2016

  
German television satirist Jan Böhmermann poses on set in an October 13, 2013, file photo (Spiegl Ullstein Bild/Getty).

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 10

Merkel approves prosecution of German comic for insulting Erdoğan German Chancellor Angela Merkel today told reporters the German government would allow prosecutors to act on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s request that television satirist Jan Böhmermann be prosecuted for a profane poem about Erdoğan he read on the March 31 episode of his television program.

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Brazilian journalist injured in shooting

São Paulo, April 8, 2016–Brazilian authorities should thoroughly investigate the shooting of journalist Ivan Pereira Costa, bring the perpetrators to justice, and ensure journalists can work without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Pereira was hospitalized after a shooting attack on Monday in the small Amazonian town of Cujubim, in the…

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Court upholds criminal defamation conviction of Brazilian radio host

New York, April 7, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists is disappointed by the decision issued by a Brazilian court last week to uphold the criminal defamation conviction of radio journalist Fabiano Gomes da Silva.

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Secular blogger hacked and shot to death in Bangladesh

New York, April 7, 2016–Unidentified assailants attacked blogger Nazimuddin Samad with sharp weapons and then fatally shot him in Dhaka Wednesday night, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Bangladeshi government to determine the motive for the killing, and to take immediate steps to bring his attackers to justice

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Djibouti expels BBC journalists ahead of elections

Nairobi, April 6, 2016-Djibouti should ensure that journalists can report on presidential elections without harassment or fear of expulsion, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today, condemning Djiboutian authorities’ recent expulsion of a team of BBC journalists from the country.

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Egyptian editor, press freedom advocate faces arrest

New York, April 5, 2016 – Egyptian prosecutors should immediately drop criminal charges against editor and press freedom advocate Khaled El-Balshy, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Foreign press in China face fewer visa delays but obstacles remain, FCCC finds

The results of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China’s annual survey, released at the end of March, are a mixed bag. While problems raised in previous surveys, such as renewing visas, have eased, the responses show challenges remain for the international press.

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Canadian court sets troubling precedent for press freedom

New York, April 4, 2016 – A Canadian court’s decision compelling a journalist to hand over private communications he had with a source sets a negative precedent for press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdoğan in Cannakale, Turkey, March 18, 2016 (Photo: Khayan Ozer/Presidential Press Service/AP)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 3

Trial of 46 journalists, media workers resumes The trial of 46 journalists and media workers arrested in December 2011 resumed in Istanbul today. CPJ attended the trial as an observer.

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CPJ turns 35, jailed journalists walk free, reporters on trial in Turkey, and more

CPJ Newsletter: April edition Four imprisoned journalists freed in Azerbaijan The president of Azerbaijan in March issued a decree pardoning 148 people, including three imprisoned journalists–Hilal Mamedov, Tofiq Yaqublu, and Parviz Hashimli.

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2016