Turkish authorities arrest journalist Sinan Aygül for refusing to pay fine
Istanbul, September 13, 2022—Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist Sinan Aygül and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Aygül, chief editor of the privately owned local news website Bitlis News and chair of the Bitlis Journalists Society, a local trade group, was arrested by police in the eastern city…
People’s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists pronounces judgment in The Hague
The Hague, September 13, 2022 – In an unprecedented effort to achieve justice for the killing of journalists, three leading press freedom groups launched a People’s Tribunal in November 2021 to hold governments accountable. After three case hearings in Mexico City and the Hague, the independent Panel of Judges will pronounce its judgment on 19…
Sierra Leonean authorities fine, suspend licenses of Star broadcasters
Abuja, September 13, 2022—Authorities in Sierra Leone should ensure that Star television and radio stations can broadcast news without undue interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. In mid-August, Sierra Leone’s broadcast media regulator, National Telecommunications Commission, suspended the licenses of privately owned broadcasters Star Radio and Star TV for over two weeks and…
Russian journalist Badma Byurchiyev assaulted in Elista
Paris, September 13, 2022 — Russian authorities should swiftly investigate the assault on Badma Byurchiyev, determine whether it was linked to his journalistic activity, and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Thursday, September 8, unidentified people attacked Byurchiyev, a news reporter with independent news website Kavkazsky Uzel (Caucasian…
Azerbaijani journalist Avaz Zeynalli, lawyer Elchin Sadygov remanded for 4 months on bribery charges
New York, September 12, 2022 – Azerbaijani authorities should release journalist Avaz Zeynalli and lawyer Elchin Sadygov and drop the charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Saturday, September 10, uniformed officers who identified themselves as part of the prosecutor general’s office arrested Zeynalli, owner and chief editor of the independent…
Dutch intelligence revealed to have surveilled investigative reporter Stella Braam for decades
Berlin, September 12, 2022—Dutch intelligence services should conduct a swift and transparent investigation into the surveillance of investigative reporter Stella Braam, destroy any data collected on her and her sources, and ensure that she will not be targeted in the future, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On August 28, Braam, a reporter with…
Spain is set to reform ‘gag law,’ but press freedom groups are skeptical
In May, Diego Díaz Alonso, editor of Spanish non-profit news outlet Nortes, was surprised to receive a 601 euro (US$611) fine in the mail. The letter claimed that Díaz Alonso had resisted police and obstructed emergency services as they were treating a homeless person lying unconscious in the street in Gijón, in northern Spain, the previous summer….
Police charge local official with murder of Las Vegas investigative journalist Jeff German
On the morning of Saturday, September 3, Jeff German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper who covered organized crime and political corruption, was found dead outside his home in Las Vegas with multiple stab wounds. On Wednesday, September 7, police arrested Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles on suspicion of murder and later charged him with…
Indian tax authorities ‘survey’ media funding organization IPSMF
On the afternoon of September 7, 2022, officials with India’s Income Tax Department conducted a “survey” of the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation, a philanthropic organization that provides financial support to independent digital news outlets in the country, at the foundation’s office in Bengaluru, the capital of the southern state of Karnataka, according to multiple…
Greek prosecutors summon journalist Petros Kousoulos in leak probe
Berlin, September 8, 2022—Greek prosecutors should immediately cease harassing journalist Petros Kousoulos, and ensure that leak investigations do not force journalists to disclose their anonymous sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On August 30, prosecutors with the Greek Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Petros Kousoulos, a reporter and publisher of the…