‘An accumulation of lies’: Right-wing group La Resistencia stokes anti-press fervor in Peru
In Peru, ultra right-wing group La Resistencia has picketed the homes and offices of prominent journalists, politicians, and human rights activists, disrupted book events and news conferences, and hurled death threats and antisemitic slurs against one of the country’s most prominent investigative journalism outlets, IDL-Reporteros, and its chief editor Gustavo Gorriti. In a new feature,…
Mexican journalist Nelson Matus Peña killed in Acapulco
Mexico City, July 20, 2023—Mexican authorities must investigate the killing of journalist Nelson Matus Peña, determine whether he was targeted for his work, and bring his killers to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 15, several unidentified attackers shot and killed Matus, founder and editor of Lo Real de Guerrero, in…
Belarus detains journalist Ihar Karnei on undisclosed charges, bans Polish journalist Justyna Prus
New York, July 20, 2023—Belarusian authorities should immediately disclose the reason for the recent detention of journalist Ihar Karnei, reverse their decision to ban Polish journalist Justyna Prus, and let the media work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, July 17, authorities in Minsk searched the home of Karnei, a former…
Uganda’s anti-homosexuality law poses free speech fears for journalists
Kuchu Times was founded eight years ago to give voice to Uganda’s LGBTQ+ community. Now, a new anti-homosexuality law is threatening this mission at a time when LGBTQ+ Ugandans are facing beatings and evictions. “People will tell us their stories and ask us not to put them out there, not until it is safer,” Kuchu…
In Georgia, poetry, a prison visit, and a pardon for Nika Gvaramia
On the road to Rustavi Prison #12, where the only journalist jailed in Georgia is still serving out his 3.5-year sentence, Sofia Liluashvili is speaking to me about poetry. Liluashvili is the wife of Georgian journalist Nika Gvaramia, who spent more than a year behind bars before a pardon by President Salome Zurabishvili led to…
Burkina Faso suspends third French media outlet in under 8 months
Dakar, July 17, 2023—Burkinabè authorities should immediately reverse the suspension of French television news channel La Chaîne Info (LCI) and stop censoring local and foreign media coverage of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso and the Sahel region, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On June 23, Burkina Faso’s media regulator, the Superior Council…
NGOs call for protection of journalists in Cameroon ahead of country’s UN human rights review
New York, July 17, 2023—Cameroonian journalists are facing lethal threats and false legal charges as they pursue reporting in the midst of Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict, according to a new report on press freedom and freedom of expression submitted to the United Nations by Freedom House, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and the American Bar…
‘An accumulation of lies’: Right-wing group La Resistencia stokes anti-press fervor in Peru
Journalist Gustavo Gorriti remembers the days — just a few years ago — when people on the streets of Lima approached him to congratulate him for exposing corrupt government officials, drug trafficking mafias, and human rights abusers. A few even asked him to pose for selfies. These days, though, motorists shout insults at him from…
CPJ urges Bangladesh to stop using Digital Security Act to harass Adhora Yeasmean and other journalists
New York, July 13, 2023—Bangladesh authorities must immediately drop their investigation into journalist Adhora Yeasmean and stop using the Digital Security Act to intimidate journalists in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On May 13, the Chittagong Cyber Tribunal, which adjudicates alleged cybercrime offenses in southeast Bangladesh, registered a complaint under…
CPJ welcomes acquittal of Montenegro investigative journalist Jovo Martinović
Berlin, July 13, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists said it welcomed the Montenegro Supreme Court’s Wednesday decision to uphold a verdict in January to acquit journalist Jovo Martinović on drug trafficking charges. “This decision finally puts an end to the eight-year legal saga involving prominent investigative journalist Jovo Martinović, who was twice wrongly…