Reparations for slavery: Our CJA Lecture delves into the moral and economic dues
Picture shows Martin Plaut, Dr Alan Lester, CJA President Emeritus Rita Payne, UK Chair Raymond Whitaker, media freedom campaigner Lord Black. 25/11/25 One of the most contentious issues in international relations, especially for the Commonwealth, was dissected in gripping detail at the CJA annual lecture: Reparations for Slavery. The lecture, at the Palace of Westminster […]
Amid the continuing oppression against journalists in Bangladesh, SUSHAMA SHASHI DUTTA pleads to the government in an open letter for the release of her father 16/9/25 “Today marks one year since my father’s arbitrary detentionbegan. One year of suffering without justice. One year in whichtruth has been buried, rights have been denied, and a family […]
Yunus defiant over purge of media freedoms
By WILLIAM HORSLEY, Executive Committee member of the Commonwealth Journalists Association and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. June 20, 2025 Last week London provided an international stage for the Chief Advisor to the Bangladesh government and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Professor Muhammad Yunus, to present a positive account of his efforts to unite […]
CJA backs global demand for safe and unhindered reporting from Gaza
4/8/25 In a global demonstration of professional unity, over 100 well-known journalists and leading press freedom NGOs have issued a demand for immediate, unhindered foreign press access to the Gaza Strip, and respect for journalists’ protected status under international law to report from inside Gaza. Christiane Amanpour, Lindsey Hilsum, Mehdi Hassan and war photographer Don McCullin are […]
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09/07/25 In an unprecedented call for action, Bangladeshi journalists around the world have joined forces to call for an end to the oppression of the media and respect for freedom of speech in their home country. Their appeal was signed by 88 expatriate journalists, writers, teachers, researchers and cultural and rights activists, and co-ordinated in […]
Bangladesh denies media suppression, citing “deeply complex political transition”
This report by CJA Executive Committee member WILLIAM HORSLEY prompted a swift response from the Bangladeshi government, who claimed that concerns about media suppression and arbitrary detentions in the country were being taken seriously, and that the allegation that the government was repeating the autocratic practices of the past was wrong. “Unlike in the past, […]
Bangladeshi journalism threatened “from all directions”
Picture shows recent news conference in Dhaka Independent journalism, while being a cornerstone of democracy, is currently facing multidimensional challenges in Bangladesh, said Kader Gani Chowdhury, pictured, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists. He was speaking at a conference organised with support from UNESCO’s Global Media Defence Fund at Dhaka Reporters Unity. […]
Targetted killing of a dedicated and honest journalist in Pakistan
27/5/25 A Pakistani journalist, Abdul Latif Baloch, pictured, known for his reporting on human rights violations, has been killed in Balochistan, in his home area of Awaran. Local activists of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee say he was shot dead by unknown assailants who broke into his home. The killing comes just months after members of […]
Targetted killing of a dedicated and honest journalist in Pakistan
27/5/25 A Pakistani journalist, Abdul Latif Baloch, pictured, known for his reporting on human rights violations, has been killed in Balochistan, in his home area of Awaran. Local activists of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee say he was shot dead by unknown assailants who broke into his home. The killing comes just months after members of […]
Legal moves thwarted in Bangladesh as journalists kept in detention
Despite mounting pressure at home and abroad, the many journalists picked up by the authorities in Bangladesh as long ago as last August remain firmly in detention. The latest attempt to gain freeedom for two of the more prominent detainees – husband and wife team Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed of the Ekattor TV channel – was […]