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Six press freedom
leaders are honored

Zimbabwean media lawyer Beatrice Metetwa, who has defended numerous journalists facing prison, is among six people honored at CPJ's International Press Freedom Award ceremony. The other awardees are Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein, Andrew Mwenda of Uganda, Danish Karokhel and Farida Nekzad of Afghanistan, and imprisoned Cuban journalist Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez. "Arrest, imprisonment, even death are very cheap costs for us to pay compared to the continued loss of freedom and liberty," Mwenda said.
Andrew Mwenda (CPJ/Jeremy Bigwood

Honored here,
wanted at home

On the day Ugandan editor Andrew Mwenda was introduced in Washington as a recipient of a CPJ International Press Freedom Award, police back home summoned the journalist for questioning over his magazine's hard-hitting political coverage. Mwenda told reporters at a press conference that he is undaunted. The other awardees are: Danish Karokhel and Farida Nekzad from Afghanistan, Bilal Hussein from Iraq, imprisoned Cuban journalist Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez, and Zimbabwean media lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa.

• CPJ's International Press Freedom Awards.
Saleem Samad (Courtesy Saleem Samad)

Faces of Exile

Special Report: Five who have fled their homes offer a picture of the difficulties facing journalists in exile.  

Since 2001, CPJ has documented the cases of 340 journalists forced into exile after their reporting exposed them to harassment, violence, or imprisonment. They face many difficulties in their new homes, from language and cultural adjustments to emotional and economic hardships. Here are five snapshots of journalists in exile.

CPJ's Journalist Assistance Program

Into the Ether

Peter Klebnikov holds a portrait of his slain brother at a commemorative service in Moscow. The Klebnikovs' uncle, Arkady Nebolsin, stands beside him. (AP/Mikhail Metzel)

Special report: The world watched in horror when Paul Klebnikov was gunned down in Russia. Much was done to solve the case. Then it all came unraveled in a Moscow court.

November 10, 2008 --Vladimir Putin has often seemed indifferent to violence against the press, but Steve LeVine believes there is one case the Russian leader genuinely wanted solved--the 2004 assassination of Forbes Russia editor Paul Klebnikov. That no convictions have been won in the slaying reflects an embedded culture of impunity rather than a lack of political will, LeVine and others say in "Into the Ether."
• CPJ's Campaign Against Impunity.

The Disappeared

A CPJ special report: Reporters are vanishing in Mexico. Who can be trusted to investigate?
Mexico's criminal gangs have a long history of silencing the press by brazenly gunning down reporters in broad daylight. But in a new report, "The Disappeared," CPJ details an ominous new trend: Seven Mexican reporters have vanished in just three years, a tally nearly unprecedented worldwide. CPJ examines the possible involvement of local police and public officials in this rash of disappearances.
- Versión en español
- Map: A Trail of Disappearances
Esperanza Mota holds a gradutation photo of her son, reporter Alfredo Jiménez Mota, who vanished in 2005.
34 journalists killed in 2008
30 journalists missing since 1982
135 journalists and 51 media workers killed since March 2003
Journalists killed 1992–2008 »

New York, December 1, 2008--As Thailand's political crisis deepens, the Committee to Protect Journalists urgently calls on both sides of the conflict to end their attacks on reporters and media outlets and allow all journalists to report freely on breaking news. 

New York, December 1, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death of Hindu-language daily Hindustan correspondent Vikas Ranjan in the northern Indian state of Bihar on November 25. 

New York, November 26, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the safety of four journalists who were reported kidnapped today in the port city of Bossasso in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

New York, November 26, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists honored five journalists with its 2008 International Press Freedom Awards in a ceremony Tuesday night that highlighted journalists imprisoned worldwide. A Zimbabwean media lawyer who has successfully defended numerous journalists facing prison was honored for her lifetime achievements.

Freed in Iraq, an editor offers thanks

Celebrating global truth-tellers: CPJ's IPFAs

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Press freedom in the news 12/01/08

South Africa's Mail & Guardian has more coverage of the Mikhail Beketov case today. Beketov, an editor of a Moscow-based newspaper, was brutally beaten and left for dead more than two weeks ago and remains in a coma. The Houston Chronicle also has a story on Beketov, as well as the dangers of reporting in Russia for all journalists.

New York, November 26, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the safety of four journalists who were reported kidnapped today in the port city of Bossasso in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

New York, November 26, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists honored five journalists with its 2008 International Press Freedom Awards in a ceremony Tuesday night that highlighted journalists imprisoned worldwide. A Zimbabwean media lawyer who has successfully defended numerous journalists facing prison was honored for her lifetime achievements.

New York, November 24, 2008--Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo should thoroughly and transparently investigate the killing of a radio reporter on Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Press freedom in the news 11/21/08

Honored in Washington, editor wanted by police back home

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New York, November 26, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists honored five journalists with its 2008 International Press Freedom Awards in a ceremony Tuesday night that highlighted journalists imprisoned worldwide. A Zimbabwean media lawyer who has successfully defended numerous journalists facing prison was honored for her lifetime achievements.

From his cell in the maximum security Agüica Prison in western Matanzas province, jailed Cuban journalist Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez has written us a letter to accept CPJ's International Press Freedom Award. In his letter, Maseda Gutiérrez speaks out "for all those who suffer the horror that characterizes despotic and oligarchic government models." He will be honored on Tuesday. The letter follows the jump. 

Press freedom in the news 11/24/08

Various news outlets had coverage over the weekend of press freedom in Russian in light of last week's brutal assault on Mikhail Beketov, a Moscow newspaper editor who still remains comatose in a local hospital. The Chicago Tribune as well as the UK-based newspapers The Guardian and The Sunday Herald are running stories about the dangers of critical reporting in Russian.

New York, November 21, 2008--A decision to order the arrest of renowned Colombian journalist Alejandro Santos Rubino is an act of censorship, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A Bogotá judge ordered the arrest of Santos, the director of the national weekly newsmagazine Semana, for failing to follow the court's instructions in a defamation suit.

Press freedom in the news 11/21/08

CPJ speaks to NPR about violence in Mexico

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New York, December 1, 2008--As Thailand's political crisis deepens, the Committee to Protect Journalists urgently calls on both sides of the conflict to end their attacks on reporters and media outlets and allow all journalists to report freely on breaking news. 

New York, December 1, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death of Hindu-language daily Hindustan correspondent Vikas Ranjan in the northern Indian state of Bihar on November 25. 

Press freedom in the news 12/01/08

South Africa's Mail & Guardian has more coverage of the Mikhail Beketov case today. Beketov, an editor of a Moscow-based newspaper, was brutally beaten and left for dead more than two weeks ago and remains in a coma. The Houston Chronicle also has a story on Beketov, as well as the dangers of reporting in Russia for all journalists.

New York, November 26, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists honored five journalists with its 2008 International Press Freedom Awards in a ceremony Tuesday night that highlighted journalists imprisoned worldwide. A Zimbabwean media lawyer who has successfully defended numerous journalists facing prison was honored for her lifetime achievements.

Journalist shot and killed in Assam

Blogger gets 45 years in prison; others sentenced

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Press freedom in the news 12/01/08

South Africa's Mail & Guardian has more coverage of the Mikhail Beketov case today. Beketov, an editor of a Moscow-based newspaper, was brutally beaten and left for dead more than two weeks ago and remains in a coma. The Houston Chronicle also has a story on Beketov, as well as the dangers of reporting in Russia for all journalists.

After Judge Yevgeny Zubov overturned a ban on the press attending the trial of three suspects in the murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, we released the following statement...

Press freedom in the news 11/24/08

Various news outlets had coverage over the weekend of press freedom in Russian in light of last week's brutal assault on Mikhail Beketov, a Moscow newspaper editor who still remains comatose in a local hospital. The Chicago Tribune as well as the UK-based newspapers The Guardian and The Sunday Herald are running stories about the dangers of critical reporting in Russian.

In response to Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Dmitry Fedorov's announcement today about the progress of the official Kyrgyz investigation into the October 2007 murder of ethnic Uzbek journalist Alisher Saipov, we released the following statement...


Politkovskaya trial should be re-opened

Press freedom in the news 11/20/08

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New York, November 26, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists honored five journalists with its 2008 International Press Freedom Awards in a ceremony Tuesday night that highlighted journalists imprisoned worldwide. A Zimbabwean media lawyer who has successfully defended numerous journalists facing prison was honored for her lifetime achievements.

Freed in Iraq, an editor offers thanks

Shwan Dawdi, editor-in-chief of the Kirkuk-based newspaper Hawal, sent a letter thanking CPJ for its help in overturning his conviction and one-month prison term. "I would like to express ... my thanks and gratitude for your noble and courageous position to defend the freedom of the press and journalists," Dawdi wrote.

Washington, November 20, 2008--On the day Ugandan editor Andrew Mwenda was introduced here as a recipient of a CPJ International Press Freedom Award, police back home summoned the journalist for questioning over his magazine's hard-hitting political coverage.

New York, November 19, 2008--The Sudanese government should halt censorship of independent and opposition newspapers, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On Tuesday, 10 newspapers suspended publication for a day to protest government censorship and the detention of journalists a day earlier. 

Tunisia responds to critical CPJ report

Faces of Exile

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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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Global Campaign
Against Impunity

The Paul Klebnikov case is among many unsolved journalist murders. Join CPJ's fight against impunity.

Getting Away With Murder

CPJ's Impunity Index ranks countries where killers of journalists go free.
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