Press-freedom cases to watch

This week in my column I wrote about Hrant Dink (pictured), the ethnic Armenian editor who was assassinated in Turkey after angering ultra-nationalists with his acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide. But there are other vital press-freedom cases around the globe that deserve attention as well:

ALAN JOHNSTON: The BBC correspondent has been held longer than any other foreign hostage in Gaza -- Wednesday marked his 100th day in captivity. Since Hamas took over the already lawless Strip, the outlook is even more grim for Johnston's safe return. The group claiming to hold Johnston reportedly has links to al-Qaida.

FATHER NGUYEN VAN LY: The Roman Catholic priest and editor of a pro-democracy publication was recently sentenced to eight years in prison, part of a government crackdown on democracy activists.

THE NEW YOUTH 4: Jin Haike, journalist Xu Wei, Yang Zili and freelance writer Zhang Honghai are serving from eight to 10 years behind bars for establishing the New Youth Society, writing articles that explored democracy and reform in China.

SAMIR SADAGATOGLU and RAFIK TAGI: In a case that I'm surprised hasn't cause more outrage, two Azeri journalists were imprisoned for an article in weekly newspaper Senet that was deemed insulting to Islam. The article, written by Tagi, explored the peace, tolerance and stability in European nations as opposed to traditionally Muslim societies. Sadagatoglu, the editor, got a longer sentence than Tagi. Both men are Muslim.

These short profiles only scratch the surface of the penalties faced by journalists around the globe for simply exercising freedom of expression. Read about more disturbing cases at Reporters Without Borders.