2017
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 23, 2017
German magazine correspondent denied credentials for ‘insulting president’ Turkish authorities denied Raphael Geiger, the Turkey, Greece, and Middle East correspondent for the German magazine Stern, an extension of his press credentials, saying he had insulted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish service of Deutsche Welle reported on April 26. Geiger, who is currently in…
Journalists detained in wake of Turkey referendum
New York, April 21, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Turkish authorities to stop jailing journalists and suppressing dissent in the wake of a referendum to change Turkey’s system of governance from parliamentary to presidential. In the past week, police arrested at least three journalists and raided the newsroom of leftist website Sendika…
Somaliland editor detained after trading himself for colleague’s freedom
New York, April 20, 2017–Somaliland authorities should immediately release Ibrahim Osman Ahmed, editor of Hangool News, who has been held without charge since April 15, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ibrahim is in custody in Hargeisa Central Police Station after handing himself over to police to secure the release of Abdirahman Arab Da’ud,…
Cameroonian military court convicts journalist Ahmed Abba of terrorism charges
New York, April 20, 2017–A military court in Cameroon today convicted Ahmed Abba, a journalist for Radio France Internationale’s Hausa service, on charges of “non-denunciation of terrorism” and “laundering of the proceeds of terrorist acts,” according to his lawyer and RFI. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Cameroonian authorities not to contest the journalist’s…
Russian journalist dies after severe beating
New York, April 20, 2017– Russian federal authorities should swiftly bring to justice all those responsible for the murder of Nikolai Andrushchenko, co-founder of the weekly newspaper Novy Peterburg, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The journalist, known for his reporting on corruption and police brutality, died in a St. Petersburg hospital yesterday of…
Newsmagazine publisher stabbed to death in Myanmar
Bangkok, April 20, 2017–Authorities in Myanmar should swiftly identify and bring to justice the killer of newsmagazine publisher Wai Yan Heinn, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The journalist was found dead on April 16 with 15 stab wounds to his chest and abdomen at his Yangon-based office, news reports said.
Proposed German legislation threatens broad internet censorship
The German cabinet on April 5 approved a “Draft Law to Improve Law Enforcement in Social Networks” (Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz), ostensibly aimed at combatting disinformation and hate speech, that raises concerns about restrictions on free expression and the privatization of censorship. The law would compel social media companies to remove content or risk fines as high as…
In Macedonia, anti-press rhetoric leaves journalists feeling vulnerable
As the political crisis in Macedonia, triggered by allegations of mass surveillance by intelligence agencies, deepens the environment is increasingly unsafe for journalists who report critically on the ruling Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) and its leader, Nikola Gruevski.
Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta receives white powder in mail
New York, April 19, 2017–The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta received an envelope containing an unidentified white powder this morning, the newspaper reported. The envelope’s only return address was “Grozny,” the capital of Chechnya, where preachers and political officials have recently threatened the newspaper for reporting on the alleged torture and detention of men suspected…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 16, 2017
Wire reporter jailed The Supreme Court of Appeals on April 14 upheld the Second Mardin Court for Serious Crimes’ November 2016 sentence of two years and four months in prison against Meltem Oktay on charges of “making propaganda for a terrorist organization,” the news website Dihaber reported yesterday.