International Crisis

Egyptian court convicts journalists for covering protests

An Egyptian court sentenced on 23 June 2014 three Al Jazeera journalists–Australian Peter Geste, Cairo bureau chief Canadian-Egyptian Mohamad Fahmy and producer Baher Mohamed–to prison terms of between seven to ten years for allegedly conspiring with the rebel group Muslim Brotherhood.

Three other journalists– Al-Jazeera English presenter Sue Turton, Al-Jazeera reporter Dominic Kane, and a correspondent for Dutch Parool newspaper, Rena Netjes–were sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison.

The trial was seen as farcical since among the evidence admitted against the journalists were family vacation photos and footage of news reports from other networks on unrelated subjects.

Al Jazeera, as an extension of Qatar where the news organization is based, has been perceived in Egypt as supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood. The news organization for its part defended its coverage of the conflict in Egypt and has been calling for the release of their journalists and staff. (IFEX/MEAA/CPJ)

Radio host gunned down in Paraguay

A radio host lawyer in Paraguay was shot dead on 19 June 2014 inside his home in the northern city of Concepcion.

Edgar Pantaleon Fernandez Fleitas had just got home from hosting his radio program “Ciudad de la Furia” (City of Fire), when an unnamed assailant entered his home and shot him.

The program aired weekdays on the community radio station Belén Comunicaciones. Fernandez was harshly critical of local judges, lawyers, and officials in the Attorney General’s office, all of whom the journalist accused of corruption, according to news reports.

Concepcion’s district attorney, Dora Irrazabal, said in a radio interview that she believed Fernandez’ murder was related to his comments on the radio program, not to his work as a lawyer.

Fernandez was the second critical radio host killed in Paraguay in less than six weeks. Fausto Gabriel Alcaraz Garay was killed in Pedro Juan Caballero town on 16 May 2014. Pedro Juan Caballero and Concepcion, near the Brazilian border, are centers of smuggling and organized crime, according to news reports. (IFEX/CPJ)

Car bomb kills Somali radio journalist

A radio journalist in Mogadishu city in Somalia died after a bomb placed inside his vehicle exploded on 21 June 2014.

Yusuf Ahmed Abukar Keynan, who worked for the privately owned Radio Mustaqbal (meaning ‘future’), is the first journalist killed in Somalia in 2014. He was only 27 years old.

“Actually the explosive device was fitted [to] the vehicle. It might [have been] either a remote controlled device or connected with the switch of the vehicle,” said Keynan’s colleague, who refused to be named for security reasons. “Yusuf Keynan had started his career over the past five years and was very hard working and dedicated journalist. But this was an assassination act to kill my colleague.” (IFEX/NUSOJ)