Secular blogger hacked and shot to death in Bangladesh
New York, April 7, 2016–Unidentified assailants attacked blogger Nazimuddin Samad with sharp weapons and then fatally shot him in Dhaka Wednesday night, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Bangladeshi government to determine the motive for the killing, and to take immediate steps to bring his attackers to justice
In Colombia, second attacker sentenced in Jineth Bedoya case
New York, March 18, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the sentencing today of former paramilitary fighter Mario Jaimes Mejía who, according to reports, was handed a 28-year prison term for the kidnap, rape, and torture of Colombian journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima in 2000. Last month, Alejandro Cárdenas Orozco, a former paramilitary fighter, was sentenced…
Four journalists, human rights lawyer pardoned in Azerbaijan
New York, March 17, 2016 – The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Azerbaijan’s decision to release four independent reporters and a human rights lawyer, urges authorities to ensure they will not have criminal records, and calls on authorities to free all journalists who remain behind bars.
In Ethiopia, journalist detained since 2013 handed jail sentence
New York, March 11, 2016–Solomon Kebede, the managing editor of the now-defunct Ethiopian paper Ye Muslimoch Guday (Muslim Affairs), was sentenced to prison Thursday, more than three years after being jailed on anti-terrorism charges. CPJ was not immediately able to reconcile conflicting reports on the exact length of the prison sentence.
Istanbul court to appoint trustees for Zaman, Today’s Zaman editorial board
New York, March 4, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a ruling in Turkey today under which an Istanbul court will appoint trustees for the Turkish language Zaman and its English-language sister publication, Today’s Zaman. The ruling, brought by an Istanbul public prosecutor who accuses the papers of terrorist propaganda, means court-appointed staff…
Journalist trapped and injured while reporting in besieged Turkish town dies
New York, February 24, 2016–A news editor for the Kurdish-language daily Azadiya Welat, who had been trapped with a gunshot wound in Cizre since January 22, has died. Authorities used DNA testing to identify the remains of Rohat Aktaş, local reports said today. The exact circumstances of his death are unclear. Pro-opposition and pro-Kurdish media…
Court convicts suspect in murder of DRC journalist Soleil Balanga
New York, February 23, 2016–A court in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday convicted a suspect of murdering journalist Soleil Balanga in April 2015, in Équateur province, according to a press release issued today by Journaliste en Danger, a Congolese press freedom organization. The High Court of Boende found Moussa Tendenle guilty of having…
Four American journalists arrested in Bahrain
New York, February 15, 2016 – The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of four American journalists arrested in Bahrain yesterday while reporting on the anniversary of the launch of mass opposition protests on February 14, 2011.
Two newspaper offices firebombed in Istanbul
New York, February 11, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s attacks on the Istanbul offices of the daily newspapers Yeni Akit and Yeni Şafak. The newspapers are generally supportive of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Mexican crime reporter abducted in Veracruz
New York, February 8, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned for the safety of Anabel Flores Salazar, a Mexican crime reporter who was abducted from her home in Orizaba, Veracruz state, at about 2 a.m. today by armed men who claimed to have an arrest warrant for her, according to reports. The general prosecutor…