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Top Stories: Ecuador | Syria | India | Hungary | Burma

Huge damages in Ecuador defamation case

AP
An Ecuadoran court ordered two journalists to pay US$1 million each to President Rafael Correa, who has led the country into an era of repression with defamation lawsuits, pre-emptive broadcasts, restrictive legal measures, and smears.
Attack on free expression
The El Universo case
Correa's record
More on Ecuador
Reuters

Syria flashpoint
leads to fatalities

At least four journalists have been killed in and around the Syrian flashpoint of Homs, where government forces have clashed with protesters. Three Syrian photojournalists and a French TV reporter are among the victims.
French reporter killed
Shot at checkpoint
Death follows arrest
More on Syria
AP

India's freedom
under threat

Local and national authorities in India must act aggressively to protect free expression and prosecute attackers when writers, filmmakers, cartoonists, or journalists are threatened-- not silence those who may be harassed or assaulted.
Cartoonist charged
Media group targeted
More on India

Criticism mounts over Hungary media law

AP
A radio station facing the loss of its frequency has become a symbol of free speech in Hungary, where media freedom has deteriorated. With the critical findings of an international mission, a Constitutional Court case that struck down aspects of the media law, and heightened EU scrutiny, it is becoming more difficult for the government to ignore criticism.
More on Hungary

Journalists freed, but repressive laws remain

AP
The exile-run Democratic Voice of Burma announced that all of its jailed reporters were released in a presidential amnesty. Now the question is whether the regime will allow them to report freely without fear of reprisal. Right, freed DVB journalist Win Maw is welcomed by his colleagues.
Journalists freed in amnesty
Background: CPJ report
More on Burma
5 journalists killed in 2012
898 journalists killed since 1992
561 journalists murdered with impunity since 1992
179 journalists in prison worldwide

I've been telling reporters that Twitter's new national blocking policy was like Chekhov's gun. Its recent appearance inevitably prefigured its future use.

The body of Brazilian journalist Mario Randolfo Marques Lopes was found on Thursday. (Facebook)

New York, February 10, 2012--The body of Brazilian journalist Mario Randolfo Marques Lopes was found on Thursday in the city of Barra do Piraí in Rio de Janeiro state, according to news reports. Randolfo reported on local corruption and had survived at least one attempt on his life in recent years, news reports said.

Just how free should the Internet be in India? And whose job is it to police the Web?

Two recent court cases turn on these questions and, more specifically, whether Internet companies have a responsibility to filter content. In a country where Internet usage is growing exponentially, but where the scars of communal violence, terrorism, and identity politics are fresh, the answers are likely to have deep ramifications for years to come.

Police chase supporters of former President Mohamed Nasheed, who resigned on Tuesday. (AP/Sinan Hussain)

New York, February 10, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on all parties involved in the ongoing political dispute in Maldives to respect the role of the media in covering the protests and stop the attacks on journalists and news outlets. After political violence escalated in the wake of former President Mohamed Nasheed's resignation on Tuesday, at least two TV stations were attacked, according to news reports.

India: Let us in!

Saudi Arabian columnist under threat for Twitter posts

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Nigerian soldiers stand guard in the central city of Jos. (Reuters/Akintunde Akinleye)

New York, February 8, 2012--Nigeria's military has harassed and obstructed journalists trying to report on unrest in recent days, according to local journalists and news reports.

Solange Lusiku Nsimire is honored by the Université catholique de Louvain for her courage as a journalist and women's rights defender. (Anne-Marie Impe)

Seated near the fireplace in a historical home in Tournai, a medieval town 70 miles from Brussels and a stone's throw from the French border, while snow fell outside, Solange Lusiku Nsimire was enjoying not only the company of friends, but the chance to live for a few days without fearing suspicious noises in the garden or ominous knocks on the door.

Over 60 journalists reporting from the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, are locked out of their long-time press center. (AP/Sunday Alamba)

New York, February 7, 2012--Nigerian authorities have locked reporters based at the country's biggest airport out of their press center and withheld their equipment since Saturday, according to local journalists and news reports.

A screen shot showing part of a Twitter blog post in which the company announced it could now censor messages on a country-by-country basis. (AP/Twitter)

Last week, Twitter provoked a fierce debate online when it announced a new capability--and related policy--to hide tweets on a country-specific basis. By building this feature into its website's basic code, Twitter said it hoped to offer a more tailored response to legal demands to remove tweets globally. The company will inform users if any tweet they see has been obscured, and provide a record of all demands to remove content with the U.S.-based site chillingeffects.org.

Two editors given jail terms in Central African Republic

Somali journalist shot, killed by unknown gunmen

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I've been telling reporters that Twitter's new national blocking policy was like Chekhov's gun. Its recent appearance inevitably prefigured its future use.

The body of Brazilian journalist Mario Randolfo Marques Lopes was found on Thursday. (Facebook)

New York, February 10, 2012--The body of Brazilian journalist Mario Randolfo Marques Lopes was found on Thursday in the city of Barra do Piraí in Rio de Janeiro state, according to news reports. Randolfo reported on local corruption and had survived at least one attempt on his life in recent years, news reports said.

Blogger Yoani Sánchez says she has been denied permission to leave Cuba 19 times. (AFP/Adalberto Roque)

The response from Cuban officials did not take anyone by surprise. Prominent Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez had been, once again, denied permission to leave her country after she was granted a visa by the Brazilian Embassy in January to attend a film festival. "I feel like a hostage kidnapped by someone who doesn't listen nor provide explanations. A government with a ski mask and a gun in a holster," tweeted Sánchez on Friday after the Cuban government denied her request to travel to Brazil. It was, according to the blogger, the 19th time Cuban officials have turned down her request to leave the island. As in the past, officials gave no reason for the rejection.

Ecuadoran journalists Christian Zurita (right) and Juan Carlos Calderón have been ordered to pay President Correa US$1 million each in damages for defamation. (AFP/Agencia Prensa Independiente)

New York, February 7, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentence handed to two Ecuadoran journalists yesterday after they were found guilty of defaming President Rafael Correa.

Accreditation disputes at center of US arrests

Can selective blocking pre-empt wider censorship?

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I've been telling reporters that Twitter's new national blocking policy was like Chekhov's gun. Its recent appearance inevitably prefigured its future use.

Just how free should the Internet be in India? And whose job is it to police the Web?

Two recent court cases turn on these questions and, more specifically, whether Internet companies have a responsibility to filter content. In a country where Internet usage is growing exponentially, but where the scars of communal violence, terrorism, and identity politics are fresh, the answers are likely to have deep ramifications for years to come.

Police chase supporters of former President Mohamed Nasheed, who resigned on Tuesday. (AP/Sinan Hussain)

New York, February 10, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on all parties involved in the ongoing political dispute in Maldives to respect the role of the media in covering the protests and stop the attacks on journalists and news outlets. After political violence escalated in the wake of former President Mohamed Nasheed's resignation on Tuesday, at least two TV stations were attacked, according to news reports.

Tom Heinemann with his wife and camerawoman, Lotte la Cour (Paul Gomes)

In 2005, we deliberately violated the immigration laws of India. We broke the law by producing a documentary film even though we had entered the country on a tourist visa. We broke the law because we wanted to show that Scandinavian companies were in violation of many other laws in India.

In high-tech China, low-tech media control works too

Chinese media little help with Chongqing mystery

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Tom Heinemann with his wife and camerawoman, Lotte la Cour (Paul Gomes)

In 2005, we deliberately violated the immigration laws of India. We broke the law by producing a documentary film even though we had entered the country on a tourist visa. We broke the law because we wanted to show that Scandinavian companies were in violation of many other laws in India.

Solange Lusiku Nsimire is honored by the Université catholique de Louvain for her courage as a journalist and women's rights defender. (Anne-Marie Impe)

Seated near the fireplace in a historical home in Tournai, a medieval town 70 miles from Brussels and a stone's throw from the French border, while snow fell outside, Solange Lusiku Nsimire was enjoying not only the company of friends, but the chance to live for a few days without fearing suspicious noises in the garden or ominous knocks on the door.

An Iranian hardline student protests against the BBC during a demonstration outside the British embassy in Tehran on August 14, 2011. (AFP/Behrouz Mehri)

New York, February 3, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention and harassment in Iran of relatives of BBC Persian service staff who work outside the country, which is part of a sustained campaign to intimidate journalists into not reporting critically on Tehran's activities.

A screen shot showing part of a Twitter blog post in which the company announced it could now censor messages on a country-by-country basis. (AP/Twitter)

Last week, Twitter provoked a fierce debate online when it announced a new capability--and related policy--to hide tweets on a country-specific basis. By building this feature into its website's basic code, Twitter said it hoped to offer a more tailored response to legal demands to remove tweets globally. The company will inform users if any tweet they see has been obscured, and provide a record of all demands to remove content with the U.S.-based site chillingeffects.org.

Kazakh authorities interrogate editor, raid newsroom

Independent editor imprisoned in Kazakhstan

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New York, February 9, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns death threats and a publishing ban against columnist Hamza Kashgari for comments he posted on Twitter addressing the prophet Mohammed.

Yemeni protesters demonstrate in the capital Sana'a Thursday demanding active participation in the early presidential elections to be held this month. (AFP/Mohammed Huwais)

New York, February 9, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Yemeni authorities to end an ongoing siege at the offices of a daily newspaper and ensure the protection of journalists and their equipment. Armed men last week surrounded the offices of two Yemeni newspapers, one of which remains under attack, according to news reports.

New York, February 9, 2012--Bahrain has rejected at least six journalists' applications for entry visas ahead of the anniversary of antigovernment protests that swept the country in February 2011, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities to allow journalists into the country to carry out their work freely.

Journalist Mazhar Tayyara, also known as "Omar the Syrian," was killed early on February 4. (AFP/Youtube)

New York, February 8, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death of Syrian journalist Mazhar Tayyara, a stringer for Agence France-Presse and other international outlets, who was killed by government forces' fire in the city of Homs early Saturday morning.

Journalists attacked, threatened in Suez protests

In Egypt, two journalists attacked, one detained

Complete Middle East & North Africa information »

Journalist Safety Guide
Guide for reporting in hazardous situations.
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The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1981. We promote press freedom worldwide by defending the rights of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal.
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