tuesday buried in a clandestine grave in the city of Chinameca, in…
Rising anger amid accusations about who killed Shahzad
Just a few pointers to the angry discussion that is going on among Pakistan’s journalists about the killing of Saleem Shahzad. The Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) seems to have emerged as the prime target of accusation, but it has rejected claims of any involvement.In an Associated Press of Pakistan article Tuesday slugged “Salim Shahzad…
CPJ launches 2011 Impunity Index
On June 1, CPJ published its 2011 Impunity Index spotlighting countries where journalists are slain and killers go free. The index’s findings were covered by a wide variety of news organizations. Some highlights include stories on AFP, AP, Associated Press of Pakistan, EFE (in Spanish) and Reuters. The index, which ranks Iraq, Somalia and the Philippines at the top of the…