Meeting Sami al-Haj
In conjunction with the International Freedom of Expression Exchange general meeting, the Norwegian government hosted a Global Forum on Freedom of Expression featuring three days of discussions, seminars, and lectures from leading experts. For me, a highlight was finally meeting Sami al-Haj, at left, the Al-Jazeera correspondent who was held for six years at Guantanamo…
An Iraqi journalist in America: California pilgrimage
I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t want to blink and waste a single moment of looking at the beach and the Pacific. I had never seen an ocean. If I could set up a tent on the sand, I thought, I could stay there forever. I have loved the seas, rivers, and oceans since I studied…
As Cairo speech nears, concerns for Obama
Dear Mr. President: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing ahead of your scheduled speech in Cairo on June 4 to bring to your attention important matters that are crucial to the long-term success of your stated goal of engaging the people–and not just the regimes–of the Arab and Muslim worlds.
CPJ urges talks to free journalists held in North Korea
We released a statement today after the families of two U.S. journalists being held in North Korea spoke publicly for the first time. The families of Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee appeared on NBC’s “Today” show this morning. Our statement follows:
An Iraqi journalist in America: Fastening my seatbelt
It’s been almost a month since I arrived in the United States. Oddly, I haven’t felt homesick or strange here even though this is my first time ever outside Iraq. I was born in Baghdad in 1986. I never lived anywhere else. Baghdad is where my father and mother were born, fell in love, and…
An Iraqi journalist in America: Applications, airports, arrival
I’m finally in America. I lived all of my 23 years in Baghdad, never even traveling outside Iraq, but now I am in Tucson, Arizona, to begin a new life. I’m still trying to understand my feelings–missing the streets of Baghdad and the comfort of my family, but enjoying the sense that I can go about…
U.S. reporter found guilty of obstruction, faces 4 years in jail
New York, May 6, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the prosecution of American reporter Diane Bukowski, who was found guilty on May 1 of two felony counts of resisting, obstructing, opposing, and endangering two Michigan state troopers while covering a crime scene. Bukowski, 60, will face sentencing, which may include a fine…
Schiff, Pence speak out for press freedom
“Information is power, which is precisely why many governments attempt to control the press to suppress opposition and preempt dissent,” said U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who three years ago founded the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press. “Far too often, the reporters and editors who demand reform, accountability, and transparency find…