State Persecution

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to release journalist Maurice Kayombo, who has been held for two weeks on charges of “blackmail and disparaging an official,” after the secretary-general of the mining ministry filed a complaint against him. “We condemn this detention, which is being used to intimidate...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on Chadian authorities to end a wave of media repression, which started in November 2006 in the wake of violent conflict in the eastern part of the country and has most recently been seen in the detention and intimidation of media executives. Lazare Djekourninga Kaoutar, the director of FM Liberté radio station, is charged with...

An Afghanistan university student and journalist for daily newspaper Janan-e-Naw, Sayed Parvez Kambakhsh, faces the death penalty at his upcoming trial, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Parvez was detained on October 27, 2007, in the northern Afghan city of Mazhar-e-Sharif, accused of “insolence to the Islam” after he allegedly downloaded an article from a Farsi...

Ten journalists in Sindh province who were reporting on events related to Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto’s death on December 27 have been arrested under anti-terrorism and riot laws, according to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). PFUJ reported that 34 cases were registered against journalists in the province’s interior since December 27. Of these, 19 journalists work for...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the detention of a newspaper editor in Chad, who was held illegally by authorities for four days in connection with an article he wrote accusing the President of ethnic cleansing, and called on authorities to drop charges against him alleging he has incited “tribal hate.” “The government has brought charges against our colleague to...

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has threatened to ban live television reports about Pakistan’s national elections and impose penalties on journalists if they do not comply. According to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) affiliate, and reports by GEO TV and Dawn, PEMRA sent a letter of warning to the...

Independent newspapers in the Arab world are demonstrating they can be commercially successful while maintaining their editorial independence. But to do so, they must negotiate a minefield. And for the vast majority of independent media in the Middle East, censorship and repression remain the norm. Those were the lessons from the 2nd Arab Free Press Forum, which drew independent journalists and...

Delegates to the Arab Free Press Forum have condemned travel restrictions imposed by authorities in several Arab countries that prevented some speakers and participants from attending the event. The Forum, organised by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and the An-Nahar newspaper, drew independent journalists from across the Arab world to Beirut, Lebanon, to address the challenges and...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on Israeli authorities to abandon plans to prosecute journalists who visited Lebanon and Syria, countries with which Israel has no formal relations, in the course of their work. “At a time when key players in the region are talking peace it is grotesque that journalists should be facing prosecution for doing their job,” said Aidan White...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called for the release of L’enquêteur editor Ibrahim Souley and owner Soumana Maïga who were arrested in Niger after the Minister of Economy and Finance filed a libel complaint against the newspaper. “The press freedom violations in Niger are catastrophic. Four of our colleagues have been arrested on charges stemming from their work,” said...