CPJ calls for probe into French journalist’s death in CAR
New York, May 13, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for an immediate investigation into the death of French freelance photojournalist Camille Lepage, 26, in the Central African Republic. In a statement issued today, the French government said that French troops had discovered Lepage’s body in a vehicle driven by fighters of the anti-Balaka Christian…
Journalist in Bangladesh assaulted in hospital
On May 13, 2014, Shishir Morol, a health correspondent for the Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo, was held for more than two hours and beaten by at least three doctors at a hospital in the capital, Dhaka, according to local reports. At the time of the attack, Morol was investigating the use of allegedly false credentials…
Kenya must consider plight of refugee journalists
Today, CPJ partnered with Reporters Without Borders and Rory Peck Trust in a joint open letter calling on Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary of Interior, Joseph Ole Lenku, to provide clarity on the government’s refugee policy and to exempt journalists from forced relocation to the refugee camps. On March 25, Lenku ordered all urban refugees to relocate…
Press freedom at low as Azerbaijan takes Council of Europe chairmanship
On Wednesday, Azerbaijan will assume chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. The chairmanship process is automatic; the position is rotated every six months among all of the council’s members, in alphabetical order. But Azerbaijan’s chairmanship has proven more problematic than most, as it comes at a time when the country’s fulfillment of…
In Ukraine, journalists face violence, abduction
New York, May 12, 2014–Local and international journalists covering the crisis in Ukraine have been assaulted and arbitrarily detained in the past week, according to news reports and a local press freedom organization. At least one was attacked while covering a contested referendum Sunday on autonomy for the east of the country, the reports said.
Venezuela violated freedom of speech by refusing to renew TV license, groups assert in court papers
Amicus brief filed by CPJ and New York City Bar Association New York, May 12, 2014–Venezuela’s May 2007 refusal to renew the broadcast license of Radio Caracas Television, or RCTV, violated Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights and is “a violation of settled inter-American principles of freedom of speech and the rule…
Somaliland authorities arrest two journalists
Nairobi, May 12, 2014–A regional court in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland remanded two journalists into custody on Saturday after charging them with libel, false publication, and anti-state propaganda, according to news reports and the local Somaliland Journalists’ Association. Yusuf Abdi Gabobe, chairman of the Haatuf Media Network, and Ahmed Ali, chief editor of the…
Turkey releases five more journalists
New York, May 12, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release from jail today of five Turkish journalists–Nurettin Fırat, Yüksel Genç, Turabi Kişin, Ertuş Bozkurt, and Ramazan Pekgöz. The journalists were arrested in December 2011 as part of the Turkish government’s crackdown on pro-Kurdish news outlets and were accused of membership or participation in…