As police investigate fresh attack amid Charlie Hebdo trial, French media unify around free expression
The knifings of two employees of a French TV production company outside the former Charlie Hebdo office on Friday, which occurred as a high-profile trial on the 2015 attacks on the newspaper was underway, was a stark reminder that threats to journalists have not disappeared in the five years since the deadly assault. The megatrial had started on September…
CPJ condemns knife attack near former Charlie Hebdo office in Paris
Berlin, September 25, 2020 – At least two people were injured in Paris today in a knife attack near the former offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, amid the ongoing trial of the suspected facilitators of the 2015 attack on the paper that killed 12 people—including eight journalists—according to media reports. “CPJ is deeply…
CPJ joins call for California attorney general to investigate technology used in Belarus censorship
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined free expression and digital rights groups on September 23 in calling on Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general, to investigate technology sales by Sandvine Inc. after the company acknowledged that its products were being used to block news and other websites amid anti-government protests in Belarus. The call, co-signed by…
Ukrainian journalists threatened with gun, police in Kyiv refuse to intervene
New York, September 23, 2020 – Kyiv police should thoroughly investigate a gun threat against cameraman Yegor Serdiuk and reporter Anastasiya Bereziy and determine why police officers at the scene failed to protect the reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the early hours of September 21, a man pointed a gun at…
Bulgarian reporter Martin Georgiev summoned for questioning over request for comment on police brutality
Berlin, September 22, 2020 – Bulgarian authorities must make good faith efforts to work with the press, and should refrain from taking actions that could intimidate reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 14, police in Sofia, the capital, summoned Martin Georgiev, a crime reporter at the local daily Sega, for questioning…
Belarus authorities continue to arrest, detain journalists amid protests
Vilnius, Lithuania, September 21, 2020 — Belarusian authorities should release all reporters detained covering recent protests, and allow them to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 16, the Frunze District Court in Minsk, the capital, tried and convicted two journalists who had covered the protests in the country calling…
Verdict due in Montenegro retrial of journalist Jovo Martinović
Berlin, September 21, 2020 — Montenegro authorities should drop all criminal charges against journalist Jovo Martinović, and ensure that the press can work freely without fear of retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 15, the High Court of Podgorica concluded the retrial of Martinović, an investigative freelance journalist who covers organized…
Turkey threatens to seize assets of exiled journalist Can Dündar
Istanbul, September 17, 2020 – An Istanbul court today announced that Can Dündar, an exiled Turkish journalist living in Germany, would be declared a fugitive and his assets would be seized unless he returns to the country within 15 days, according to news reports. “Journalist Can Dündar has already paid a high price for his…
Crimean Tatar civic journalists risk persecution to cover their community in Russian-annexed Crimea
After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, some Crimean Tatars–the indigenous population of the Crimean peninsula–had to flee for the Kyiv-controlled part of Ukraine. But most have chosen to remain. As the Russian-appointed new authorities established blanket censorship, squeezing out independent media outlets, a new phenomenon emerged–civic journalism. Members of the Crimean Tatar community–who had not…
CPJ reminds EU that ‘e-evidence’ rules should protect journalists
CPJ today prompted the European Parliament to safeguard press freedom and human rights in a proposed regulation known as the ‘e-evidence’ proposal, co-signing a letter with European Digital Rights and other digital and media organizations. CPJ has expressed concern about the lack of safeguards in the proposed Regulation on European Production and Preservation Orders, which…