2021

Washington, D.C., April 16, 2021 – In response to a Hong Kong court’s sentencing today of media owner Jimmy Lai to 14 months in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Forcing a prominent pro-democracy media entrepreneur like Jimmy Lai to spend more than a year in prison and hitting him with…

Miami, April 15, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today over the findings of an April 9 report by the Chilean nonprofit news site Center for Investigative Journalism (CIPER) that Chile’s army appears to have allegedly monitored journalists covering corruption and human rights abuses.  CIPER’s report is related to the ongoing September 2019 investigation by the…

New York, April 15, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately drop all charges against DOXA editors Armen Aramyan, Natalia Tyshkevich, Vladimir Metelkin, and Alla Gutnikova, and allow them to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, law enforcement officers in Moscow raided the office of the independent student-run magazine DOXA…

New York, April 15, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over an account by Palestinian journalist Muath Hamed that he was summoned by Spanish authorities under false pretenses and questioned about his journalistic activity by someone he believes to be an Israeli intelligence operative. In early February, officers with Spain’s Civil…

Berlin, April 15, 2021 — French authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate a threatening letter received by journalist Nadiya Lazzouni and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 8, Lazzouni, a Paris-based video producer and founder of the news and commentary outlet Speak Up Channel, received an anonymous handwritten letter…

New York, April 15, 2021 – Angolan authorities must refrain from arresting members of the press covering public events, and should return all equipment confiscated from journalist Jorge Manuel, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 7, police officers arrested Manuel, a reporter for the Radio Despertar broadcaster, while he was covering protests…

Mexico will hold the largest elections in its history on June 6, 2021. Candidates will run for, among other offices, the federal Chamber of Deputies, governorships in 15 states, and mayor in hundreds of municipalities.  Journalists and media workers covering the elections anywhere in Mexico should be aware of a number of risks, including physical…

Abuja, April 14, 2021 — Police in Ghana should drop their investigation into journalist David Tamakloe and allow him to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 1, in Accra, the capital, four police officers in plainclothes arrested Tamakloe, editor-in-chief of the privately owned Whatsup News website, and detained him for…

New York, April 14, 2021 — Cameroonian authorities should immediately release journalist Emmanuel Mbombog Mbog Matip and all other members of the press imprisoned for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 17, 2020, six armed men in plainclothes arrested Mbombog Mbog Matip, director of the privately owned CliMat Social newspaper…

Istanbul, April 14, 2021 — Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals today overturned the convictions of journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak, who were found guilty of “aiding a terrorist organization” and sentenced to 10 and a half years and eight years and nine months, respectively, in a 2019 retrial, according to reports and CPJ research. Both journalists had been freed…