Indian journalist beaten and dragged behind motorbike

Committee to Protect Journalists An Indian journalist was beaten by a group of men and dragged behind a motorcycle in Uttar Pradesh state on June 13, in apparent reprisal for his critical reporting, according to reports. The attack comes days after freelance journalist Jagendra Singh was killed in the same state in a case that local police and a minister are accused of being involved in, according to local news reports. Haider Khan, a stringer for a local TV news channel in Pilibhit district, told reporters he was attacked while following up on…Read more

Journalists assaulted while covering protest in western Kenya

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an attack on Tuesday against four journalists covering a peaceful protest in western Kenya and calls on authorities to investigate the attacks and hold the assailants to account. Four journalists--Saka Richards, a reporter for the privately owned radio station Milele FM; Duncan Wasa, a reporter for the privately owned faith-based station Imani TV; Leonard Wamalwa, a reporter for the independent station West FM; and David Sirengo, a reporter for the private national broadcaster Citizen TV--were attacked by a mob of residents in the western town…Read more

Launch of Hansard Society Magna Carta 800 Scholarship

To mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, two Scholarships (worth £10,250 GBP / $16,000 USD each) have been launched by the Hansard Society, with the support of the Magna Carta 800th Committee, to enable two outstanding undergraduate students to join the prestigious Hansard Scholars 14 week Autumn Programme from 5 September – 12 December 2015.  Founded in 1944, the Hansard Society is a charity working in the UK and around the world to promote democracy and strengthen parliaments. An independent, non-partisan political research and education organisation, The Hansard Society believes that the health of representative democracy rests…Read more

Third blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh this year

Committee to Protect Journalists Four unidentified assailants wielding cleavers and machetes killed a blogger in Bangladesh today, marking the third time in less than three months that a blogger has been slain in the country, according to news reports. Ananta Bijoy Das was hacked to death while headed to work in the city of Sylhet, the reports said. "The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina must take urgent steps to ensure the security of critical bloggers in Bangladesh given this series of murders," said CPJ Asia Program Research Associate Sumit Galhotra. "Authorities can…Read more

Threats facing journalists in northern Kenya

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is distressed by reports of persistent threats facing journalists working in northern Kenya, particularly in light of recent violence in the region. Kenyan journalists are increasingly being forced to make an impossible choice in their quest to report public interest stories, as they face attacks and threats from both militant groups and government officials. CJFE has received multiple reports from journalists working on the ground in northern Kenya that the continued incursion of the Al Shabab militant group into the region has…Read more

Kenyan police assault journalists investigating corruption

Committee to Protect Journalists Two journalists were beaten by officers from Kenya's paramilitary police wing, the General Service Unit (GSU), at a cattle ranch in southeastern Kenya on April 18, according to news reports. Nehemiah Okwembah, from the privately owned daily Nation, and Reuben Ogachi, a cameraman for the privately owned station Citizen TV, were covering a story in Bombi, a village on the outskirts of the Agricultural Development Cooperation Galana and Kulalu ranch, 576km (358 miles) east of the capital, Nairobi. Citizen TV cameraman Reuben Ogachi is taken to hospital after being…Read more

Journalists assaulted, chased covering protest in Nigeria

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the attacks on journalists covering a government workers' strike in Nigeria and calls on Nigerian authorities to ensure police launch a thorough and efficient investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice. About a dozen journalists were at the government secretariat in the southern state of Osun on Tuesday to cover a three-day strike called by one branch of the Trade Union Congress in Osun State, a national union that advocates for workers' rights, according to local journalists and news reports. The branch had…Read more

Malaysia extends sedition law to allow online censorship

Committee to Protect Journalists Malaysia's parliament has approved amendments to the country's sedition law, giving the government broad new powers to censor online media, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the legislative amendments and calls on the government to stop using the law to threaten and persecute independent journalists. Malaysian lawmakers aligned with the ruling United Malays National Organisation voted to stiffen the penalties of the 1948 Sedition Act, according to news reports. The penalties now include mandatory three- to seven-year jail terms for convictions, denial of bail for accusations…Read more

Social media law could chill free speech in Papua New Guinea

Pacific Freedom Forum Punishing social media use could remove an essential check and balance on abuse of power in Papua New Guinea, warns the Pacific Freedom Forum. "Long talked about plans for a new social media law could have a chilling effect on freedoms of speech," says PFF Chair Titi Gabi. "Social media are an effective control on political systems including corruption." Facebook and Twitter are hugely popular in Papua New Guinea, with hundreds of thousands using pages, groups and profiles. That popularity has alarmed government and others concerned at free-flowing and often…Read more

India’s free speech debate is alive and well

PEN International The Supreme Court of India's landmark decision on Tuesday [24 March 2015] signals a move towards greater protection of free expression in the world's largest democracy. But there is still much to do. India's highest court struck down section 66A of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 ("IT Act"), the vaguely worded and overbroad provision criminalizing the transmission over the internet of content that could be perceived as "grossly offensive" or has a "menacing character" or causes "annoyance," "inconvenience," or "insult"; the list goes on. The wording of the provision was…Read more