Somali editor, family make a new life in exile
KAMPALA, Uganda As Ahmed Omar Hashi strode toward me, his figure silhouetted in the bright morning light, it was hard to believe this was the same man who left Mogadishu on a stretcher just six months earlier after suffering a near-fatal gunshot wound. As I reached to shake his hand, he pulled me into a…
Three journalists injured in Pakistan bomb blast
A bomb explosion injured three local journalists who were accompanying a convoy of security forces in the Lower Dir district of northwestern Pakistan on February 3, 2010, according to a statement by the Karachi-based Pakistan Press Foundation and international news reports.
Israeli soldiers attack four journalists in the West Bank
A group of Palestinian journalists were assaulted on January 28, 2010, while reporting on olive tree planting in Burin village, south of Nablus in the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), Israeli forces assaulted Rami Swidan, a photographer for Ma’an News Agency; Ashraf Abu Shawish, a cameraman for Palmedia, and Reuters photographers…
Tunisia blocks journalists from press conferences
New York, March 25, 2010—Tunisian authorities banned journalists from attending two press conferences for the launch of local and international human rights reports this week, and is stepping up harassment of journalists overall, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Protesters hurl stones, injure four at Sirasa TV
Staffers at Sirasa TV confirmed media reports that about 200 people gathered outside the in-town office of the independent broadcaster and threw stones, breaking windows and injuring staffers on March 22, 2010. Some in the crowd carried posters in Sinhala and English protesting the station’s plan to broadcast a concert by pop singer Akon scheduled…
At least 5 Ugandan journalists wounded covering protest
New York, March 19, 2010—At least five journalists were wounded while covering violent clashes between security personnel and protesters outside the capital, Kampala, on Wednesday. Scores of protestors and mourners came to Kasubi, a Kampala suburb, after a fire of unknown origin destroyed the historically significant royal tombs of the Buganda kingdom on Tuesday.
Ugandan photographers take heat after fire at royal tombs
It seemed like déjà vu. Another major protest erupts in Uganda and journalists face the wrath of authorities and the public alike. Tensions between the government and the traditional kingdom of the Baganda, the largest ethnic group based in central Uganda, flared again Tuesday evening after a fire of unknown origin ravaged the tombs of…