Mexican president pledges to prioritize journalist safety and combat impunity
Mexico City, May 4, 2017– Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto today pledged to prioritize combating impunity in the murders of journalists for the remainder of his term, which ends next year. He said the safety and protection of journalists would also be a priority.
China’s latest internet controls to stifle free expression
Washington, D.C., May 3, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns China’s move on Tuesday to impose yet more stringent controls on the media and free expression by requiring strict licensing requirements for virtually all forms of news distribution.
Thailand bans foreign correspondents club event, citing ‘national security’
Bangkok, May 3, 2017–Thailand’s ruling military junta banned a panel discussion event scheduled for today by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand, marking the latest act of harassment against the club under military rule.
Two media workers detained in Venezuela
Bogotá, Colombia, May 2, 2017–Venezuelan authorities should immediately release Marcos Vergara and Deivis Valera, production assistants for the online media platform VivoPlay, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The two were taken into the custody of the Venezuelan National Guard while covering a protest last night, according to their lawyer.
Bahraini journalists harassed, banned from travel
New York, May 1, 2017–Bahraini prosecutors and security officials should cease harassing journalists and should lift travel bans imposed on two reporters in the past week, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Prosecutors summoned three journalists for questioning in the week before the U.N. Human Rights Commission conducted its Universal Periodic Review of the…
Azerbaijan government seeks order to permanently block news websites
New York, April 28, 2017–The Azerbaijani government should immediately stop trying to permanently block access to five independent media outlets’ websites and should instead lift a decree that has rendered them currently inaccessible, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A district court in the capital Baku yesterday began hearing a government lawsuit that seeks…
At least two journalists injured as protesters storm Macedonian parliament
Brussels, April 28, 2017–Macedonian police and prosecutors should swiftly bring to justice those responsible for injuring at least two journalists and assaulting at least four others in last night’s storming of the parliament building, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Nationalist demonstrators, many of them wearing masks and hoods, last night stormed the building…
Iran frees Issa Saharkhiz then sentences him to one year in jail
New York, April 28, 2017–Iranian authorities should immediately drop all charges against freelance journalist Issa Saharkhiz, who was sentenced yesterday to one year in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The sentence was handed down the day after Saharkhiz was released from jail on a separate charge, according to the journalist’s son and…