2019

New York, March 30, 2019–Unidentified men today arrested Jones Abiri, the editor and publisher of the Weekly Source newspaper, in the Bayelsa state capital, Yenagoa, according to news reports, as well as a local activist with whom CPJ spoke and posts on social media.

Miami, March 29, 2019–Honduran police yesterday raided the Tegucigalpa office of Radio Globo and Globo TV and took the station’s director, David Romero Ellner, into custody to serve a 10-year prison sentence for defamation, according to news reports and local press freedom organization C-Libre. Romero took refuge in the station a few days ago, after…

Berlin, March 29, 2019 — The Italian interior minister, Matteo Salvini, should immediately drop criminal defamation charges against freelance investigative journalist and author Roberto Saviano, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

When Venezuelan military officials detained American freelancer Cody Weddle on March 11, the experience was both frightening and bizarre. Weddle said that agents put a hood over his head and pressed him to reveal sources he had never spoken with. They suggested the reporter was a member of the CIA and would be charged with…

In a Q&A with CPJ, Algerian journalist Lynda Abbou explains why protests that have swept the country in recent weeks were a pivotal moment for journalists frustrated at censorship.

Nairobi, March 28, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed a ruling today by the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) that multiple sections of Tanzania’s Media Services Act restrict press freedom and freedom of expression, and called on the Tanzanian government to repeal the act.

New York, March 28, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed the release of Saudiwoman’s Weblog founder Eman Al Nafjan, and called on Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all other journalists in custody.

New York, March 28, 2019 — Mauritanian authorities should immediately release bloggers Abderrahmane Weddady and Cheikh Ould Jiddou and stop detaining journalists on false news charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Court dismisses trial of Paradise Papers reporter Pelin Ünker The trial of Pelin Ünker, a former reporter for the opposition daily Cumhuriyet, who faced charges related to her coverage of the Paradise Papers, was closed on March 28 after the judge ruled that the statute of limitations had expired, Medyascope reported. Ünker was accused of…

Bangkok, March 28, 2019 – Authorities in the Philippines issued today arrest warrants against news website Rappler editors and executives, including executive editor and founder Maria Ressa, for violating laws barring foreign ownership of media, according to news reports.