https://cpj.orgMexico's press caught in a deadly cycle of violence and impunity
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Press Contacts
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Johannesburg, April 25, 2017--The unconditional release of Zambian journalist Chanda Chimba is a welcome end to the injustice he has suffered, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Chimba, who has advanced prostate cancer, was released on April 21 following a pardon on humanitarian grounds from Zambian President Edgar Lungu, Zambian media reported and Chimba's lawyer, Charles Lisita, told CPJ today.
New York, April 24, 2017--A military court in Cameroon today sentenced Ahmed Abba, a correspondent for Radio France Internationale's (RFI) Hausa service, to 10 years in prison and ordered him to make a payment of 55 million Central African francs (US$91,133) Abba's lawyer Clément Nakong, told CPJ. Abba, who has been held in pretrial detention for 635 days, was convicted of "non-denunciation of terrorism" and "laundering of the proceeds of terrorist acts," last week. Nakong said that he will appeal Abba's sentence within the 10 days set by the court.
New York, April 27, 2017--The Committee to Protect Journalists will release its report, No Excuse: Mexico must break cycle of impunity in journalists' murders, on May 2.
New York, April 20, 2017--A military court in Cameroon today convicted Ahmed Abba, a journalist for Radio France Internationale's Hausa service, on charges of "non-denunciation of terrorism" and "laundering of the proceeds of terrorist acts," according to his lawyer and RFI. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Cameroonian authorities not to contest the journalist's appeal and to release him without delay.
New York, April 19, 2017--The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta received an envelope containing an unidentified white powder this morning, the newspaper reported. The envelope's only return address was "Grozny," the capital of Chechnya, where preachers and political officials have recently threatened the newspaper for reporting on the alleged torture and detention of men suspected of homosexuality. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Russian authorities to swiftly bring to justice those responsible for the threat.
New York, April 18, 2017--Ecuadoran journalist Fernando Villavicencio, director of the news website Focus Ecuador and a critic of outgoing President Rafael Correa, today filed a petition for political asylum in Lima, Peru. A statement from the regional press group Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS) said the journalist, who fled to Lima after presidential elections on April 2, is not guaranteed a fair trial in Ecuador, where he faces charges of distributing allegedly confidential emails sent by public officials.
This year's edition looks at new face of censorship
New York, April 18, 2017--The Committee to Protect Journalists will release its annual publication, Attacks on the Press, on April 25, 2017. The theme of this year's edition is "The New Face of Censorship."
New York, April 17, 2017--Russian authorities should immediately and thoroughly investigate threats made against Elena Milashina, an investigative journalist for the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and a former correspondent for the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ said today. In an April 15 interview with The Washington Post, Milashina said that she left Moscow following threats to Novaya Gazeta's staff since she reported earlier this month that gay men were being detained and tortured in Chechnya.
New York, April 6, 2017--Ethiopia's Supreme Court today ruled that two bloggers from the Zone 9 collective, previously acquitted of terrorism charges, should be tried instead on charges of inciting violence through their writing. If convicted of the charge, Atnaf Berhane and Natnail Feleke would face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, according to the Addis Standard newspaper.
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