2019
Conviction obtained in 2002 murder of Indian journalist Ram Chandler Chaterpatti
Washington, D.C., January 11, 2019 – India’s Central Bureau of Investigation obtained convictions today in the 2002 murder of journalist Ram Chandler Chaterpatti, editor of the Hindi-language newspaper Poora Sach, according to news reports. The CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana state, convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head of the religious group Dera Sacha Sauda, and…
Radio broadcaster killed under suspicious circumstances in the Philippines
Bangkok, January 11, 2018–Philippine authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of Filipino news broadcaster John Michael Decano and bring the assailant to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
In Nigeria, three journalists injured by gunfire while covering political rally
New York, January 10, 2019–Nigerian authorities should rigorously investigate violence at a political rally in Lagos on January 8, during which at least three journalists were injured by gunfire, and ensure the safety of reporters covering political events, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of January 7, 2019
Erdoğan says Turkish media is ‘more democratic’ In a message to mark Working Journalists’ Day–a local press freedom day on January 10–Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “The reforms actualized in the past 16 years have enabled the Turkish press to be richer, diverse, and meet a more democratic and liberal structure,” Duvar reported.
Gagging orders, legal action, and communist era laws used to try to ‘choke’ Polish press
Polish security agents enter the house of a prominent TV journalist over accusations that he propagated Nazi propaganda. Police summon a reporter over claims that he breached the privacy of the vice-head of the constitutional court. And Poland’s central bank files gagging orders against two papers, demanding they remove several articles about a corruption scandal…
Mozambican journalist arrested, held in military prison
New York, January 9, 2019–Mozambique’s military should immediately release Amade Abubacar, a community radio journalist for the state-owned Rádio e Televisao Comunitária Nacedje de Macomia in northern Cabo Delgado province, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Palestinian security forces arrested two journalists in West Bank in late December
Beirut, January 9, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about the arrests last month of Palestinian journalists Zaid Abu Ara, a reporter for the London-based Quds Press News Agency, and Motasem Saqf al-Hit, a photographer for the Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network. Al-Hit has been released, but Abu Ara remains in detention.
Indian government expels two foreign journalists for visa violations
Two foreign journalists were barred from entering India for allegedly violating visa rules in late December 2018 and early January 2019, according to press reports. On December 28, 2018, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that Cathal McNaughton, the chief photographer with Reuters’ Delhi office, had been denied reentry into the country for allegedly traveling…
In Canada, police block media from covering break up of indigenous pipeline protest
New York, January 8, 2019–The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) yesterday blocked reporters from covering a pipeline protest near Houston, British Columbia, where police were due to dismantle camps set up by indigenous activists, according to reports.