2018
‘New’ Saudi Arabia ushers in even more repressive climate for journalists
Marwan al-Mureisi knew the rules: even in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “new” Saudi Arabia, issues touching on politics, religion, or the royal family were out of bounds. So in his reporting for the privately owned website Sabq and other outlets, al-Mureisi wrote about science, technology, and the need to embrace creativity and innovation–all hallmarks…
Mexican journalist gunned down in Chiapas
Mexico City, September 24, 2018–Mexican authorities must immediately undertake a rigorous and credible investigation into the killing of reporter Mario Leonel Gómez Sánchez in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
CPJ submits amicus brief to European Court on Azerbaijani journalist Emin Huseynov
The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with the organizations International Media Support, IFEX, and the International Senior Lawyers Project submitted an amicus curiae brief to the European Court of Human Rights in support of a legal complaint by Azerbaijani journalist and human rights advocate Emin Huseynov.
Journalist dies in Puntland of injuries sustained in knife attack
Nairobi, September 21, 2018–Police in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in Somalia, should rigorously investigate the killing of Abdirisak Said Osman, a reporter and photographer with the privately owned radio station Codka Nabada, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
In Ethiopia, mobile internet cut in the capital amid clashes and protests
Nairobi, September 21, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today urged Ethiopian authorities to ensure internet is available, including during times of unrest when access to information provided by journalists is crucial. Mobile internet was unavailable in the capital, Addis Ababa, from September 17 to the morning of September 19 amid protests and clashes, according to…
CPJ urges Bangladesh’s president to return Digital Security Act to Parliament for revision
The CPJ expresses concern about the Digital Security Act that was passed on September 18 by the Parliament of Bangladesh, and urges President Abdul Hamid to return it to Parliament for review. CPJ is concerned that the legislation, if allowed to become law, would violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press, and would create extensive legal dangers for journalists in the normal course of carrying out their professional activities.
Malian radio station suspended for 11 days for alleged incitement to revolt
Bamako’s governor, Colonel Déberekoua Soara, indefinitely suspended Renouveau FM, a privately owned radio station in Bamako, Mali’s capital, on August 1, 2018. The station was accused by Soara of alleged incitement to hatred and revolt on a popular current affairs show, the broadcaster’s director, Sidi Mohamed Dicko, told CPJ. The station was back on the…
Ugandan police arrest at least 8 journalists covering opposition MP Bobi Wine
Nairobi, September 20, 2018–Police in Uganda detained at least eight journalists covering the return of opposition MP Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, from the U.S, according to media reports and local journalists. The arrests are the latest incident of Ugandan security personnel assaulting, harassing, or arresting journalists covering political tension in the past…
Press Behind Bars: Undermining Justice and Democracy
Journalists are being imprisoned at record numbers around the world. They are regularly threatened, attacked, and killed, which undermines not only their own fundamental human rights, but also the public’s right to receive and impart information. The past two years have seen record numbers of journalists imprisoned for their work, yet there has been little…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of September 14, 2018
Court finds journalists guilty of making propaganda for terrorists A court on September 19 found the directors of the shuttered socialist television channel Hayatın Sesi TV guilty of making propaganda for terrorist organisations, the daily Evrensel reported.