Turkish parliament to vote on criminalizing the spread of ‘false information’
Istanbul, October 5, 2022—The Turkish parliament should not approve the draft bill on misinformation that would criminalize spreading “false information,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Turkey’s parliament, known as the Grand National Assembly, started discussing the draft bill on Tuesday evening and is set to finish voting this week, according to multiple news…
Rwandan court acquits, releases 3 Iwacu TV journalists
Nairobi, October 5, 2022—In response to the acquittal and release on Wednesday of three journalists for YouTube-based Iwacu TV who have been detained in Rwanda since October 2018, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement expressing relief: “We are greatly relieved that the court has recognized the charges against Damascene Mutuyimana, Shadrack Niyonsenga,…
At least 2 Mexican journalists targeted by Pegasus spyware since López Obrador took office
Mexico City, October 3, 2022 – In response to a joint report published Sunday that found Pegasus spyware infected the devices of two Mexican journalists and a human rights defender between 2019 and 2021, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “This new report definitively shows that Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador…
CPJ Insider: October 2022 edition
Mass protests and arrests in Iran: a Q&A with Yeganeh Rezaian, CPJ’s Senior Researcher When mass protests erupted in Iran more than two weeks ago, the government cracked down hard. As clashes between security forces and demonstrators left many dead and disruptions to internet service made information hard to obtain, CPJ learned that security forces…
Khashoggi’s legacy will forever haunt his killers, says CPJ’s Sherif Mansour
Washington, D.C., September 30, 2022 — The four years that have passed since Washington Post columnist and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered underscores the global failure to punish the killers of journalists around the world, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. “Jamal Khashoggi will forever be a symbol of what it…
Names of journalists arrested in Iran’s anti-state protests
When mass protests swept Iran following the death in morality-police custody of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, CPJ began documenting the names of journalists arrested during the uprising. The crackdown led to Iran’s designation as the world’s worst jailer of journalists in CPJ’s 2022 prison census. The list published here includes names based on information…
Iran protests: At least 28 journalists arrested amid nationwide anti-government protests
As of Thursday, CPJ has documented the arrests of at least 28 journalists in Iran during nationwide protests over the September 16 death in custody of 22-year old Mahsa Amini. Earlier in the week, CPJ called on Iranian authorities to end their crackdown on journalists and release all those arrested for covering the protests. CPJ…
Mexican journalist Roberto Flores missing in Comitán
Mexico City, September 29, 2022 – Mexican authorities must immediately undertake a credible and exhaustive investigation into the disappearance of journalist Roberto Flores, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Flores, the founder and editor of Chiapas Denuncia YA, a Facebook page with 66,000 followers that publishes citizens’ reports about crime, security, and alleged government…
CPJ’s Yeganeh Rezaian on mass protests and journalist arrests in Iran
When mass protests erupted in Iran more than a week ago, the government cracked down hard. While clashes between security forces and demonstrators left many dead and disruptions to internet service made information hard to obtain, CPJ learned that security forces had arrested at least 28 journalists as of September 29. (Click here for CPJ’s…
Proposed Ugandan legislation seeks to criminalize ‘misuse of social media’
Nairobi, September 28, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday called on Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni not to sign into law a bill that would undermine press freedom by criminalizing speech sent via computer on a broadly defined and vaguely worded range of grounds. On September 8, Uganda’s Parliament passed the Computer Misuse…