May 2012 - Committee to Protect Journalists

Computer crime laws belie Thai claim to modern society

May 31, 2012 5:19 PM EDT

At online discussion sites all over the world, comments are posted on the Web as soon as they are written. People argue, inform, express anger, and voice fears. Some say things in the heat of the moment that they might go on to regret. Others are elliptical and obscure. The enabling of such conversations is…

The cover of local newspaper Daily Times last year, when the law was passed. (Sarah Berms)

CPJ welcomes Malawi’s repeal of news censorship law

May 31, 2012 4:00 PM EDT

Nairobi, May 31, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Wednesday’s vote in the Malawi parliament that repealed a sweeping amendment to the country’s penal code which had allowed the government to ban any news “not in the public interest.”

Free expression in Americas goes beyond left or right

May 31, 2012 3:47 PM EDT

On Sunday the general assembly of the Organization of American States will convene in Bolivia in the verdant, highland valley city of Cochabamba. The 35 member states (every nation in the region except Cuba) are expected to vote on a measure that, if passed, could curtail free expression and press throughout the hemisphere and put…

A police officer patrols as part of heavy security at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. (AFP/Mark Ralston)

23 years after Tiananmen, China is still paying

May 31, 2012 2:23 PM EDT

The annual crackdown on commemorations of the June 4 anniversary of the brutal suppression of student-led demonstrations based in Tiananmen Square in 1989 Beijing is under way, according to Agence France-Presse. What’s concerning is the number of writers and activists for whom “crackdown” is the new normal.

Mission tells Nepal: No excuse for deferring press freedom

May 31, 2012 10:34 AM EDT

As Nepal’s constituent assembly failed to meet Sunday’s deadline for the passage of a new constitution, a new report released this week on the risks to Nepal’s media should remind political parties that peace and stability are not prerequisites to media freedom but rather that a strong, independent press operating without fear is a requirement…

Protesters burn a copy of the City Press newspaper. (AFP/Rajesh Jantilal)

South African paper harassed over painting of Zuma

May 30, 2012 4:23 PM EDT

New York, May 30, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the campaign of harassment and intimidation against a newspaper in South Africa after it published a photo of a painting of President Jacob Zuma more than two weeks ago.

Unknown gunman threatens Argentine journalist

May 30, 2012 3:15 PM EDT

New York, May 30, 2012–Authorities in Argentina must immediately investigate death threats made against a local radio journalist and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

CPJ welcomes release of French journalist in Colombia

May 30, 2012 3:08 PM EDT

New York, May 30, 2012-The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s release of French journalist Roméo Langlois who was held hostage for more than a month by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Rising violence in Pakistan’s warring Baluchistan

May 30, 2012 2:26 PM EDT

The murder of a part-time journalist and a gunfire attack on the house of the president of the Turbat Press Club, both on May 28, underscore the nature of the escalating violence in Baluchistan. According to the Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, which monitors violence across South Asia, at least 10 people were killed in…

CPJ Impact

May 30, 2012 2:09 PM EDT

News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, May 2012CPJ highlights World Press Freedom Day In a new report marking World Press Freedom Day, CPJ listed the world’s top 10 most censored countries, where dictatorial control over news coverage is achieved through a combination of propaganda, brute force, and sophisticated technology. Eritrea, North Korea, and Syria topped the…