2017
Ukraine arrests suspect in 2004 murder of Forbes editor Paul Klebnikov
Ukraine’s state intelligence agency announced on November 18 that it had detained a man wanted by Interpol for the high-profile murder of American journalist Paul Klebnikov in Russia 13 years ago. Russia’s Interior Ministry on November 20 named the suspect as Magomed Dukuzov and said that Ukrainian authorities had apprehended him at its request, according…
Mauritanian authorities change legal code, could retry Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed
New York, November 20, 2017–Mauritanian authorities on November 16 approved an amendment to the country’s penal code that could allow courts to retroactively retry freelance blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, who was convicted of blasphemy in 2014, and potentially re-sentence him to death, the state-owned news agency AMI and Agence France-Pressereported. The Committee to Protect…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering Kenya’s election ruling
Journalists covering the result of Kenya’s contested elections should be aware of the risk of unrest and violent protests. The Supreme Court on November 20 upheld incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory over opposition candidate Raila Odinga in last month’s repeat election, according to The New York Times. Odinga said he will not accept the result of…
Journalists honored for courageous reporting
International Press Freedom Awards go to imprisoned Cameroonian journalist, Mexican correspondent, Thai reporter, and Yemeni blogger New York, November 16, 2017–Journalists from Cameroon, Mexico, Thailand, and Yemen were honored Wednesday night at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 27th annual International Press Freedom Awards for courageous work amid risks such as imprisonment, threats, and exile. The…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of November 12, 2017
Journalists released A Turkish court on November 9 released from prison Mehmet Çağrı, chief editor for the local radio station Dersim Munzur, during his first trial hearing in the southeastern city of Tunceli, which is also known as by the Kurdish name of Dersim, the daily Evrensel reported.
Two former Radio Free Asia journalists detained in Cambodia
Bangkok, November 16, 2017–Two former reporters with the U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Asia were detained in Cambodia on November 14 on suspicion of illegally producing and disseminating news, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Cambodian authorities to immediately release the pair and drop any charges against them.
Russia’s RT network says it complied with US order to register as foreign agent
New York, November 13, 2017–The Russian government-funded international news network RT, formerly Russia Today, said that it complied today with a U.S. Department of Justice order for it to register as a foreign agent. Ordering foreign outlets to register could set a troubling precedent, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
Journalists jailed for two months in Myanmar over drone use
Bangkok, November 10, 2017–A Myanmar court today sentenced two foreign journalists who were on assignment for Turkey’s state broadcaster, along with their interpreter and driver, to two months in prison on charges of filming with a drone without official permission, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentencing and calls on…