2024
Record number of journalists in Senegal’s jails amid political turmoil
Senegalese reporter Ndèye Maty Niang, also known as Maty Sarr Niang, would have likely jumped at the chance to report on the political crisis gripping her country since the president postponed elections in early February. But Niang can’t cover the news – she’s in a women’s prison awaiting trial. She’s not alone: Niang is one…
CPJ welcomes acquittal of Nigerian journalists Gidado Yushau and Alfred Olufemi and calls for legal reform
Abuja, March 1, 2024–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed the February 14 decision by an appeal court in Nigeria’s western Kwara State acquitting journalists Gidado Yushau and Alfred Olufemi of criminal conspiracy and defamation, charges for which they were convicted last year, and reiterates the call for Nigerian authorities to reform their country’s laws to…
CPJ calls on Hong Kong to scrap proposed law that could further criminalize critical reporting
Taipei, March 1, 2024—The Hong Kong government must immediately halt plans to introduce new national security legislation that could strangle the city’s news industry by introducing new offenses including “acts of seditious intention” and “theft of state secrets,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On January 30, Hong Kong’s security bureau published a “public…
CPJ, partners offer new leads in murder case of Philippine journalist Gerry Ortega
Manila, March 1, 2024—The “A Safer World for the Truth” initiative—a coalition of three international press freedom organizations—met with the Philippine Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to provide new and actionable information that could lead to the arrest of the alleged mastermind behind the 2011 murder of radio journalist Gerry…
French journalist Antoine Galindo leaves Ethiopia after release
Nairobi, February 29, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed the Thursday release of French journalist Antoine Galindo, who was arrested in Ethiopia on February 22, and urged Ethiopian authorities to unconditionally release all other members of the press detained for their work. “It is great news that Antoine Galindo has been released, as his unjust…
Why extradition of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange to US would be cataclysmic for press freedom
The Australian founder of the website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been fighting extradition to the U.S. from the U.K. since 2019 on charges that could strike a blow to press freedom globally. Here is CPJ’s briefing on the legal battle to extradite Assange, the charges he would face in the U.S., and why his prosecution…
CPJ urges protection for Israeli journalist threatened with death after accepting film award
Washington, D.C., February 29, 2024—Israeli authorities must ensure necessary protections for Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and his family, who were repeatedly threatened following criticism from high-level Israeli and German government officials. Yuval Abraham, an Israeli film director and journalist with the independent news +972 Magazine, said on February 27 that he canceled his flight home…
Leading news outlets affirm support for journalists in Gaza
Leaders of more than 30 news organizations around the world, including the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters, have joined an open letter on Thursday affirming that they “stand united with Palestinian journalists in their call for safety, protection, and the freedom to report.” The letter, coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) with…
Canadian journalist arrested, charged with obstruction while reporting
On January 10, 2024, police in Edmonton, Canada, arrested and charged Indigenous journalist Brandi Morin with obstruction in connection with her reporting on a homeless encampment raided by police, according to social media posts from Morin and Ricochet, the publication for which she was on assignment. Morin was in the encampment conducting interviews for a story about the Indigenous-led…