2016

  

In Turkey, one journalist killed, several newsrooms seized in attempted coup

Istanbul, July 16, 2016 – Turkish soldiers shot and killed one journalist and seized control of several newsrooms last night as factions of the Turkish military attempted to topple the government of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A night of violence, which was most severe in Ankara, left…

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Two Congolese journalists held by police for critical reporting on military

New York, July 15, 2016 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arbitrary detention of two radio journalists in the Ituri district of Oriental Province in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and calls on Congolese officials to release them both immediately.

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CPJ testimony on threats to press freedom at Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

Today, at a hearing before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney C. Radsch gave testimony on the threats to freedom of expression.

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Turkish businessman Aydın Doğan, shown here in a 2009 file photo, on June 13, 2016, denied tax-evasion charges before an Istanbul court. (Murad Sezer/AP)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of July 10

Prosecutors interrogate journalist on suspicion of ‘insulting the president’ Prosecutors in Istanbul yesterday interrogated İhsan Çaralan, a columnist for the socialist daily Evrensel, on charges of “insulting the president” in connection with a May 31 article in the beleaguered, pro-Kurdish daily newspaper Özgür Gündem, Evrensel reported. Çaralan had symbolically acted as co-editor of Özgür Gündem…

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CPJ testifies on Turkey’s press freedom record before House Foreign Affairs Committee

CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova today provided written testimony at a hearing titled “Turkey’s Democratic Decline,” given before the Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats Subcommittee of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.

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Lesotho editor in critical condition after shooting

New York, July 13, 2016 – Lesotho authorities should launch a credible investigation into the shooting of veteran editor Lloyd Mutungamiri and bring all those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Mutungamiri is in critical condition in a hospital in South Africa, his employer told CPJ today.

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Thailand harasses critical website ahead of constitutional vote

New York, July 12, 2016 – Thai authorities should cease harassing independent news website Prachatai and drop all charges against one of its journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A protester from the CNTE crouches near a barricade during clashes with riot police in Nochixtlán. Journalists covering the unrest say they have been harassed and attacked. (Reuters/Jorge Luis Plata)

In Oaxaca, reporters covering teachers’ union protests face violence, threats

The atmosphere in Nochixtlán, a small, rural community in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca, was tense on June 20. The day before, members of a dissident teachers’ union had clashed with federal and state police while protesting education reform. Shots were fired and, by the end of the day, nine people had died and dozens…

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Kyrgyz Supreme Court leaves Azimjon Askarov in jail

New York, July 12, 2016 – Kyrgyz prosecutors should drop all charges against Azimjon Askarov and ensure the journalist’s immediate release, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Closure of news outlets signals further erosion of media freedom in the Maldives

News outlets in the Maldives are closing down, one after another. The story at each publication is different, sometimes complicated, but the outcome is the same: journalists are facing a tougher time doing their jobs.

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2016