Black Spring of 2003: A former Cuban prisoner speaks
March 18, 19, and 20 will mark the sixth anniversary of the detention of 75 peaceful journalists and librarians, as well as human rights activists, convicted weeks later to up to 28 years in jail during summary trials. Fifty-four of these innocent people, who demanded a democratic society and respect for human rights, remain imprisoned…
Independent Cuban journalist details four-day detention
Roberto de Jesús Guerra Pérez, a Havana-based independent journalist, sent an e-mail message this morning to his “brothers, colleagues, and organizations that protect and watch over press freedom around the world” announcing that he had been released from police custody after a four-day detention. In his e-mail, titled “Thanks to you and to your demands,…
Remarks from Cuban journalist Alejandro Gonzalez Raga
Exiled Cuban journalist Alejandro Gonzalez Raga spoke to reporters in Madrid on Monday as part of CPJ’s launch of our book, Attacks on the Press. He talked about the brutality of life in a Cuban prison, the torture he and other journalists who were jailed for their writing endured. Here are his remarks, in Spanish:
Mexican journalists face ever-increasing danger
There is an often-repeated phrase among journalists: No story is worth dying for, we say. But journalists are dying in every region of the world. In Iraq, in Somalia, in Russia, in Bolivia, in the Philippines, journalists died last year while reporting the news in their countries.
Reporters crowd Zeta during Tijuana ‘Attacks’ launch
The border city of Tijuana, where drug-related violence left almost a thousand people dead in 2008, has had a strong military presence since the government of President Felipe Calderón deployed the Mexican army to fight powerful drug cartels. It can be felt in the streets. While we were driving to the Zeta offices, where we…
Exiled Cuban journalist speaks at Spain ‘Attacks’ launch
The utility company had just cut off the electricity supply to his house. Darkness and shadows were back in Alejandro Gonzalez Raga’s life. His rented apartment in Madrid–shared with his wife, siblings, and in-laws–was as devoid of light as the Cuban cells in which he was jailed for five years after Castro´s “Ofensiva 2” operation…
Exiled Cuban journalist speaks at Spain ‘Attacks’ launch
The utility company had just cut off the electricity supply to his house. Darkness and shadows were back in Alejandro Gonzalez Raga’s life. His rented apartment in Madrid–shared with his wife, siblings, and in-laws–was as devoid of light as the Cuban cells in which he was jailed for five years after Castro´s “Ofensiva 2” operation…
A eulogy for Eloy Aguilar
Former Associated Press World Services Director Claude Erbsen gave a eulogy on Wednesday for former AP Mexico Bureau Chief Eloy Aguilar, left, who died on January 30 at the age of 72. Erbsen said there were about 100 people at the church memorial: “a mixed bag of foreign correspondents ranging from AP to Xinhua, with…
FARC declares Colombian media a military target
Four hostages released this weekend by Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) said at a press conference on Monday that the leftist guerrilla group had declared the Colombian media a “military target,” according to Colombian and international news reports. The statement stirred a heated debate among Colombian journalists over coverage of guerrilla groups.
Remembering Eloy Aguilar
Being a foreign correspondent means living between two worlds. You are an outsider, a foreigner. But you are also insider, with unprecedented access to those in power. You become part of the country in which you live, participating in the culture and developing lasting friendships. And yet you are always apart, observing, commenting, translating, and…