Rudaw reporter Barzan Ferman detained in northern Syria
Washington, D.C., August 3, 2022 – Authorities in northern Syria should immediately release journalist Barzan Ferman and reverse their suspension of the Rudaw Media Network’s license, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. At about noon on Tuesday, August 2, forces affiliated with the Democratic Union Party, the political party in power in the Autonomous Administration…
CPJ Insider: August 2022 edition
CPJ continues to demand Biden administration hold those responsible for journalist killings to account President Biden’s recent Middle East trip was a key opportunity for his administration to support the cause of press freedom. Before and during the trip, CPJ repeatedly urged the administration not to normalize journalist killings and to demand accountability for the…
Journalists face growing hostility as Ethiopia’s civil war persists
Ethiopia’s 21-month-old civil war is accelerating the deterioration of press freedom in the Horn of Africa nation. The conflict between the federal government and the rebel forces led by the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) has prompted a media crackdown that extinguished the glimmer of hope sparked by the initial reforms of Prime Minister Abiy…
Yemeni journalist Tawfiq al-Mansouri health critical in Houthi detention
New York, August 1, 2022 – Members of Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement should release journalist Tawfiq al-Mansouri immediately and ensure he receives proper medical treatment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Forces affiliated with the Ansar Allah movement, known as the Houthis, detained al-Mansouri, a graphic designer for the Al-Masdar newspaper and other outlets,…
Myanmar journalist Maung Maung Myo sentenced to 6 years in prison
Bangkok, August 1, 2022 – Myanmar authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Maung Maung Myo and stop imprisoning members of the press on spurious charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Friday, July 29, a court in the city of Hpa-an, in Kayin state, sentenced Maung Myo, a reporter for the independent Mekong News Agency, to six years in prison on…
Ivory Coast journalist Noël Konan jailed overnight, fined over a tweet
On July 18, 2022, a court in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, convicted investigative reporter Noël Kouadio Konan of defamation under Article 89 of the country’s press law and fined him three million CFA francs (US$4,600) over a June 29 tweet, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging…
Honduran journalist Sonia Pérez criminally charged over reporting on Indigenous evictions
Guatemala City, July 29, 2022 — Honduran authorities should immediately drop all criminal charges against journalist Sonia Pérez López and stop using the country’s legal system to silence the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On May 22, Juan Argueta, a landowner in the municipality of San Jose, filed a criminal complaint against…
Shireen Abu Akleh’s family, CPJ, U.S. lawmakers call on Biden administration to investigate journalist’s killing
On Thursday, CPJ joined the family of slain Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and U.S. lawmakers for a press conference to call for an independent, U.S.-led investigation into her killing. Also this week, CPJ called on U.S. officials to act after Blinken met with Abu Akleh’s family. “Today, we remind President Biden of his…
CPJ calls for Ukraine to revise draft media law
Paris, July 28, 2022 – Ukrainian legislators should revise a draft media law that threatens to restrict press freedom in the country and would move it away from European Union standards, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 1, Olga Gerasimyuk, the head of Ukraine’s National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting, the…
Adani Group files criminal defamation suit against freelance Indian journalist Ravi Nair
New Delhi, July 28, 2022 – Indian authorities should not pursue criminal defamation charges against journalist Ravi Nair, and should ensure he can work free from legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 26, police in New Delhi ordered Nair to appear in a court in Gandhinagar, the capital of the…