New Azerbaijan media law increases restrictions on the press
Stockholm, February 10, 2022 – Azerbaijan authorities should repeal a newly enacted media law that increases state control of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, February 8, President Ilham Aliyev enacted the law “On Media,” which replaces existing laws governing media outlets, according to news reports and a copy of…
Members of Turkish regulator say DW, VOA, Euronews face website blocks over licensing decision
Istanbul, February 9, 2022 – Turkish authorities must allow all news outlets to work freely, and should not use licensing regulations to harass or censor international outlets, the Committee to Protect Journalist said Wednesday. On Wednesday, February 9, two members of the Radio and Television Supreme Council, the government telecommunications regulator known as RTÜK, announced…
India state assembly elections 2022: Journalist safety guide
PDF: English,ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, हिन्दी India is scheduled to hold legislative assembly elections in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Manipur in February and March 2022. Media workers covering any of these elections should be aware of the potential risk of physical attack, intimidation, and harassment; online bullying; arrest and detention; and government restrictions…
Dozens of El Salvador journalists targeted with Pegasus spyware
In one of the most widespread known uses of Pegasus spyware to surveil journalists in the world, a forensic analysis of dozens of phones in El Salvador found that devices belonging to 35 people, mostly members of the press, were infected with between July 2020 and November 2021. “Suspecting you’ve been targeted isn’t the same…
Bangladeshi journalist Golam Sarwar attacked, harassed following 2020 abduction
On October 29, 2020, Golam Sarwar, the then publisher and executive editor of the privately owned news website ctnewsbd.com, was abducted in Kazir Dewri, a neighborhood in the southeastern Bangladeshi city of Chittagong, according to multiple news reports and Sarwar, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app. An unidentified man approached the journalist from behind,…
News crews harassed, reporter arrested during South Africa’s municipal elections
On October 21, 2021, in the lead up to South Africa’s municipal elections on November 1, supporters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) held a news team from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) against their will for two hours demanding coverage from the public broadcaster. On election day, SABC reported another crew was…
Number of journalists behind bars reaches global high
Editor’s note: Numbers for each prison census are adjusted yearly as CPJ learns of arrests, releases, or deaths in prison. The numbers for CPJ’s 2021 census have been revised from 293 to 302 in accordance with this policy. For the most recent data, see cpj.org/data/imprisoned/ The number of journalists jailed around the world set another record…
Hungary’s Klubrádió owner András Arató on how the station is responding to the loss of its broadcast license
After more than 10 years providing a key platform for reporters and listeners to voice criticism of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán via FM radio, the Budapest-based Klubrádió station is now operating entirely online after authorities blocked its broadcasting license. The move was the culmination of a long campaign to force the station off air,…
Ukrainian state bank personnel seize journalists’ equipment, delete footage
Vilnius, Lithuania, October 5, 2021 — Ukrainian authorities should conduct a thorough investigation into an assault on two journalists working for investigative project Skhemy and ensure that all journalists can operate in a safe environment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, security personnel of state-owned bank Ukreksimbank forcibly seized recording equipment from journalists of…