Press freedom

Journalist organisations joined with world leaders in expressing condemnation and shock at an attack by masked gunmen on a newspaper in Paris on Wednesday morning. The Paris newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, was attacked by two masked gunmen, named as brothers Chérif Kouachi, 32 and Said Kouachi, 34, shouting, “God is great” in Arabic yesterday. At least 11 were killed in the…

Aung Kyaw Naing’s death in military custody has triggered fears the government is sending a message that no journalist in the country is safe. The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that up to Sept 10 this year, 40 journalists had been killed while reporting. The name of Myanmar journalist Aung Kyaw Naing, also known as Par Gyi, who was killed…

A human rights advocacy group based in Britain has launched a campaign demanding the British Government intervene to secure the release of a jailed journalist in Burma. Burma Campaign UK has demanded that Britain’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague, “personally intervene” to secure the release of the Democratic Voice of Burma journalist, Zaw Pe, who was sentenced to one year imprisonment…

A group of ethnic journalists inside Burma is to launch a weekly journal called “The Union” in the last week of November which will mainly focus on cultural, literacy and issues that affect the daily lives of ethnic nationalities. Following the government’s claims that it is serious about creating media freedom environment, ethnic based media outlets are starting to emerge…