CPJ, others reject 7-year prison sentence for Brazilian journalist over blog
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined the 10 other members of Brazil’s Coalition in Defense of Journalism in condemning the August 12 sentencing of journalist Ricardo Antunes to seven years in prison for slander, libel, and defamation after he published five blog posts about a businessman. The posts dealt with an investigation into an alleged…
Brazil’s top court acts to protect journalists from judicial harassment
São Paulo, May 24, 2024—A decision by Brazil’s top court to recognize the judicial harassment of journalists and to introduce procedures to help prevent courts being misused to intimidate and silence the media is a welcome move towards safeguarding press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On May 22, the Supreme Court unanimously…
Brazilian court upholds conviction of killers of journalist Valério Luiz de Oliveira
UPDATE: On May 21, the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (STJ) denied a habeas corpus request made by the defense of Maurício Borges Sampaio, one of the defendants, and upheld the conviction of four of the men accused of murdering journalist Valério Luiz de Oliveira. Figuerêdo and Sampaio began serving their sentences on June 14 and June…
CPJ, others warn against censorship attempt from former Brazilian attorney general
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined eight other press freedom organizations in an April 19 statement urging the Brazilian Supreme Court to dismiss the case against journalist André Barrocal filed by former attorney general Augusto Aras. Aras filed a defamation case against Barrocal in response to the reporter’s July 2020 article about Aras’s performance,…
CPJ signs joint statement expressing concern over injunction in favor of alleged murderers of Brazilian journalist
CPJ joined six Brazilian press freedom and advocacy organizations in a joint statement expressing concern about the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) injunction on February 28 that annulled the trial of four alleged murderers of journalist Valério Luiz de Oliveira. The statement urged the court to accept the prosecution’s motion for clarification, reverse its decision,…
CPJ signs joint statement expressing concern over police operation against journalists in Brazil
CPJ joined eight Brazilian press freedom and advocacy organizations in a joint statement expressing extreme concern about a police investigation called “Operation Fake News,” launched on February 6, 2024, when police seized the computers and phones of Enock Cavalcante and Alexandre Aprá, journalists with the news website Isso É Notícias. The investigation was the result…
CPJ calls for Brazilian journalist Schirlei Alves to be spared jail over rape trial report
São Paulo, November 22, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Brazil’s courts to overturn a one-year jail sentence given to journalist Schirlei Alves for her reporting on the mistreatment of a woman during a high-profile rape trial. On November 15, Alves, a freelance journalist, was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to…
Local politician attacks journalist in Brazil
São Paulo, November 7, 2023—Brazilian authorities should investigate a councilor’s October 23 attack on journalist Godofredo Brito while he was reporting and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Brito was arriving in his car to report on a public paving project in Cocal, a municipality in the northeastern state…
Faces of impunity across the world
CPJ’s 2023 Global Impunity Index lists the top 12 countries where the murderers of journalists go free. But impunity knows no borders. The mosaic below shows the faces of slain journalists around the world. Beneath each journalist’s photo is the location of their death. Click the images for more details about these unsolved cases. (Photo grid by Geoff McGhee)
Haiti joins list of countries where killers of journalists most likely to go unpunished
By Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director The persistent lack of justice for murdered reporters is a major threat to press freedom. Ten years after the United Nations declared an international day to end impunity for crimes against journalists – and more than 30 years after CPJ began documenting these killings – almost 80% of their killings…