2021
RFE/RL’s staff receive death threats ahead of Uzbekistan presidential election
New York, October 21, 2021 – Authorities in Uzbekistan should swiftly investigate threats received by employees of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and ensure that they can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 16, anonymous users of the Telegram messaging app sent dozens of death threats to…
Belarus police raid Novy Chas newspaper, interrogate at least 2 journalists
Vilnius, Lithuania, October 21, 2021 — Belarusian authorities should stop harassing independent journalists and refrain from charging or imprisoning members of the press over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, police in Minsk raided the office of the independent weekly online newspaper Novy Chas and the home of at least one…
CPJ to release 2021 Global Impunity Index
New York, October 21, 2021–The Committee to Protect Journalists will publish its annual list of countries where journalists are murdered regularly and their killers go free on October 28, 2021. The launch of the report, “Killers of journalists still get away with murder: CPJ’s 2021 Global Impunity Index,” comes just days ahead of the International…
CPJ testifies at Helsinki Commission about press freedom threats in OSCE region
Freedom of the press is under severe threat across the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) region and the OSCE’s 57 participating states must do more to protect the safety of journalists, CPJ Deputy Executive Director Rob Mahoney told a United States Congress commission today. Appearing virtually at a hearing held by the…
Kazakh outlet HOLA News reports website blocks after Pandora Papers coverage
Stockholm, October 20, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today about apparent blocking of Kazakh independent news website HOLA News after reporting on the Pandora Papers offshore leaks. The website was widely inaccessible for 10 days after they published the coverage, and only became functional again after it was removed. A statement…
Jammu and Kashmir authorities detain one journalist; at least two others still in custody
New Delhi, October 20, 2021 — Authorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir must immediately release the three journalists detained since October 8, cease harassing and questioning journalists in relation to their work, commit to allowing the media to operate freely and independently, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At approximately 7:50 p.m. on October…
A step closer to justice for disappeared journalist Maksim Maksimov
London, October 20, 2021 — After years of waiting, this week, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Russian authorities failed to conduct an effective investigation into the disappearance and alleged murder of investigative journalist Maksim Maksimov in 2004. “Seventeen years after Maksim Maksimov disappeared, this judgment is a step forward towards justice…
Venezuelan authorities issue arrest warrant for journalist Roberto Deniz, raid family home
Miami, October 19, 2021 – Venezuelan authorities must drop the criminal investigation into journalist Roberto Deniz, stop harassing him and his family, and allow him to continue his journalism work free of intimidation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 14, a criminal court in the capital of Caracas issued an arrest warrant…
Turkey’s government sends a bleak message on press freedom
CPJ’s recent press freedom mission in Turkey got off to a disappointing start. International organizations led by the International Press Institute, and including Reporters Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa, a think tank focused on seven European countries, gathered in Ankara and Istanbul to discuss our concerns about possible updates to…
People’s Tribunal to indict governments, seeking justice for murdered journalists
The Hague, October 19, 2021- Leading press freedom organizations Free Press Unlimited, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists launch The People’s Tribunal to indict the governments of Sri Lanka, Mexico and Syria for failing to deliver justice for the murders of Lasantha Wickremathunga, Miguel Ángel López Velasco, and Nabil Al-Sharbaji. The Tribunal,…