Press freedom groups urge David Cameron to lay off The Guardian
The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with six other members of the Global Coordinating Committee of Press Freedom Organizations, sent a letter to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron. The letter calls on the prime minister to do two things: distance himself from the investigation into the Guardian, and urge Parliament to repeal the statute that…
Appeal court upholds Vietnamese blogger’s conviction
Bangkok, February 18, 2014–A Vietnamese court today rejected the appeal of blogger and human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan, who was sentenced in October to 30 months in prison on tax evasion charges, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the ruling and calls for the blogger’s immediate and unconditional release.
Cameron must consider UK press freedom’s global example
Each year, members of the Global Coordinating Committee of Press Freedom Organizations gather to discuss threats to journalists around the world and plan action. Usually, we focus on frontline countries where journalists face life and death issues. But as our annual meeting took place in London this year, we couldn’t help but notice the emerging…
Somali authorities detain two radio directors without charge
Nairobi, February 14, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned by reports that two radio directors in the capital, Mogadishu, were arrested and held without charge for two days by Somalia’s National Security Agency. Somalia authorities detained two radio directors for two days and threatened to kill them if they continued to air news…
Venezuelan authorities take foreign cable station off the air
Bogotá, February 13, 2014–Venezuelan authorities took a Colombian news station off the air on Wednesday after the station aired coverage of anti-government protests that have left three people dead and dozens injured, according to the station and news reports.
Pressure by CPJ, other groups keeps Karimov out of Prague
The Committee to Protect Journalists this week joined a campaign spearheaded by Human Rights Watch and Uzbek human rights defenders urging Czech President Milos Zeman to cancel Uzbek dictator Islam Karimov’s visit to Prague. Zeman had invited Karimov to visit this month despite the Central Asian leader’s notorious intolerance to freedom of the press and…
Missing Mexican journalist found dead in Veracruz
New York, February 12, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Mexican authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the murder of Gregorio Jiménez de la Cruz and hold the perpetrators to account. Jiménez was abducted on February 5 and his body was found buried along with two other people in the municipality of Las…