Kenji Goto’s reporting is voice of humanity in times of atrocity
Kenji Goto, the 47-year-old television journalist held captive by the Islamic State (IS), is not a typical reporter, nor is he typically Japanese. But his courage and commitment to broadcasting humane stories from some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones would put him at the pinnacle of his profession anywhere in the world. It…
After Charlie Hebdo attack, vigils, protests and publishing bans
Protests against the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo were held in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East and parts of Africa over the weekend, as crowds demonstrated against the magazine’s portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad, according to news reports.
Five journalists killed when gunmen ambush convoy in South Sudan
Nairobi, January 27, 2015–Five journalists were killed on Sunday when unidentified gunmen ambushed an official convoy in South Sudan’s Western Bahr al Ghazal state, according to local journalists and news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the attack and calls on authorities to apprehend the perpetrators and hold them to account.
Tanzania bans circulation of regional weekly
Nairobi, January 27, 2015–Tanzanian authorities banned circulation of the privately owned regional weekly The East African on January 21, citing the newspaper’s lack of registration, according to news reports. Local journalists said they believed the paper was shut because of its critical coverage of the government.
Press threatened and detained as Egypt marks uprising anniversary
New York, January 26, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the harassment and detention of journalists in Egypt on Sunday during mass demonstrations to mark the fourth anniversary of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Journalist flees Argentina after reporting on prosecutor’s death
New York, January 26, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that Argentine journalist Damián Pachter fled the country early Saturday out of concern for his safety, according to news reports. Pachter broke the news on January 18 that Alberto Nisman, a prosecutor investigating the 1994 terrorist attack on Jewish cultural center AMIA, had been…
Independent Crimean broadcaster raided by Russian security agents
ATR Director Elzara Islyamova describes the raid on ATR before agents cut her short. (YouTube) New York, January 26, 2015–Authorities in Crimea should stop targeting the independent regional broadcaster ATR immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today after the broadcaster was raided and its equipment seized.
Colombian photojournalist escapes kidnappers
EDITOR’S NOTE: On January 29, 2015, reports in the Colombian press said Johanny Vargas issued a statement saying he had not been kidnapped and that his disappearance occurred under personal circumstances. CPJ is investigating. Bogotá, January 23, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the abduction of Colombian news photographer Johanny Vargas and calls on authorities…
CPJ welcomes release of six Eritrean journalists
Nairobi, January 23, 2015–Six Eritrean journalists who worked for the government-controlled station Radio Bana have been released from jail, according to Eritrean journalists in exile who spoke to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The journalists–Basilos Zemo, Bereket Misguina, Ghirmai Abraham, Meles Nguse, Petros Teferi, and Yirgalem Fesseha–were among the Radio Bana staff arrested in a…