CPJ circulates petition for release of Roxana Saberi
New York, March 5, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists has seen a groundswell of support for Roxana Saberi, an American journalist who is being held without charge at Tehran’s Evin prison, through its Facebook petition. Saberi, 31, was detained at the end of January and has not been heard from since February 10. She is…
An Iraqi cameraman’s pursuit of surgery continues
When Iraqi cameraman Jehad Ali came to the United States last September to have corrective surgery for severe injuries he sustained in a December 2005 attack by gunmen in Baghdad, the plan was to spend two months in Valencia, California. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Donald Wiss had offered to waive his fee and the Henry Mayo Newhall…
A twisting road to Canada for a Chinese journalist
From his prison cell, veteran Chinese journalist Jiang Weiping wrote a poem to his daughter, Jennifer, which included the lines: “Though the road home has many twists and turns / Your daddy believes that we will be reunited soon.” She was little more than 10 years old when he was imprisoned in 2000 for reporting…
After outcry, Nicaragua drops case against critical editor
The Nicaraguan attorney general’s office has dropped a criminal investigation into a nonprofit journalism organization headed by the prominent editor Carlos Fernando Chamorro Barrios after finding no evidence of wrongdoing. A remarkable number of media groups and individuals, including CPJ, spoke out against the investigation as politically motivated.
Press freedom in the news 12/11/08
The Lebanon-based Web site Menassat has an article today about the continued detainment of Reuters cameraman Ibrahim Jassam, currently the only known journalist being held by the US military. A local Iraqi court has urged the military to release Jassam, who was arrested on September 2, as there is no evidence against him.
State Department replies to CPJ on Tunisia
As we noted in a recent special report, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali relies on spying and intimidation to keep his citizens in line. The United States has been a friend and supporter of Ben Ali and not at all consistent in calling attention to ongoing human rights abuses, particularly the harassment, intimidation,…
A freed Yemeni editor offers thanks
Yemeni editor Abdel Karim al-Khaiwani walked out of a Sana’a prison today after being granted a presidential pardon. The outspoken journalist was serving a six-year prison term on what were widely seen as retaliatory antistate charges. Al-Khaiwani, whose case was the focus of a CPJ advocacy campaign, offered his gratitude. I thank the Committee to…