In 2020, then-United Nations special rapporteur for freedom of opinion and expression David Kaye pressed Israeli firm NSO Group in a public letter for details about its human rights due diligence and assertions that Saudi Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi had not been targeted with its Pegasus spyware before his brutal 2018 murder. The group…
New York, July 29, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the closure by the Palestinian police of the office of the J-Media Network news agency in Ramallah and called on Palestinian authorities to allow J-Media staff to return to the office and report the news freely and without fear of reprisal. On…
The Committee to Protect Journalists this week joined more than 150 human rights groups and independent experts in calling on states to implement an immediate moratorium on the sale, transfer, and use of surveillance technology following revelations that NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware has been used to spy on journalists around the world. The Pegasus Project,…
Will Cathcart is the chief executive of WhatsApp, the downloadable messaging app used by millions around the world as a primary means of communication. WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption, meaning messages shared via the platform are, under normal circumstances, highly secure—a feature that has made it attractive for journalists, human rights defenders, and other vulnerable users,…
New York, July 19, 2021 – In response to reports that at least 180 journalists were identified by investigative reporters as possible targets of Pegasus spyware, produced by the Israeli company NSO Group, the Committee to Protect Journalists reaffirmed its call for immediate action by governments and companies around the world to stem abuse of…
New York, June 30, 2021 – Authorities in the West Bank should conduct a thorough investigation into security forces’ recent attacks on members of the press covering protests, and ensure that those responsible are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 26 and 27, security forces affiliated with the Palestinian…
New York, June 22, 2021 – Israeli authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the bombing of journalist Hassan Shelan’s home and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 11 p.m. on June 17, a bomb exploded on the second floor of Shelan’s home in the…
“Many countries are using these technologies to put people in jail,” Israeli lawyer Eitay Mack told CPJ in a recent video interview. He was describing advanced surveillance capabilities, such as those that CPJ has documented being used to target journalists like Omar Radi and Maati Monjib, who were both jailed in Morocco in 2020. Israeli companies like NSO Group and Cellebrite market equipment to…
New York, June 15, 2021 – Israeli authorities should conduct a swift and transparent investigation into the shooting attack on journalist Nidal Ikhbaria’s home, and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 9, unidentified people in the Arab-majority Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm fired more than 50 bullets…
CPJ expresss grave concern about Israeli forces’ bombings of at least four buildings in Gaza housing the offices of no less than 18 international and local media outlets, and the Israeli airstrike that killed Palestinian journalist Yousef Abu Hussein.