‘Network abuse’: Attacks on 3 media sites involved services of US, UK firms
Cyberattackers used services of technology companies based in the U.S. and U.K. to target media sites from Somalia, Kosovo, and Turkmenistan, Qurium, a nonprofit hosting the sites, said Tuesday. Earlier this month, CPJ reported on how cyberattackers used a Nebraska company, RayoByte, in attempts to knock those same media sites offline, as well as at…
Turkish courts keep 2 reporters in pretrial detention, grant bail to bodyguards charged with attack on a journalist
Istanbul, September 15, 2023—Turkish authorities should not continue imprisoning journalists for their reporting while granting bail to those charged with assaulting them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Thursday, September 14, the 2nd Tatvan Court of Penal Peace granted bail to Yücel Baysali and Engin Kaplan, two bodyguards of the mayor of the…
Apple warns Latvia-based journalists about possible hacker attacks
New York, September 15, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday issued an urgent call for authorities to investigate allegations that journalists working in Latvia were targeted by state-sponsored hackers. CPJ’s call follows reports on Thursday—a day after the disclosure that the phone of exiled Russian journalist Galina Timchenko had been infected by Pegasus spyware—that…
Pegasus spyware found on exiled Russian journalist’s phone
An investigation revealed that the phone of Galina Timchenko, an exiled Russian journalist who heads independent news website Meduza, was infected by NSO Group’s Pegasus surveillance spyware while she was in Germany earlier this year. The infection took place shortly after Russia designated Meduza as an “undesirable” organization – a measure that banned the outlet from operating on Russian territory.
Iran’s journalists in dire straits one year after protest crackdown
When Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, died in custody last September after morality police detained her for alleged “improper” wearing of her headscarf, Iran’s already embattled press corps paid a heavy price for reporting on her death and the nationwide protests that followed. Scores of journalists were among those arrested as Iranian authorities cracked…
CPJ joins call for Malta to publish expert report on media
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined four other press freedom groups on Thursday in calling on Malta’s government to publish without delay an expert report aimed at improving the difficult environment for the media following the assassination of leading investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and to consult widely on any proposed legislation. The Committee of…
Russian journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev sentenced to 17 years on terrorism charges
New York, September 12, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Tuesday 17-year sentence issued to Russian journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, the religion editor of independent outlet Chernovik. “CPJ is appalled by the 17-year prison sentence for Russian journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, who has already spent four years in jail on trumped-up charges in retaliation for his…
India blocks journalists’ tweets about violence against Muslims
Three Indian journalists, who spoke to CPJ, said that X, formerly Twitter, blocked their posts about violence against Muslims in response to opaque legal demands from the government in August. Since August 8, the X account of independent journalist Ahmed Khabeer has been blocked in India, he told CPJ by phone. Khabeer published the email…
Hold The Line Coalition welcomes acquittal of Maria Ressa and Rappler, calls for dropping of remaining cases
September 12, 2023, Manila—The Hold the Line Coalition (HTL) welcomes Tuesday’s Regional Trial Court verdict acquitting Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and her news outlet Rappler on the final criminal tax charge leveled against them by the regime of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The judgment comes after a legal battle lasting nearly five years. If they…
DRC journalist Stanis Bujakera arrested over report on ex-minister’s murder
Kinshasa, September 11, 2023—Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, return his devices, and stop arresting journalists in connection with their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Friday, September 8, around 10:30 p.m., two Congolese national police officers arrested Bujakera, a reporter for…