2023
Journalist Alexander Álvarez shot and killed in Paraguay
Bogotá, February 16, 2023—Paraguayan authorities must thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Alexander Álvarez, determine if he was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, February 14, an unidentified attacker on a motorcycle shot Álvarez while he was in his car at a…
Albanian TV crew threatened at gunpoint, camera operator assaulted
Berlin, February 16, 2023 — Albanian authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the recent attack on a TV crew for the privately owned broadcaster Top Channel, hold the perpetrators to account, and ensure that reporters covering illegal mining and other environmental issues can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On February 8,…
La Prensa’s Juan Lorenzo Holmann: ‘I turned around and said goodbye to Nicaragua’
Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro was on the verge of sleep in his Nicaraguan jail cell when he was issued civilian clothes, taken to the airport, and told to sign a handwritten document agreeing to be deported to the United States. Holmann, the publisher of La Prensa, Nicaragua’s oldest newspaper, had been incarcerated since August 2021….
Nicaragua’s Miguel Mendoza on his bittersweet deportation from his ‘kidnapped’ country
Miguel Ángel Mendoza Urbina, a veteran sports journalist with over 30 years of experience, made a life-changing decision on April 19, 2018, when anti-government protests erupted in Nicaragua. He realized he could not just focus on sports while his country was in turmoil. Mendoza used his Twitter and Facebook accounts, with a combined following of…
Belarus tries 3 NEXTA journalists on myriad of criminal charges
Paris, February 16, 2023 – In response to multiple news reports that the trial of Belarusian journalists Raman Pratasevich, Stsypan Putsila, and Yan Rudzik started on Thursday, with Pratasevich facing trial in person and the others being tried in absentia from exile, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the many…
CPJ joins call for Nigeria to maintain internet, social media access during 2023 elections
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined an open letter by the KeepItOn coalition of press freedom and human rights groups on February 16, 2023, calling on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and other officials to “ensure that the internet, social media platforms, and all other communication channels remain free, open, secure, inclusive, and accessible” during the…
CPJ launches safety videos to support journalists covering unrest globally
Journalist assistance requests rose 24% in 2022 New York, February 16, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday launched three new safety videos providing practical guidance to journalists covering unrest worldwide. Drawing on the organization’s expertise in emergency protection and safety, the videos will help journalists mitigate risk when covering protests and demonstrations. Reporting on…
Mozambique border police detain, beat radio journalist Rosário Cardoso
On January 15, 2023, five Mozambique border police officers detained and beat journalist Rosário Cardoso, according to media reports, statements by the National Forum of Community Radios and the Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom group Media Institute of Southern Africa, and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ by phone. Cardoso left the community…
Taliban raids office of Tamadon TV, assaults staff in Afghanistan
New York, February 15, 2022 – The Taliban must allow Tamadon TV to operate freely and independently and end its campaign of harassment and violence against journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Tuesday, February 14, about 10 armed Taliban members raided the headquarters of the privately owned broadcaster in Kabul, beat several…
Azerbaijani photojournalist Vali Shukurzade sentenced to 30 days in jail
Stockholm, February 15, 2023 – Azerbaijani authorities should release photojournalist Vali Shukurzade and ensure that members of the press do not face trumped-up charges in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On the evening of February 4, in the Yasamal district of Baku, the capital, police detained Shukurzade, a freelance…