2013

  
A civil defense officer carries the body of a young victim a mall fire during a funeral in Doha on May 29, 2012. Hearings to determine criminal responsibility for the fire are underway. (Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed)

In UAE and Qatar, key trials go unreported as media barred

In the past month, officials in both the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have prevented journalists from reporting on important court proceedings. But it is not too late to allow the press to cover these crucial cases.

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Indian policemen beat an opposition activist during a protest outside the Odisha state chief minister's office in Bhubaneswar, India, on March 25. (AP/Biswaranjan Rout)

Indian law enforcement unaccountable in journalist attacks

Anyone who has been to India or is familiar with the country knows how chaotic it can be: from the congestion on the streets of Delhi to the messy way in which democracy functions. And for journalists, covering the chaos of India can be risky business. This week alone, Indian law enforcement officials assaulted two…

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Cameroonian journalist jailed on defamation charge

New York, March 28, 2013–An appellate court in Cameroon should overturn the defamation conviction and jail sentence handed to a newspaper editor on Monday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Baluch journalist reported missing in Karachi

New York, March 28, 2013–Pakistani authorities should determine the whereabouts of a Baluch journalist living in Karachi who was last seen on March 24, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Lewis receives a lifetime achievement award in 2009. (CPJ)

News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, March 2013

Remembering Tony Lewis CPJ mourns the death this month of Anthony Lewis, one of the organization’s founding board members and a recipient of its 2009 Burton Benjamin Award for lifetime achievement. Lewis passed away on March 25. “Back in 1981, when CPJ was being formed and its board of directors assembled, Tony Lewis … was…

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Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah is surrounded by supporters as he leaves the prosecutor general's office in Cairo on Tuesday. (AP/Mostafa Darwish)

In Egypt, crackdown against media reaches new lows

The government of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi continues to escalate its offensive against journalists. Details of the most recent case, in which an arrest warrant was issued for blogger Alaa Abdelfattah for inciting “aggression” against members of the Muslim Brotherhood, show how low the government is willing to go in order to silence its critics.

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Journalist detained briefly in the Maldives

Sun Media reported that one of its journalists was briefly detained by police for photographing a government building in Malé, the capital, on March 26, 2013. The media group is based in the Maldives and covers local and world news for online, print, and radio.

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In Uzbekistan, speculation swirls as Karimov out of sight

In the most tightly controlled countries, the media is told what they are allowed to report on and what topics are taboo. Anything related to the leader’s health or his family is generally in the latter category. The resulting information vacuum can lead to rumors and uncertainty.

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Seleka fighters cruise a neighborhood in Bangui. (AFP/Sia Kambou)

In Central African Republic, rebel forces ransack outlets

New York, March 26, 2013–At least two news outlets were raided in the Central African Republic on Sunday when rebel groups ousted the president from power, according to news reports and local press freedom groups.

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BBC halts service in Sri Lanka after broadcasts disrupted

New York, March 26, 2013–The BBC announced today that it has suspended all radio broadcasts in Sri Lanka following what it called “continued interruption and interference” by a national broadcaster in the country.

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