CPJ calls on Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, to release critically ill imprisoned journalist Thomas Awah Junior, the Northwest correspondent for privately owned Afrik 2 Radio in Yaoundé and publisher of the monthly Aghem Messenger magazine, on humanitarian grounds.
CPJ calls on Chancellor Angela Merkel to use Germany’s position on the U.N. Security Council to prioritize press freedom and the safety of journalists. The country should extend its legacy of speaking up when journalists are under attack.
CPJ calls on U.N. Secretary General António Guterres to request that the United Nations launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
CPJ writes to the leaders of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, requesting that they ensure the Trump administration conducts a quick and thorough investigation into Jamal Khashoggi’s killing, as required by the Magnitsky Act, and that they consider holding independent hearings on Saudi Arabia.
The CPJ expresses concern about the Digital Security Act that was passed on September 18 by the Parliament of Bangladesh, and urges President Abdul Hamid to return it to Parliament for review. CPJ is concerned that the legislation, if allowed to become law, would violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press, and would create extensive legal dangers for journalists in the normal course of carrying out their professional activities.
CPJ is deeply concerned about the imminent gap in financing that threatens the operation of the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, and urges the Mexican federal government to take immediate action to guarantee continued and sufficient funding. The institution provides protective measures to over 700 journalists and human rights defenders.
CPJ writes to EU’s Mogherini to request assistance with the protection of scores of journalists who remain in southern Syria at grave risk. The more than 60 journalists are in danger of arrest and torture because of their work.
CPJ expresses concern that recent events in Pakistan signal that the media is not free to report on the upcoming elections, and urges the government to take necessary measures to guarantee journalists’ ability to work without fear of intimidation or reprisal.