Thai junta bans FCCT event on lese majeste law
New York, June 16, 2015–Thailand’s ruling military junta has banned an event on Wednesday by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand to discuss the country’s draconian lѐse majesté law, news reports said. This is the second ban this month of an FCCT event that was scheduled to discuss the country’s declining human rights situation.
Dieu Cay on solitary confinement, hunger strikes, and his fight for press freedom
EDITOR’S NOTE: Held in solitary confinement and stripped of his human rights, Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Van Hai suffered greatly during his six and a half years in prison. The 63-year-old outspoken critic of the repressive Vietnamese government was granted early release from a 12-year sentence last year, thanks in part to campaigning by CPJ. Hai,…
Indian journalist beaten and dragged behind motorbike
New York, June 15, 2015–An Indian journalist was beaten by a group of men and dragged behind a motorcycle in Uttar Pradesh state on June 13, in apparent reprisal for his critical reporting, according to reports. The attack comes days after freelance journalist Jagendra Singh was killed in the same state in a case that…
Media freedom advocate Emin Huseynov flees Azerbaijan as Baku hosts European Games
New York, June 13, 2015-Azerbaijani journalist Emin Huseynov was flown into exile in Switzerland on June 12, a few hours after the opening ceremony of the European Games in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, according to reports. Fearing imminent arrest during the country’s crackdown on rights groups and the press, Huseynov, the director of media freedom group…
Rwandan journalist arrested in Burundi, charged with spying
New York, June 12, 2015–A Rwandan journalist who was arrested in Burundi on Monday has been charged with espionage, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Burundian authorities to release the journalist and drop the charge immediately.
Journalists assaulted while covering protest in western Kenya
Nairobi, June 12, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an attack on Tuesday against four journalists covering a peaceful protest in western Kenya and calls on authorities to investigate the attacks and hold the assailants to account.
CPJ welcomes arrest of suspect behind Somali kidnapping
New York, June 12, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the arrest in Canada on Thursday of Ali Omar Ader, a Somali allegedly involved in the 2008 kidnapping of journalists Amanda Lindhout, Nigel Brennan, and Abdifatah Mohamed Elmi, a Somali fixer and photojournalist. Ali, who appeared briefly in court in Ottawa today, is alleged to…
Exiled: When the most dangerous place for journalists is your country
CPJ to release report on exiled journalists to commemorate World Refugee Day New York, June 11, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists will release its annual report on journalists forced into exile on June 17, 2015, to mark World Refugee Day on June 20. The report, headlined “Exiled: When the most dangerous place for journalists is…
CPJ condemns death threats against Elena Milashina, calls for investigation
New York, June 11, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns death threats issued against Elena Milashina, an award-winning investigative reporter for the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and Moscow correspondent for CPJ, and calls on authorities to ensure her safety.