Spanish judge demands journalist Ignacio Escolar reveal his sources in a leak investigation
Berlin, October 26, 2021 — Spanish authorities must drop their demand for journalist Ignacio Escolar to reveal his news site’s sources in a leak investigation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 5, 2021, the first instance investigative criminal court No. 29 of Madrid, presided by investigating judge María Cristina Díaz, gave Ignacio…
RFE/RL’s staff receive death threats ahead of Uzbekistan presidential election
New York, October 21, 2021 – Authorities in Uzbekistan should swiftly investigate threats received by employees of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and ensure that they can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 16, anonymous users of the Telegram messaging app sent dozens of death threats to…
Belarus police raid Novy Chas newspaper, interrogate at least 2 journalists
Vilnius, Lithuania, October 21, 2021 — Belarusian authorities should stop harassing independent journalists and refrain from charging or imprisoning members of the press over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, police in Minsk raided the office of the independent weekly online newspaper Novy Chas and the home of at least one…
CPJ testifies at Helsinki Commission about press freedom threats in OSCE region
Freedom of the press is under severe threat across the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) region and the OSCE’s 57 participating states must do more to protect the safety of journalists, CPJ Deputy Executive Director Rob Mahoney told a United States Congress commission today. Appearing virtually at a hearing held by the…
Kazakh outlet HOLA News reports website blocks after Pandora Papers coverage
Stockholm, October 20, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today about apparent blocking of Kazakh independent news website HOLA News after reporting on the Pandora Papers offshore leaks. The website was widely inaccessible for 10 days after they published the coverage, and only became functional again after it was removed. A statement…
A step closer to justice for disappeared journalist Maksim Maksimov
London, October 20, 2021 — After years of waiting, this week, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Russian authorities failed to conduct an effective investigation into the disappearance and alleged murder of investigative journalist Maksim Maksimov in 2004. “Seventeen years after Maksim Maksimov disappeared, this judgment is a step forward towards justice…
Turkey’s government sends a bleak message on press freedom
CPJ’s recent press freedom mission in Turkey got off to a disappointing start. International organizations led by the International Press Institute, and including Reporters Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa, a think tank focused on seven European countries, gathered in Ankara and Istanbul to discuss our concerns about possible updates to…
Remembering Daphne
International civil society coalition marks fourth anniversary of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia with renewed call for justice 16 October 2021 Today marks four years since the brutal murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bomb attack in Malta that shook the world. Our thoughts are with Caruana Galizia’s family, friends,…
Statement of the joint press freedom mission to Malta
October 15, 2021 On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, our five organizations have undertaken a joint press freedom mission to Malta, in follow-up to our initial joint mission at the one-year mark in 2018. We have come together once again to mark the occasion and remember…
Russia labels Bellingcat, other independent outlets and journalists as ‘foreign agents’
Vilnius, Lithuania, October 12, 2021 – Russian authorities should stop labeling journalists and media outlets as “foreign agents” and should allow the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 8, following the announcement that Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Russian Ministry of…