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…
Fourth blogger killed in six months in Bangladesh
New York, August 7, 2015–Bangladeshi authorities should immediately investigate the murder today of a secular blogger who was hacked to death by six assailants with sharp weapons in his home in the capital, Dhaka, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The blogger, who is known as Niloy Neel, frequently criticized religious extremism in the…
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.
Burundi must investigate attacks on journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists and 18 other organizations are urging Burundi authorities to investigate attacks on journalists and human rights defenders. Since the April announcement that President Pierre Nkurunziza would run for a third term, defying constitutional limitations and sparking months of protests, journalists have been routinely targeted. At least five radio stations were…
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, July 2015
CPJ calls Kenya on its “Broken Promises” As U.S. President Barack Obama headed to Kenya and Ethiopia in July, CPJ launched a special report in Nairobi on the climate for press freedom in Kenya. The report, called “Broken promises: How Kenya is failing to uphold its commitment to a free press,” found that a combination…
An international call for China to release ailing journalist Gao Yu
With the health of jailed journalists Gao Yu fading quickly (see ‘I don’t want to die here’: Gao Yu’s health deteriorates in Beijing prison), 15 media support and human rights groups sent a letter today to Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials calling for the 71-year-old reporter’s unconditional release. Gao suffers from heart disease,…
Ivory Coast publisher charged with defamation, insult
Abidjan, August 5, 2015–A journalist who was imprisoned for almost a week by authorities in the Ivory Coast has been charged with defamation, among other crimes, according to the journalist and news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the Ivory Coast to drop the charges against Joseph Titi immediately. A judge…
South Sudanese authorities silence three media outlets
Nairobi, August 5, 2015–Authorities in South Sudan have shut down three independent media outlets in the past five days, according to news reports and the outlets’ editors. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the closures, which come as international mediators seek to arrive at a peace deal between the government and the armed opposition following…
Rory Peck Trust and Committee to Protect Journalists release Syria Media Safety Resource
London, August 5, 2015-A new safety resource for Syrian journalists seeks to help those working in or near the country to better protect themselves amid unprecedented threats and a lack of security information in Arabic. The Rory Peck Trust, in collaboration with the Committee to Protect Journalists and a coalition of international journalist assistance organisations,…