2019

  
People watch a live broadcast of a televised debate between Istanbul's mayoral candidates at a tea house in Diyarbakir on June 16, 2019. (AFP/Ilyas Akengin)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of June 16, 2019

Journalist turns himself in, released the same day Yavuz Selim Demirağ, a columnist for the nationalist daily Yeni Çağ who was attacked by a group of men who beat him with baseball bats in May, was released from prison under judicial control around midnight the day he turned himself in, Deutsche Welle reported on June…

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People gather in front of the Ukrainian parliament during the inauguration on May 20, 2019, of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who campaigned on an anti-corruption platform. Cherkasy-based journalist Vadym Komarov, known for reporting on local corruption, died June 20 as the result of an assault six weeks earlier. (AP/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian journalist Vadym Komarov dies six weeks after assault

Washington, D.C., June 20, 2019 -Ukrainian investigative reporter Vadym Komarov died today as the result of an assault on May 4, local media reported. Unidentified men beat the Cherkasy-based journalist’s head with a heavy object, one day after he posted on Facebook that he planned to publish news on alleged corruption in sports schools, according…

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Police watch supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange protesting in London on June 14, 2019 before a scheduled court date in his fight against extradition to the United States, where he faces prosecution for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, as well as the Espionage Act. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Tech journalists troubled by Assange computer intrusion charge

The Trump administration’s decision to charge Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act has generated significant controversy. One legal expert described it as “crossing a “constitutional Rubicon.” CPJ warned that the indictment could be the opening salvo in a broader attack on First Amendment journalistic protections. The 18th charge against Assange–of violating…

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Kurdish security forces are seen in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, on July 23, 2018. Security forces recently harassed and attempted to arrest journalist Barzan Ali Hama. (AFP/Safin Hamed)

Security forces harass, attempt to arrest Kurdish journalist in Iraqi Kurdistan

On June 4, 2019, security forces affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party harassed and attempted to arrest Barzan Ali Hama, a reporter for local broadcaster Kurdistan 24, in the city of Koya, in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Hama, who spoke with CPJ, and news reports.

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Pakistani police officers are seen in Islamabad on February 17, 2019. Journalist Muhammad Bilal Khan was recently stabbed to death in Islamabad. (AP/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistani journalist Muhammad Bilal Khan stabbed to death in Islamabad

New York, June 19, 2019 — Pakistani authorities should swiftly investigate the killing of journalist Muhammad Bilal Khan in Islamabad to determine the motive and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Police officers are seen in Hargeysa, Somaliland, on May 18, 2015. Police recently shut down two TV stations in the breakaway region. (Reuters/Feisal Omar)

Authorities in Somaliland shut down 2 TV stations for ‘threatening national security’

Nairobi, June 19, 2019 — Authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland should immediately lift an indefinite ban on two privately owned television stations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on June 15, 2019. CPJ called on Bhagel to ensure that police drop charges against journalist Dilip Sharma. (Photo via Indian prime minister's official website)

Journalist facing incitement charges for reporting on alleged power blackouts in central India

New Delhi, June 19, 2019 — Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel should immediately intervene to ensure that police drop charges against journalist Dilip Sharma and direct officials in his state to respect press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Central African Republic gendarmes and police officers are seen on January 2, 2016, in Bangui. Police in Bangui allegedly assaulted two French reporters from AFP recently. (AFP/Issouf Sanogo)

Police arrest, assault 2 AFP journalists in Central African Republic

Goma, Congo, June 19, 2019 — Authorities in the Central African Republic should investigate police who allegedly assaulted two French reporters and ensure that journalists can work freely in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (center) is seen in Beijing on April 19, 2019. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently denied a visa to reporter Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian. (AFP/Nicolas Asfouri)

China refuses visa application for critical American journalist

Taipei, June 19, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ refusal to issue a journalist visa to Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, a reporter who has covered China’s influence abroad.

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People holding pictures of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a symbolic funeral prayer held in Istanbul, Turkey on November 16, 2018. (REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir)

US, UN must probe Saudi crown prince role in “extrajudicial killing” of Jamal Khashoggi, report says

Paris, June 19, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed a United Nations report calling on both the head of the U.N. and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to open criminal probes into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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