"An exodus from Iran, East Africa"

"An exodus from Iran, East Africa", CPJ releases report on journalists in exile

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, June 17, 2010 - At least 29 Iranian editors, reporters, and photographers fled into exile over the past 12 months, the highest annual tally from a single country in a decade, a new survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists has found. At the same time, there was a significant spike in the number of journalists fleeing violence and harassment in east Africa, CPJ found in its 2010 annual report on journalists in exile, "An exodus from Iran, East Africa."

Worldwide, at least 85 journalists fled their home countries over the past 12 months, CPJ found in its survey, which marks World Refugee Day, June 20, and highlights the plight of journalists who are forced to leave their homes in the face of attacks, threats, or the possibility of imprisonment. This year's total, which counts journalists who went into exile from June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010, is double the number recorded in the prior 12-month period. The tally is comparable to the decade's previous high of 82, which CPJ recorded in 2007-08.

As part of its annual report, CPJ released a video profiling the story of Ethiopian Mohamed Abdifatah Elmi, who after being kidnapped and held for months, was forced to flee his home country.

ENDS

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