Journalist released after 163 days

CPJ was pleased to report on the January release of imprisoned journalist Hermann Aboa, who languished behind bars for 163 days. The former Ivorian state TV presenter was freed on bail after being jailed in July 21 on antistate charges for his role as a moderator of a political talk show on state TV during the rule of deposed former President Laurent Gbagbo.

CPJ called for Aboa's immediate and unconditional release and urged Ivorian prosecutors to drop the politicized charges against him, which included endangering state security and public order, participating in an insurrection, and inciting ethnic hatred. CPJ reviewed the case and determined any charges based on Aboa's performance as a journalist were baseless.

Journalist ID'd in WikiLeaks cable, flees Ethiopia

U.S. diplomatic cables disclosed last month by WikiLeaks cited Ethiopian journalist Argaw Ashine by name and referred to his unnamed government source, forcing Ashine to flee the country after police interrogated him over the source's identity. It is the first instance CPJ has confirmed in which a citation in one of the cables has caused direct repercussions for a journalist.

After learning about Ashine's forced exile, CPJ's Africa and Journalist Assistance programs collaborated to assist him. Once at a safe location, Ashine worked with CPJ to tell the world about his abrupt exile. The story generated international attention, along with a critical reply from WikiLeaks. CPJ has defended WikiLeaks in the past when it faced potential prosecution under espionage laws, but we have overriding interest in protecting the safety of journalists. CPJ is now reviewing the more than 200,000 cables recently disclosed by WikiLeaks--most of which were unredacted--to determine whether any other journalists are cited.

Detention of a new suspect in the Politkovskaya murder

In a significant development in the investigation into the murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation--the agency tasked with solving Politkovskaya's murder--announced on August 16 that it had detained retired Lt. Col. Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov on suspicion of having organized the crime. Pavlyuchenkov had worked as the head of surveillance at Moscow's Main Internal Affairs Directorate, the city's main police force, when Politkovskaya was shot dead in her apartment building in 2006. Investigators allege Pavlyuchenkov received payment for planning the journalist's murder and recruiting assailants to carry it out. The alleged gunman was arrested in late May. 

CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova spent the past three months in Russia researching impunity cases. In September 2010, a CPJ delegation met with the Investigative Committee, which resulted in a pledge by the committee to re-investigate several of the 19 unsolved murders of journalists in Russia, including the case of Politkovskaya. 

Still struggling for a free Cuban press

As Cuba implements economic reforms and prepares to introduce high-speed Internet, freedom of expression continues to be met with a policy of repression that stifles the free flow of information, according to a new report by CPJ.

The report examines government activities in March and April 2011, a time when sensitive political milestones on the island coincided with 50 instances of independent journalists' repression. In the report, CPJ makes recommendations to the Cuban government, the European Union, the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the U.S. government, and the technology and blogging communities.

Pakistan's president committed to pursue justice for journalists killed in the line of duty, pledging to take steps to reverse the country's rising record of impunity. A delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists, headed by outgoing Chairman Paul Steiger, met with President Asif Ali Zardari on World Press Freedom Day. The CPJ group urged him to ensure that journalists are free to report on sensitive issues. The president's commitment will be monitored by CPJ and national press freedom groups.

Digital frontiers and beyond

To mark World Press Freedom Day 2011, CPJ will publish "The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors," a special report on the most threatening tactics to suppress online journalists and bloggers as well as the countries making exemplary use of these censorship tools. The report will be published on www.cpj.org on May 2.

Deadly and dangerous in the Middle East

With more than 300 attacks on the media, ranging from detentions, obstruction of coverage, and threats to disappearances and killings, the wave of unrest sweeping across the Middle East has turned into an increasingly challenging story for local and foreign journalists. As Executive Director Joel Simon recently told the Financial Times, "These governments that are struggling to survive see control of information as an essential part of maintaining their regime."

The unrest has brought with it the killing of five journalists across the region. Detentions have sometimes been accompanied by torture, as in the case of BBC reporters and the New York Times journalists taken into custody by government forces in Libya, where there have been more than 60 attacks on media. You can see a running tally of Libyan press violations on the CPJ Blog. At least 10 journalists remain missing or detained in the country.

CPJ's Attacks on the Press launched

Global and regional institutions with a responsibility to guard press freedom are largely failing to fulfill their mandate as journalists worldwide continue to face threats, imprisonment, intimidation, and killings, according to Attacks on the Press, a yearly survey released on February 15 by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Attacks on the Press is a comprehensive guide to international press freedom, with thorough analyses of the key factors that obstruct a free press by CPJ's regional experts. It includes a special feature on the invisible nature of online attacks meant to curb journalists, including online surveillance, malicious software, and the elimination of news sites from the Internet.