Editor jailed on retaliatory charges in Azerbaijan
New York, August 5, 2013–Authorities in Azerbaijan should stop their practice of jailing journalists in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A district court in Baku on Friday ordered the imprisonment of Sardar Alibeili, chief editor of the independent newspaper P.S. Nota, for two months pending investigation of a criminal…
Press attacks, repression foster self-censorship in Tanzania
Nairobi, August 6, 2013–A rise in anti-press attacks set against a backdrop of repressive laws, and the long-term censorship of one critical publication is sowing fear and self-censorship among journalists in Tanzania, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a new report released today. Despite Tanzania’s reputation for transparency and democracy, its citizens are being…
New Zealand accesses journalist’s records, movements
Following reports earlier this week that New Zealand, with help from U.S. intelligence, may have spied on one of its journalists, Wellington is under fire for tracking the phone records and movement of another journalist. Ironically, this journalist came under surveillance after writing about potentially illegal government surveillance.
SABC keeps lid on ‘Project Spear’ documentary
The South African Broadcasting Corporation is in the news for not airing a politically sensitive documentary that details allegations of apartheid-era theft of public funds. The public broadcaster, which had commissioned the film, has also refused to sell the rights back to the filmmaker and has filed a lawsuit demanding she turn over her raw…
Gunman kills freelance photographer in Philippines
Bangkok, August 2, 2013–A photographer was fatally shot in his home in southern General Santos City on Thursday, the third journalist to be killed in the Philippines in less than a week. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate the murder of Mario Sy, identify the motive in the attack, and…
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, July 2013
UN holds session on journalist protection Speaking at the UN Security Council’s first special session on the protection of journalists, AP Executive Editor and CPJ Vice Chair Kathleen Carroll began by remembering the AP journalists who were killed in the line of duty. But most journalists killed around the world are murdered. “In the overwhelming…
Journalist arrested, another believed to be held in Bahrain
New York, August 1, 2013–A Bahraini blogger has been detained and a photographer is missing amid signs that Bahraini authorities are trying to crack down on critical voices ahead of protests planned for August 14, according to news reports.