CPJ has joined over 100 civil society organizations to call on the Council of Europe to issue a recommendation to address strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) in Europe. SLAPPs are abusive lawsuits filed by powerful officials, businesspeople, or corporations against individuals, including critical journalists or news outlets, to restrict or censor critical reporting. They…
Most journalists jailed in China are afraid to speak out after their release. In a rare interview, Wang Jing, who is now in the United States seeking asylum, has recounted her imprisonment and alleged torture in China. Wang was arrested in 2014 when she was reporting on a protest for the now-defunct news outlet 64 Tianwang. In…
Bangkok, March 26, 2021 – Myanmar’s military authorities must immediately release all detained employees of Kanbawza Tai News, drop any charges against them, and stop jailing reporters for their news coverage, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On the night of March 24, police raided the media outlet’s office and two of its employees’…
The European Union yesterday adopted a new regulation on exports of dual-use surveillance technology by EU-based companies. The legislation seeks to prevent human rights harm, including in countries where journalists are targeted and under surveillance because of their work. CPJ joined six other freedom of expression and human rights organizations in a statement welcoming the…
The trolling started after Reem Abdellatif, a prominent Egyptian-American journalist now based in The Netherlands, published her first column in December for the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz. Titled “How I escaped Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom that terrorizes women,” it described the challenges she faced as a female journalist who had previously worked in Saudi Arabia and denounced Saudi…
Vilnius, Lithuania, March 25, 2021 — Russian authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Mariya Nuykina and should stop prosecuting journalists covering political protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 19, police in the eastern city of Khabarovsk detained Nuykina, a correspondent with the independent newspaper Arsenyevskiye Vesti, while she was…
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined dozens of civil society organizations today in urging the European Parliament to reject a draft regulation on terrorist content online when it is proposed for a vote in April. The letter, which was sent to every member of parliament, notes that the draft would allow national authorities to order…
Miami, March 24, 2021 — Argentine authorities should immediately investigate the attack on the Río Negro daily newspaper and its staff, and threats to its journalist Luis Leiva, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday at about noon, a group of approximately 100 people entered Río Negro’s offices in…
On March 19, 2021, police in Turkey’s Istanbul Airport barred French freelance journalist Sylvain Mercadier from entering the country, detained him overnight, and deported him back to France, according to news reports, tweets by the journalist, and Mercadier, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Officers took Mercadier into custody soon after his flight…
Dakar, March 24, 2021 — Guinean authorities should immediately release journalist Amadou Diouldé Diallo and ensure that the press can work without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 27, police officers arrested Diallo, a sports reporter with Guinea’s public broadcaster Radio Télévision Guinéenne (RTG) and a political commentator on…