2016
In Egypt, censorship, an arrest, and court hearings for journalists
Restrictions against the press continue in Egypt, with ongoing trials of journalists, some of whom have been in detention for more than three years, allegations that a TV station was ordered to drop a planned broadcast of an interview with a former official, and a reporter detained while trying to cover a sensitive story. Egypt…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of November 6
Opposition newspaper CEO detained Police at Istanbul’s Atatürk airport detained Akın Atalay, CEO of the embattled opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet, as he disembarked from his flight from Berlin today, Turkey’s official Anadolu News Agency reported. The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office for Press Crimes had issued a warrant for his arrest in the scope of authorities’ investigation…
Independent Malaysian news website faces threats, harassment
Bangkok, November 8, 2016 – Malaysia’s government should cease harassing independent news site Malaysiakini, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police have opened a criminal investigation into the website, and a government-linked pressure group has threatened to “tear down” the website’s office.
Proposed changes to Mexico’s right to reply would increase burden on media
Mexico City, November 4, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today over proposed changes to Mexico’s media regulations that could force the press to publish or broadcast more replies to news stories. The changes are due to be voted on by the country’s Supreme Court November 7.
Blogger detained amid escalating crackdown in Vietnam
Bangkok, November 4, 2016–Vietnamese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release blogger Ho Van Hai, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police in Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Duc district arrested Hai, a medical doctor popularly known by his Facebook moniker ‘Ho Hai’, on November 2, according to news reports.
Indian news channel suspended for 24 hours
The Indian government on November 4, 2016, ordered NDTV India, a Hindi-language news channel, to stop broadcasting from November 9-10, after a committee in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting found that the channel had revealed “strategically-sensitive information” while covering an attack on an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in Punjab state in January…
Myanmar obstructs reporters from covering crisis in Rakhine State
Bangkok, November 3, 2016–Security officials in Myanmar should stop obstructing and harassing journalists attempting to report on the conflict in the country’s northern Rakhine State, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The censorship comes amid widespread allegations of military abuses, including allegations of sexual violence, perpetrated as part of an intensified counterinsurgency campaign along…
‘It’s worse this time,’ says photographer shot by police during latest Kashmir unrest
For four months, the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir has been under a curfew imposed after protests broke out when Burhan Wani, a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, a pro-independence militant organization that advocates for Kashmir’s independence from India, was killed in clashes with the Indian army. Journalists have been caught in the crossfire as…
Honoring courage and defying intimidation
CPJ’s 2016 International Press Freedom Awards New York, November 15, 2016–Four remarkable journalists who have navigated chilling media landscapes in Egypt, El Salvador, India, and Turkey will be honored at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 2016 International Press Freedom Awards, an annual ceremony that recognizes courageous journalism. The awardees have faced great risk to cover…