Togolese authorities release journalist Apollinaire Mewenemesse with conditions
Dakar, April 10, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of journalist and La Dépêche publishing director Apollinaire Mewenemesse and calls for Togolese authorities to lift the conditions placed on his freedom, drop all charges against him, and cease criminalizing journalism. On April 9, a court in Lomé, Togo’s capital city, released…
CPJ welcomes South Africa’s abolition of criminal defamation, calls for further legal reforms
Lusaka, April 10, 2024–The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing into law a bill that abolishes criminal defamation, and urged authorities to reform other problematic laws that threaten press freedom. On April 3, Ramaphosa signed the Judicial Matters Amendment Act (2023), which includes a provision repealing “the common…
Russia adds exiled journalist Mikhail Zygar to its wanted list
New York, April 9, 2024—Russian authorities must drop all charges against Russian journalist and writer Mikhail Zygar and stop harassing exiled members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. “The shameful addition of Mikhail Zygar to Russian authorities’ wanted list shows both their determination to intimidate journalists in exile and their fear…
CPJ, 27 others urge Bahraini leaders to release journalist Abduljalil Alsingace
On April 3, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined 27 press freedom and human rights organizations in urging Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the king of Bahrain, and Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the crown prince and prime minister, to immediately release journalist Abduljalil Alsingace and ensure he receives urgent medical care. The statement was…
Israel-Gaza War
Israel is engaging in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists that CPJ has ever documented. Palestinian journalists are being threatened, directly targeted, and murdered by Israeli forces, and are arbitrarily detained and tortured in retaliation for their work. Israel has systematically destroyed media infrastructure in Gaza, and tightened censorship throughout…
Gaza journalist Diaa Al-Kahlout describes 33 harrowing days in Israeli custody
Diaa Al-Kahlout, the veteran Gaza bureau chief for the Qatari-funded London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, had been covering the Israel-Gaza war for two months when he became part of the news. On December 7, Al-Kahlout was detained along with members of his family by Israeli forces in a mass arrest in Beit Lahya in northern Gaza….
Peruvian authorities target journalist Gustavo Gorriti in bribery probe
Bogotá, April 2, 2024 – Peruvian authorities must drop their investigation of journalist Gustavo Gorriti and respect the right of reporters to maintain confidential sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On March 27, Alcides Chinchay, a public prosecutor in the capital city of Lima, opened a preliminary investigation into Gorriti, the editor-in-chief of…
CPJ Insider: April edition
CPJ staff recognize imprisoned journalist Evan Gershkovich It has been a year since Russia detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich during a reporting trip and falsely accused him of espionage. CPJ staff gathered in recognition of his imprisonment to renew calls for his immediate release as he faces up to 20 years in a…
Togo journalist Apollinaire Mewenemesse detained for defamation
Dakar, April 1, 2024—Togolese authorities must release journalist Apollinaire Mewenemesse, drop all legal proceedings against him, and reform the country’s laws to prevent journalists from being arrested for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. An investigating judge charged Mewenemesse, publishing director of the privately owned weekly newspaper La Dépêche, with numerous defamation,…
Rare rebuke for Chinese police who harassed state journalists covering gas explosion
Police blocked and harassed reporters from the state-owned broadcaster CCTV at the site of a fatal gas explosion in Sanhe, a city in China’s northern Hebei province, on March 13, 2024, according to news reports. The explosion was triggered by a gas leak at a restaurant, which killed seven and injured 27. During a live…