In Thailand, cartoonist detained and warned he could be prosecuted
Bangkok, October 5, 2015–Authorities in Thailand briefly detained Sakda Sae Iao, a prominent editorial cartoonist with the local language Thai Rath newspaper, on Sunday and warned he could be prosecuted for his future work, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the harassment and calls on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to end…
Hürriyet journalist assaulted in Istanbul
Istanbul, October 1, 2015–A critical Turkish journalist, Ahmet Hakan, was assaulted by four men on Wednesday night in Istanbul, according to news reports. The assault followed two attacks on the independent daily Hürriyet, one of the outlets Hakan works for, and threats the journalist received in recent weeks.
CPJ to release annual report on impunity in murders of journalists
New York, October 1, 2015–CPJ will release its 2015 Global Impunity Index, which tracks countries where journalists are murdered and the killers go unpunished, on October 8, 2015. The index will be released ahead of UNESCO’s International Conference on Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists in San José, Costa Rica, on October 9-10. The International Day…
Beyond the pardons, press freedom still under threat in Egypt
Today the Committee to Protect Journalists hosted a press conference for three Al-Jazeera journalists who have been convicted in absentia in Egypt. The journalists expressed solidarity with other members of the press who have been charged by the Egyptian government, and called on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to intervene in their cases.
EU’s reputation as global leader in press freedom at risk, CPJ report finds
Surveillance, restrictive media laws, and weak responses to threats restrict press and challenge EU ideals. Brussels, September 29, 2015- Press freedom in Europe is in peril and the European Union has a moral imperative to defend this right and hold its member states accountable, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in Balancing Act: Press freedom…
CPJ joins call for Morocco to end harassment of journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and three other human rights groups, in calling on the government of Morocco to stop its harassment of journalists and human rights defenders. The statement was delivered during the general debate at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on…
Indian journalist named on hit list as threats against critical voices escalate
“These people will kill you,” Nikhil Wagle, a prominent journalist in India, told me as we discussed reports of him being named as a target by a member of a hard-line Hindu group who is being questioned by police over the murder of a writer.
As world leaders take to UNGA stage, CPJ highlights countries of concern
Press freedom records of Egypt, Russia, Iran, China, Nigeria, Mexico, Ecuador New York, September 25, 2015–Each year, the world’s leaders are invited to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where they are given a platform to speak freely and openly. But while the leaders of many countries enjoy this privilege, their journalists back…