No Archive

Saberi’s parents go to Iran; State Department intervenes
On Monday, the parents of detained Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi left their home in Fargo, North Dakota, to go see their daughter in Iran. Saberi has been held in Tehran’s Evin prison since January 31. Reza and Akiko Saberi are scheduled to arrive in Iran on Wednesday. Since Saberi was picked up at the end…
GWOT?? Old term means new dollars for good cause
Washington Post columnist Al Kamen had a generous thought for CPJ today. Kamen writes that an Office of Management and Budget e-mail sent to the Pentagon recently declared: “This Administration prefers to avoid using the term ‘Long War’ or ‘Global War on Terror’ [GWOT]. Please use ‘Overseas Contingency Operation.’ “

Seeking justice for Marlene Garcia-Esperat
Today CPJ launched its 2009 Global Impunity Index in Manila to mark the fourth anniversary of the murder of Marlene Garcia-Esperat, left, a Philippine columnist who reported on corruption in the government’s agriculture department. Garcia-Esperat was gunned down in her home in front of her family in a case that has become emblematic of the…
Czech leader supports CPJ effort to free Cubans
The Czech prime minister has expressed support for CPJ’s efforts to gain the release of imprisoned Cuban jouirnalists. We sent Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, who is also president of the Council of the European Union, a copy of a March 17 letter to an EU envoy. In the letter, we asked envoy Louis Michel to seek the…
Major news outlets issue statement on Saberi
Seven major news organizations including NPR, ABC, and the BBC issued a joint statement on behalf of Roxana Saberi, a U.S.-Iranian freelance journalist who is currently being held in Tehran’s Evin prison. The outlets asked that “one or more international organizations that have responsibilities and rights under the Geneva Conventions be permitted access to Roxana…

Saberi meets with lawyer, heartened by support
CNN.com is reporting that Roxana Saberi met with a lawyer in Tehran on Sunday. Her father said she was tearful at first, but that “her spirits changed when she heard about the outpouring of support. She had no idea how much attention her arrest is getting.”
Yahoo France reacts to Burkina Faso e-mail death threats
A week ago today, CPJ sent a letter of concern to President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso urging his government to investigate a series of death threats sent in the past year or so via e-mail to independent journalists there. Using Yahoo France accounts, senders have boasted about intimidating the press in impunity by referencing…
Underground Zimbabwe: Interview with Robyn Kriel
Filmmaker Robyn Kriel, 25, from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, spoke to PBS’ Wide Angle last week about the risks she took reporting from Zimbabwe in the lead-up to the country’s 2008 presidential election. Last April, CPJ closely followed the case of Kriel’s mother, Margaret Kriel, who was imprisoned for four days on accusations of “practicing journalism without accreditation.” You…