2024
Journalists Muhammad Bachal Ghunio and Nisar Lehri killed amid rising violence against press in Pakistan
New York, September 13, 2024—Pakistani authorities must immediately investigate the killings of Awaz TV reporter Muhammad Bachal Ghunio and International News Agency reporter Nisar Lehri and ensure an end to the intensifying wave of violence against journalists in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. “Pakistani authorities must immediately bring the perpetrators of…
Crimean journalist faces continued harassment in jail, rights group, attorney say
Berlin, September 13, 2024—Ahead of Crimean journalist Remzi Bekirov’s next expected hearing on October 2, CPJ expressed concern at reports that Russian prison authorities are harassing him with strict scrutiny and placements in solitary confinement. Bekirov, who is an ethnic Crimean Tatar from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied region of Crimea, was a correspondent for independent Russian news…
Tunisia appeals court upholds Sonia Dahmani’s conviction amid election coverage crackdown
New York, September 13, 2024—Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release commentator Sonia Dahmani, following an appeals court decision Tuesday to uphold her conviction for spreading false news with a reduced eight-month sentence, and allow all journalists and news outlets to cover the upcoming presidential elections freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. “The…
CPJ joins call for UN commission to investigate Israel murder of journalist Issam Abdallah
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 10 press freedom and human rights organizations in a letter to the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel to investigate and help provide accountability for the murder of Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed by Israeli…
Malian media regulator suspends TV5Monde and LCI over security reporting
New York, September 12, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists urged Mali’s media regulator to reverse its suspensions of French public broadcaster TV5Monde and private television news channel La Chaîne Info (LCI), which are the most recent outlets censored in response to coverage of security issues in the country. “Reporting critically on the activities of Mali’s…
Turkmen journalist Ruslan Myatiev banned from entering Turkey
New York, September 12, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Turkey’s July 25 denial of entry to Ruslan Myatiev, director and chief editor of Turkmen.news, a Netherlands-based independent Turkmen news website. “Journalist Ruslan Myatiev’s account that Turkey acceded to Turkmenistan’s request to ban him is a startling suggestion of Turkey’s complicity in transnational repression with…
CPJ joins call to release over a dozen journalists jailed in Azerbaijan ahead of COP29
The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Azerbaijani government to release over a dozen jailed journalists and reform the country’s deeply restrictive media laws in a letter signed by 25 organizations ahead of the United Nations Climate Conference on November 11-22, 2024, in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani authorities have charged 13 journalists over the past year for alleged violations…
CPJ, partners call for swift trial after ex-governor surrenders over Philippine journalist’s murder
New York, September 11, 2024—A coalition of three international press freedom organizations on Wednesday called for a swift and impartial trial after fugitive ex-governor Joel T. Reyes surrendered to authorities in connection with the 2011 murder of Philippine broadcast journalist Gerry Ortega. “This is long overdue. Former governor Joel T. Reyes has evaded justice for…
CPJ joins call for Turkey to ensure safety of threatened journalist Murat Ağırel
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 22 press freedom and freedom of expression groups on Wednesday in a joint statement calling on the authorities in Turkey to ensure that journalist Murat Ağırel, who has been receiving death threats because of his reporting, remains safe. The statement listed a number of incidents in which Ağırel, a…
Taliban label Afghanistan International an ‘enemy’ for reporting on alleged aid misuse
New York, September 11, 2024—The Taliban must stop harassing the popular London-based broadcaster Afghanistan International, which they accused of conducting a “propaganda war against us,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. In his September 4 speech, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Stanekzai attacked the independent outlet as an “enemy” for reporting that aid relief sent…