April 2015 - Committee to Protect Journalists

CPJ calls on European Olympic Committees to engage with Azerbaijan on press freedom

April 30, 2015 9:31 AM EDT

Dear President Patrick Hickey: I am writing on behalf of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent international press freedom organization, to call your attention to the dismal climate for press freedom in Azerbaijan, which is scheduled to host the first-ever European Games on June 12.

Police in the capital, Bujumbura, have cut the transmission of Radio Publique Africaine, according to RPA Director Bob Rugurika, seen here.

Burundian authorities crack down on press ahead of elections

April 29, 2015 2:46 PM EDT

Nairobi, April 29, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the harassment of journalists and news outlets in Burundi and calls on authorities to allow them to cover protests ahead of scheduled elections in May and June. Police cut the transmission of at least three radio stations, and telecommunications companies have been ordered to suspend mobile…

In Crimea, press freedom deteriorates at a rapid pace

April 29, 2015 1:25 PM EDT

Dear President Vladimir Putin: The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide, is writing to express its concern about the deteriorating climate for press freedom in Crimea.

Authorities shut TV news station in Thailand

April 29, 2015 10:53 AM EDT

Bangkok, April 29, 2015–Thai authorities on Monday revoked the operating license of Peace TV, a news station aligned with the elected government ousted in last year’s military coup, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the move and calls for Thai authorities to stop harassing and censoring the media.

A flag flutters over a Luxembourg city street, above. French journalist Edouard Perrin, who helped expose the LuxLeaks tax revelations, has been indicted in the country. (AFP/Emmanuel Dunand)

Reporter who broke LuxLeaks story faces charges in Luxembourg

April 27, 2015 5:11 PM EDT

The French journalist who helped break the LuxLeaks scandal, which exposed a large-scale, state-blessed system of tax avoidance in placid Luxembourg late last year, was indicted on April 23. A statement from the Luxembourg prosecutor’s office accused Edouard Perrin of “being the co-author, if not an accomplice, in the infractions committed by a former PricewaterhouseCoopers…

Jordan jails journalist for criticizing Saudi campaign in Yemen

April 27, 2015 3:13 PM EDT

A Jordanian journalist was arrested on April 23, 2015, after publishing an article the week before that criticized Operation Decisive Storm, the bombing campaign by a Saudi-led coalition including Jordan against Houthi forces in Yemen.

Attacks on the Press

April 27, 2015 11:01 AM EDT

Highly publicized murders of journalists heighten awareness of the grave dangers that reporters and photographers face around the world. Less widely known are the myriad other risks to journalists, including imprisonment, cyberattacks, harassment, frivolous lawsuits, and censorship. These threats exist to varying degrees in war zones, politically volatile regions, and even stable countries, and they…

Foreword

April 27, 2015 11:01 AM EDT

In Pakistan, an unknown gunman shoots a news anchor multiple times. No one is arrested for the crime, though arrest warrants are issued against the journalist–for his reporting.

A female reporter runs with a rebel fighter while evading snipers near Aleppo, Syria, October 10, 2014. (Reuters/Jalal Al-Mamo)

Going it alone: More freelancers means less support, greater danger

April 27, 2015 11:01 AM EDT

Matthieu Aikins probably wouldn’t saunter into Afghanistan again in the way he did six years ago.

Journalists are trained in battlefield medicine by Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues, or RISC, in New York City. Mike Shum, left, and Holly Pickett prepare to move a training dummy simulating an injured person during a care-under-fire exercise. (AP/RISC, James Lawler Duggan)

Covering war for the first time–in Syria

April 27, 2015 11:01 AM EDT

The small room in the back of the Monsours’ house was set up for two people: two desks, two nightstands, and two beds. The beds had matching sheets and pillowcases adorned with Superman cartoon characters.