Undercover in Vietnam: Bloggers play risky game of cat-and-mouse to report
In the first of a four-part “Undercover in Vietnam” series on press freedom in Vietnam, CPJ Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin explores the risks bloggers take so they can cover news events and protests. Under near-constant surveillance and with the threat of arbitrary detention hanging over them, the desire for an independent press drives Vietnam’s…
Governor ‘cloned’ Cancún magazine to create fake covers with positive stories
The Cancún-based investigative magazine Luces del Siglo has won a court decision ordering the Quintana Roo state government to stop “cloning” the covers of its weekly editions and spreading the fake versions via social networks, according to news reports.
Crimean Tatar broadcaster accused of inciting extremism
New York, September 24, 2014–Kremlin-controlled authorities in Crimea should stop harassing the independent regional broadcaster ATR and allow the outlet to cover the news free from reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. ATR is the only regional broadcaster of the ethnic Crimean Tatar minority.
CPJ joins call for Rouhani to improve press freedom and human rights in Iran
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 25 human rights and civil society groups today in signing an open letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday about steps toward an open and effective relationship with the United Nations Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.
Open government is unsustainable without a free press
This week, as he takes office as lead chair of the Open Government Partnership, Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto will reaffirm the commitment of the more than 60 countries that make up this multilateral initiative, which seeks to enhance governance, promote citizen participation, and improve governments’ accountability to citizens.
Two Tunisian journalists held for two weeks in Libya
New York, September 23, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that two Tunisian journalists have been held by a militia in eastern Libya for two weeks and calls for them to be freed immediately. This is the second time that Sofiene Chourabi and Nadhir Guetari have been kidnapped this month, according to…
Uighur blogger Ilham Tohti sentenced to life in prison on separatism charges
New York, September 23, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces the life term handed down by a Chinese court today to Ilham Tohti, a prominent Uighur blogger and academic, and calls for his unconditional release. Tohti was found guilty of separatism by a court in the western Xinjiang region, according to news reports.
Journalist released after being held for more than two years in Somalia
Cape Town, September 23, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of German-American journalist Michael Scott Moore, who was kidnapped by Somali pirates in the city of Galkayo in January 2012. Moore’s abduction was not previously reported by most media outlets at the request of those seeking his release.
Journalists killed while covering Ebola education campaign in Guinea
Abuja, Nigeria, September 22, 2014–A journalist and two media workers were killed on September 16 while covering an Ebola education campaign in Guinea’s south-eastern forested region, according to news reports and local journalists.
CPJ urges US to mitigate threats to journalism, newsgathering
Letter to President Barack Obama highlights threats to press freedom in the United States New York, September 22, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists sent a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama today, expressing its concern about the effects that intelligence and law enforcement activities have on the free flow of news. The letter, which comes…