Israel eased export controls on surveillance technologies amid criticism
August 22, 2019 4:53 PM ET
New York, August 22, 2019--Israeli officials confirmed that, under a rule change by the Defense Ministry, Israeli surveillance companies are able to obtain exemptions on marketing license for the sale of some products to certain countries, Reuters reported today. It is not clear which companies, and which products, were...
Cuba sentences journalist Roberto Quiñones to one-year prison term
August 8, 2019 4:38 PM ET
Miami, August 8, 2019--A municipal court of the Cuban city of Guantánamo yesterday sentenced Roberto Jesús Quiñones, a contributor to the news website CubaNet, to one year in prison on charges of “resistance” and “disobedience,” according to advocacy group Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and of the Press...
Turkish court orders service providers to block access to news sites
August 6, 2019 4:05 PM ET
Istanbul, August 6, 2019--An Ankara court on July 16 ordered Turkish internet service providers to block access in Turkey to 136 web addresses, independent news website Bianet reported today. The blocked addresses include the websites of news outlets Bianet, ETHA news agency, Halkın Sesi TV, Özgür Gelecek, osp.org, geziyisavunuyoruz.org,...
Tanzania switches track, charges Kabendera with economic crimes
August 5, 2019 1:22 PM ET
Nairobi, August 05, 2019—Prosecutors in Tanzania today charged freelance journalist Erick Kabendera with money laundering, tax evasion, and assisting an organized crime racket, according to a copy of the charge sheet. When he was detained on July 29, the Dar es Salaam police chief said at a press conference...
Mauritania finally frees blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed
July 30, 2019 11:22 AM ET
Washington D.C., July 30, 2019--The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed relief that Mauritanian blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed is free and safely out of the country. Mohamed was released yesterday and left Mauritania, according to news reports, citing his lawyer and official government news sources....
Kyrgyz court upholds life sentence for Azimjon Askarov
July 30, 2019 10:35 AM ET
Washington, D.C., July 30, 2019 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed deep disappointment and concern over today's court decision in Kyrgyzstan to uphold the life sentence of journalist and human rights defender Azimjon Askarov....
Unidentified men take Erick Kabendera from Tanzanian home
July 29, 2019 5:51 PM ET
Nairobi, July 29, 2019-- The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned for the safety of investigative reporter Erick Kabendera who was forcefully removed from his home today, and called on Tanzanian police to disclose whether they have him in custody....
Brazilian President Bolsonaro says Glenn Greenwald may 'do jail time'
July 29, 2019 12:55 PM ET
Miami, July 29, 2019 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's remarks that Glenn Greenwald, the co-founder and editor of The Intercept Brasil, could "do jail time" and suggesting that he had married a Brazilian citizen to avoid deportation, as reported by local outlets...
Kazakhstan government-backed security certificate raises censorship, surveillance concerns
July 22, 2019 3:35 PM ET
New York, July 22, 2019 -- Telecommunications providers in Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan, have requested internet users to install a security certificate issued by government authorities onto their personal devices, which could compromise their digital security, according to a report by the BBC and Adil Nurmakov, a political scientist and...