The Torch is a weekly newsletter from the Committee to Protect Journalists that brings you the latest press freedom and journalist safety news from around the world. Subscribe here.
Israeli and Palestinian authorities should ensure that the investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is swift and transparent, that all evidence is shared with international investigators, and that those responsible are brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Abu Akleh, a reporter for the Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera, was shot and killed on Wednesday while reporting on an Israeli military operation in the West Bank town of Jenin. In the video of the aftermath of her killing, Abu Akleh was seen wearing a vest clearly marked “Press.”
As the war in Ukraine enters its third month, journalists who face increased risks in their daily reporting will receive lifesaving medical supplies through a new partnership between CPJ and the medical device company Medtrade, the manufacturer of CELOX Hemostatic Technology. The medical supplies, designed to stop hemorrhaging within 60 seconds of application, will be delivered to local and freelance journalists who have limited access to such tools.
In other Russia-Ukraine war press freedom news:
- Ukrainian photojournalist Ihor Hudenko missing in Kharkiv since February
- Belarusian journalist Denis Staji found severely beaten in Ukraine
- Russian police investigate journalist Ilya Ber over fact-check on Ukraine deaths
- Russian journalists detained, homes searched amid Victory Day celebrations
- Belarusian journalist Yury Hantsarevich detained for 10 days, charged with extremism
Read CPJ’s Russia-Ukraine Watch, updated weekly on Thursdays here, and sign up to receive a daily digest of our coverage of the war and press freedom here.
Global press freedom updates
- Mexican journalist Luis Enrique Ramírez found killed in Culiacán
- Chilean journalist Francisca Sandoval dies after shooting at May 1 protest
- Kashmir media at a ‘breaking point’ amid rising number of journalist detentions. Watch this CPJ video in which independent journalist Raqib Hameed Naik discusses the dire press freedom situation in the Indian-administered territory
- How China is stepping up harassment of foreign correspondents
- Azerbaijan journalist Aytan Mammadova threatened at knifepoint
- Pakistan police assault, detain journalist Jahangir Hayat in Punjab province. Separately in the country, authorities open criminal inquiry into anchor Sami Abraham
- Afghan journalist Khalid Qaderi sentenced to 1 year in prison
- Turkmenistan journalist Nurgeldi Halykov facing retaliation in prison following coverage of his case
- DRC authorities detain three journalists for over a week in insult case
- Zimbabwe police detain and charge two journalists covering attempted arrest of opposition politician
- CPJ calls for investigation of fire at Liberia’s Radio Kintoma
- Suriname journalist detained, investigated on defamation charges after reporting on police
- Omani journalist Mukhtar al-Hanai charged over corruption coverage
- Serbian journalists charged over coverage of environmental protest
- CPJ joins call to strengthen EU European Media Freedom Act
Spotlight
The People’s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists — a part of A Safer World for the Truth, organized by CPJ, Free Press Unlimited, and Reporters without Borders — is convening in The Hague in the Netherlands on Thursday and Friday for the Sri Lanka Case Hearing.
Witnesses, including CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler, testified before the Tribunal on crimes against journalists in Sri Lanka, notably the 2009 murder case of Lasantha Wickrematunge, and the state’s role in the prevention and investigation of these crimes. The second day of the Sri Lanka Case Hearing starts Friday at 3 a.m. EDT/9 a.m. CEST. Watch the hearing here. More information about the hearing can be found here.
Next week, on May 16 and 17, the Tribunal will convene for the Syria Case Hearing. For questions about the Tribunal, please visit this FAQ page.
We need your input! CPJ and the Global Reporting Center at the University of British Columbia are collaborating on a survey on disinformation and harassment targeting journalists. The survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete, and all your responses will be anonymous by default. Take the survey here.
What we are reading (and watching)
- ‘I hope my murder will be seen not as a defeat of freedom but an inspiration’ — Lasantha Wickrematunge, The Guardian [published on January 12, 2009, three days after the journalist was shot dead in Sri Lanka’s largest city Colombo]
- People’s Tribunal hears evidence against my father’s killers — Ahimsa Wickrematunge, Groundviews
- The Philippines’ strongman problem: Why political dynasties are dominating the presidential election — Sheila S. Coronel, Foreign Affairs
- Was censorship the greatest COVID threat to freedom? — Jacob Sullum, Reason
- Press freedom and gender: The global landscape for female journalists and what the future holds for them — Women in Journalism [A recorded panel discussion with CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg and others]
Explore our database of attacks on the press.
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