CPJ’s support to exiled journalists jumped 227% in 3 years, reflecting global press freedom crisis
Keep closely connected to your homeland and don’t despair: that is advice Syrian journalist Okba Mohammad said he would offer to Afghan journalists who fled after the August 2021 Taliban takeover. Mohammad knows firsthand the challenges of exile. In 2019, he made a new life in Spain after fleeing the Syrian civil war with CPJ’s…
CPJ strongly condemns trespassing conviction of Asheville Blade reporters in North Carolina
Washington, D.C, June 16, 2023—In response to the Friday, June 16, jury decision finding Asheville Blade reporters Matilda Bliss and Veronica Coit guilty of trespassing while covering police activity, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are gravely concerned by the jury’s guilty verdict in the trial of Asheville Blade reporters Matilda…
Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora convicted of money laundering, sentenced to 6 years in prison
Guatemala City, June 14, 2023–In response to the Wednesday, June 14, conviction of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora on money laundering charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The shameful conviction and imprisonment of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora serve as a stark testament to the erosion of freedom of…
Nicaraguan journalist Victor Ticay convicted on treason, false news charges
Guatemala City, June 12, 2023—Nicaraguan authorities should release journalist Victor Ticay from prison and ensure members of the press do not face criminal penalties for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Friday, June 9, a judge in the capital city of Managua convicted Ticay, a correspondent for the privately owned TV…
Chilean journalist Victor Herrero fined in criminal defamation case
Bogotá, May 23, 2023—Chilean authorities should not contest journalist Victor Herrero’s appeal of his recent criminal defamation conviction and should reform the country’s laws to decriminalize speech, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, May 22, a criminal court in the capital city of Santiago sentenced Herrero, editor of the independent news website…
Jailed Nicaraguan journalist Victor Ticay accused of treason and false news
Guatemala City, May 22, 2023—Nicaraguan authorities should drop their criminal investigation into journalist Victor Ticay and release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 19, prosecutors accused Ticay, a correspondent for the Nicaraguan TV station Canal 10, of treason and false news, according to multiple news reports. He has been held…
Guatemalan newspaper elPeriódico closes under government pressure
New York, May 15, 2023—In response to the announcement that the independent Guatemalan newspaper elPeriódico would cease online publication on Monday, May 15, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The decision of the elPeriódico newspaper to cease publication is the result of the President Alejandro Giammattei administration’s judicial and financial harassment of…
Colombian journalist Luis Gabriel Pereira shot and killed in town of Ciénaga de Oro
Bogotá, May 12, 2023—Colombian authorities must thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Luis Gabriel Pereira, determine if he was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Tuesday, May 9, two gunmen aboard a motorcycle fatally shot Pereira while he was riding his motorcycle in…
Mexican President López Obrador repeatedly criticizes news outlets and press freedom group over spyware coverage
Mexico City, May 11, 2023—Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador must stop making baseless criticisms of local news outlets and the international free expression organization Article 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Since March, López Obrador has sharply criticized Article 19, national investigative magazine Proceso, privately owned online news outlets Animal Político and…
Peruvian outlet IDL-Reporteros targeted by protests, death threats from right-wing group
Bogotá, May 10, 2023 – Peruvian authorities must take seriously the recent threats made to the investigative news website IDL-Reporteros and hold those responsible for harassing the outlet to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On May 5, about 50 protesters with the right-wing political group La Resistencia gathered at IDL-Reporteros’ office in…