CPJ honors journalists who risk their lives for press freedom
November 19, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) paid tribute Thursday to brave journalists from Guatemala, Mozambique, and Myanmar by presenting them with CPJ’s 2021 International Press Freedom Awards (IPFA) in New York. CPJ also honored Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai with its 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award. “The journalists we are honoring…
Unidentified attackers shoot at car of Mexican journalist Beatriz Flores after she received threatening call
Mexico City, November 17, 2021 – Mexican authorities must immediately and transparently investigate the threats against journalist Beatriz Flores and the shooting attack on her car in Tepeji del Río, in the central Mexican state of Hidalgo, and federal authorities must provide her with protection, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Flores told CPJ…
Proposed Salvadoran ‘foreign agent’ law could impact media organizations
Guatemala City, November 16, 2021 – El Salvador’s congress should reject a proposed law that would require media outlets and journalists receiving funding or payments from abroad to register as “foreign agents,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Proposed by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and presented to congress on November 9, the law would…
CPJ concerned over FBI raid on home of Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe
Washington, D.C., November 15, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about the harmful precedent set by recent Federal Bureau of Investigation raids on the homes of Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe and his associates. According to media reports, the FBI seized O’Keefe’s cellphones during a November 6 raid on his home…
Peru opens criminal investigation into Ojo Público’s Ernesto Cabral over corruption reporting
Bogotá, November 12, 2021 – Peruvian authorities should immediately drop their criminal investigation of journalist Ernesto Cabral and allow him and the Ojo Público team to work free of harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 9, Ojo Público, a Lima-based news website, reported that government prosecutors are seeking an order to…
‘A high-profile action’: Lawyer Douglas Jacobson on what U.S. export restrictions could mean for Israel’s NSO Group
On November 3, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it had imposed export controls on the Israeli NSO Group, saying the company “developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used these tools to maliciously target” journalists and others. The move represented a relatively new use for the Entity List for Malicious Cyber Activities, a…
Mexican journalist Alfredo Cardoso Echevarría abducted and killed in Acapulco
Mexico City, November 5, 2021 – Mexican authorities must immediately investigate the killing of journalist Alfredo Cardoso Echevarría and determine whether he was targeted because of his work as a journalist, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Cardoso, founder and editor of online news magazine Las Dos Costas, was abducted on October 28 from…
Bolivian journalists abducted, assaulted by armed men while covering land dispute
Bogotá, November 4, 2021 – Bolivian authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the abduction and assault of six journalists by a group of armed men and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 28, seven reporters, photographers, and camera operators for several Bolivian media outlets…
US blacklisting of NSO Group a welcome first step to curb spyware abuse
Washington, D.C., November 3, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the U.S. Department of Commerce’s addition of the Israel-based technology company NSO Group to the Entity List for Malicious Cyber Activities today. “CPJ welcomes the Department of Commerce’s decision to impose export controls on NSO Group for developing and supplying Pegasus spyware to…
Mexican journalist Fredy López shot and killed in San Cristobal de las Casas
Mexico City, November 3, 2021 – Mexican authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of reporter Fredy Fernando López Arévalo, determine whether he was targeted for his work, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 8 p.m. on October 28, an unidentified man…