Cyberattackers used US company RayoByte in efforts to crash media sites
The cyberattack against the Somali Journalists Syndicate could not have come at a worse time. A distributed denial-of-service attack, known by its acronym DDoS, flooded the local press freedom group’s website with traffic in early August and knocked it offline. Days later, authorities arrested SJS staff member and Kaab TV editor Mohamed Ibrahim Osman Bulbul…
Reporters in Haiti flee gang violence surge in capital’s Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood
Miami, September 6, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday expressed grave concern that the rapidly deteriorating situation in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince could put journalists at greater risk than other civilians if they are singled out for their work documenting the situation on the ground. CPJ has learned that at least five reporters have fled…
Haitian radio journalist’s home destroyed in arson attack
Miami, August 31, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the August 23 arson attack on the home of radio reporter Arnold Junior Pierre and calls on Haitian authorities to restore order to the country so journalists can do their jobs without fear of retaliation. On August 23, unidentified armed individuals set fire to Pierre’s home…
Paraguay authorities order 2 outlets to disclose authors of anonymous articles
São Paulo, August 28, 2023—The Paraguayan attorney general’s office should immediately retract letters sent to privately owned newspapers ABC Color and Última Hora demanding the outlets disclose the names of journalists who wrote stories about alleged money laundering, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On August 23, ABC Color and Última Hora received the official letters…
Peru’s Manuel Calloquispe faces threats and assaults to expose environmental damage from illegal Amazon mining
Manuel Calloquispe has had to face an angry mob laying siege to his house. He’s been called a traitor. He’s been punched and kicked by miners and had his equipment stolen. He once had to duck for cover when someone threw a machete at him. The reason: His decade reporting on the environmental havoc caused…
CPJ joins call for investigation into police treatment of Brazilian journalist Danielle Zampollo
CPJ has joined three press freedom groups in calling for the São Paulo state government to investigate the case of an unidentified police officer who harassed and pointed a rifle at TV Globo reporter Danielle Zampollo while she was covering an August 3 police operation in the Prainha community in the city of Guarujá, about 52 miles (84 kms) from São Paulo. Zampollo was in Prainha following…
Defiant Marion County Record hits newsstands following police raid
MARION, Kansas, August 17, 2023—At midday Wednesday, television crews were setting up for live broadcasts outside the Marion County Record; phones were ringing off the hook; and the paper’s owner, Eric Meyer was on a carousel of interviews about the police raid on their offices five days earlier. In the back room, surrounded by old…
CPJ condemns 8-year sentence for Nicaraguan journalist Victor Ticay
Guatemala City, August 17, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday condemned the eight-year prison sentence issued to Nicaraguan journalist Victor Ticay and called for his immediate release from prison. “Nicaraguan authorities’ sentencing of journalist Victor Ticay to eight years in prison is another example of the government’s complete lack of tolerance for…
Haitian radio commentator Brown Larose shot in Port-au-Prince
New York, August 16, 2023—Haitian authorities must investigate the recent shooting of radio commentator Brown Larose and take steps to ensure that journalists can work freely in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. At about 6:30 p.m. on August 11, an unidentified man wearing a police uniform shot Larose six times outside…
Guatemalan journalists Edin Alonso and Hugo Gutiérrez shot and killed
Guatemala City, August 15, 2023 — Guatemalan authorities must thoroughly investigate the killings of journalists Edin Alonso and Hugo Gutiérrez, determine if they were targeted for their work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On August 11, unidentified attackers shot and killed both journalists while they were riding…