Hungary’s Russian-style national sovereignty bill threatens independent media
Berlin, December 15, 2023—Hungary’s president should decline to approve a law creating a Sovereignty Protection Authority, which local media outlets have warned could be used to stifle independent journalism supported by overseas donors, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Tuesday, December 12, Hungary’s parliament passed a bill to establish a government authority with…
CPJ calls for a thorough investigation into killing of Mozambican journalist João Chamusse
New York, December 14, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for authorities in Mozambique to thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist João Chamusse outside his home his home in KaTembe, in the province of Maputo, on Thursday. “CPJ is deeply disturbed by the killing of prominent Mozambican journalist João Chamusse, and we extend our condolences…
CPJ urges South Korea to stop intimidation of Newstapa after raid on editor’s home
New York, December 8, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on South Korean authorities to cease harassing journalists at the investigative outlet Newstapa after a December 6 raid on the residence of its editor-in-chief Kim Yong Jin over a 2022 report that officials claimed defamed President Yoon Suk Yeol. Newstapa’s office in the capital, Seoul,…
CPJ calls for accountability in Israeli strike on journalists
Reports released today by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse (AFP) into the October 13 strike on journalists in southern Lebanon found that the attack, which killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six others, was likely a deliberate assault by the Israel Defense Forces on civilians, which would constitute a war…
CPJ welcomes new vice board chair and 4 prominent newsroom leaders to its board of directors
New York, December 7, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced on Thursday its new vice chair of the board, Lydia Polgreen, opinion columnist for The New York Times, and the addition of four leading journalists to its board of directors: Roula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times; Alan Murray, chief executive officer of Fortune…
Azerbaijani journalist Rufat Muradli sentenced to 30 days in jail
Stockholm, December 4, 2023—Azerbaijani authorities must release journalist Rufat Muradli and end their crackdown on the independent press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Saturday, police in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, arrested Muradli, a presenter for the popular online broadcaster Kanal 13, on charges of minor hooliganism and disobeying police orders. Later the same…
In 10 days, 8 Mexican journalists abducted or shot at in 4 separate incidents
Mexico City, December 4, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a spate of violent abductions and attacks on eight journalists in Mexico and calls on authorities to immediately, credibly, and transparently investigate whether the attacks were related to the reporters’ work and bring the culprits to justice. On November 22, Silvia…
CPJ alarmed by disappearance of Yemeni journalist Naseh Shaker
New York, December 1, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by the disappearance of Yemeni journalist Naseh Shaker and calls on the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the de facto authority in southern Yemen, to disclose his whereabouts. Shaker was last heard from on November 19, when he spoke to his mother at around…
Four Azerbaijani journalists arrested in two weeks
In the last two weeks, four journalists associated with critical news platforms have been arrested in Azerbaijan. Aziz Orujov, director of the popular television channel Kanal 13, is the latest to be detained amid rising tensions around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. A Baku court ordered Orujov — who was previously jailed in…
Azerbaijani journalist Aziz Orujov detained for 3 months, office and home searched
Stockholm, November 29, 2023—Azerbaijani authorities should release Aziz Orujov, director of the popular television channel Kanal 13, from detention on charges of illegal construction, and cease their legal harassment of independent media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. The Sabail District Court in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, on Tuesday ordered that Orujov be held in…