A new turn in the Anna Politkovskaya murder trial is making news today across the wires. It was initially going to be held behind closed doors, but had been opened to the public on Monday. However, stories from AP, Reuters, AFP, and RFE/RL all report that the court has repealed that ruling and will now close the trial to outside observers. Reports claim that jurors felt the presence of media would jeopardize their personal safety.

New York, November 18, 2008--Two Nigerien journalists were sentenced to prison today on criminal libel charges over editorials critically scrutinizing the director of the country's electricity supplier, according to local journalists.

Since 2001, CPJ has documented the cases of 340 journalists forced into exile after their reporting exposed them to harassment, violence, or imprisonment. They face many difficulties in their new homes, from language and cultural adjustments to emotional and economic hardships. Here are five snapshots of journalists in exile.

New York, November 17, 2008--Authorities should halt harassment of media and human rights lawyer Harrison Nkomo, CPJ said today. Nkomo is awaiting word on whether he will face criminal charges after a client left Zimbabwe in the midst of a case, said Beatrice Mtetwa, co-founder of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

Since 2001, CPJ has documented the cases of 340 journalists forced into exile after their reporting exposed them to harassment, violence, or imprisonment. They face many difficulties in their new homes, from language and cultural adjustments to emotional and economic hardships. Here are five snapshots of journalists in exile.

Making headlines today across the English and Spanish-language press is the brutal murder of Mexican crime reporter Armando Rodríguez.

New York, November 13, 2008--Veteran Mexican crime reporter Armando Rodríguez was shot to death this morning while in his car in the border city of Ciudad Juárez. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Rodríguez's killing and called on authorities to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation. 

We issued the following statement in response to the murder of Mexican reporter Armando Rodríguez, who covered crime for the Ciudad Juárez-based daily El Diario in the state of Chihuahua. Rodriquez was shot to death this morning by an unidentified gunman, according to local press reports...

RIA Novosti has continued coverage of the Anna Politkovskaya murder trial, which began yesterday in Moscow.

New York, November 17, 2008--A gunman on a motorcycle shot radio commentator Arecio Padrigao in southern Gingoog city today, according to international news reports. The journalist died en route to the hospital.

New York, November 17, 2008--Amid a growing crackdown on political dissent and freedom of expression, a Burmese court on Friday handed down a two-year prison sentence to Eine Khine Oo, a journalist with the local weekly Ecovision Journal. 

Three men charged in the 2007 murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya are on trial in Moscow beginning today.

New York, November 19, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the brazen attack on Edik Baghdasarian, the editor of the Yerevan-based online newsmagazine Hetq. Three unidentified men ambushed Baghdasarian on Monday outside his office and badly beat him. 

New York, November 19, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply disappointed at today's decision by the Moscow District Military Court to close the jury trial of three suspects in the October 2006 assassination of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya to the public, only two days after it declared it would be open.

A new turn in the Anna Politkovskaya murder trial is making news today across the wires. It was initially going to be held behind closed doors, but had been opened to the public on Monday. However, stories from AP, Reuters, AFP, and RFE/RL all report that the court has repealed that ruling and will now close the trial to outside observers. Reports claim that jurors felt the presence of media would jeopardize their personal safety.

New York, November 18, 2008--An Azerbaijani court convicted Ali Hasanov, editor-in-chief of the pro-government daily Ideal, on defamation charges and sentenced him to six months in jail, according to the head of the Baku-based Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), Emin Huseynov.