Journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva harassed by Russian authorities in Ukraine’s Crimea
New York, May 9, 2023—Authorities in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea must stop intimidating journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva and let members of the press work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, May 6, an officer with Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs in the city of Dzhankoi, in northern Crimea, came to Zudiyeva’s home…
Venezuelan prosecutor accuses investigative Armando.Info of corruption
Bogotá, May 9, 2024—Venezuelan authorities should retract their allegations of attempted bribery against the investigative news website Armando.Info and stop harassing its journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. During a televised news conference on Tuesday, Attorney General Tarek William Saab, an ally of authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro, claimed that Armando.Info was part of a “media structure” that…
Turkish court sentences 5 journalists from shuttered newspaper to prison
Istanbul, May 9, 2024 — After an Istanbul court on Thursday sentenced five journalists for “aiding a terrorist organization without being a member” in connection to their work at the shuttered pro-Kurdish daily Özgürlükçü Demokrasi (Liberal Democracy), the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Turkish authorities to not fight their appeals and end the judicial…
In Serbia, a ‘witch-hunt’ for journalists who don’t toe government line
“A real epidemic of attacks.” That’s the way Serbian journalist, advocate, and professor Dinko Gruhonjić characterized the state of press freedom in his country in a recent op-ed for the media-focused news site Cenzolovka. Gruhonjić faced severe online harassment after a doctored video in which he appears to praise a war criminal was circulated online…
Journalist Idrissa Soumana Maïga detained for ‘undermining national defense’ in Niger
Dakar, May 7, 2024 — Nigerien authorities must immediately release Idrissa Soumana Maïga, editor of the privately owned newspaper L’Enquêteur, and allow him to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. An investigative judge at the court in Niamey, the capital, charged Maïga with “undermining national defense” and ordered his transfer to Niamey…
SABC editor-in-chief called for security vetting and polygraph before South Africa election
Lusaka, May 6, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday expressed alarm that South Africa’s spy agency wants to subject Moshoeshoe Monare, the editor-in-chief of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), to additional security vetting and an invasive lie-detector test ahead of the country’s crucial May 29 general election. A senior official at…
Why impact of Israel-Gaza war has become harder to document
Israel’s surprise attack on Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza on March 18, and the two weeks of fighting that followed, resulted in hundreds of deaths and a trail of destruction. It also left a morass of contradictory information about exactly who was killed there, who was arrested, and who went missing. As the Israel-Gaza war…
Private media outlet Class Media Group firebombed in Ghana
Abuja, May 6, 2024—Authorities in Ghana should swiftly and comprehensively conclude their investigation of the April 25 firebomb attack on Class Media Group’s office, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that journalists at the media outlet can work safely, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday. On April 25, four unidentified men on…
Ethiopian journalist Muhiyadin Mohamed Abdullahi sentenced to 2 years in prison
Nairobi, May 3, 2024— The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ethiopian authorities not to contest the appeal of journalist Muhiyadin Mohamed Abdullahi’s conviction on hate speech and false news charges. On Thursday, May 2, Muhiyadin—who has been detained since his February 13 arrest—was sentenced to two years in prison by the Fafen Zone High Court in Jigjiga,…
Appeals court upholds 25-month sentences for 2 Turkish documentary filmmakers
Istanbul, May 3, 2024—Turkish authorities should stop fighting the appeals of documentary filmmakers Ertuğrul Mavioğlu and Çayan Demirel and allow all journalists to work freely without fear of retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On April 26 in the southeastern city of Batman, an appeals court upheld a 25-month sentence for Mavioğlu and…