Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan granted bail, then re-arrested under preventative detention law
New Delhi, April 11, 2022 – Authorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir must immediately and unconditionally release Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan and cease detaining journalists for their work and subjecting them to legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Sunday, April 10, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir re-arrested Sultan, a journalist with…
Malawi journalist Gregory Gondwe detained, questioned about sources for article on alleged corruption
Lusaka, April 8, 2022 – Malawian authorities should cease harassing journalist Gregory Gondwe, drop any attempt to force him to disclose his sources, and reform the country’s laws so they are not used to censor the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On March 30, the privately owned news website Platform for Investigative…
Romanian investigative journalist Emilia Șercan targeted by smear campaign
Berlin, April 8, 2022 — Romanian authorities must conduct an independent investigation into the harassment and smear campaign against investigative journalist Emilia Șercan, investigate her claims that state officials participated in the campaign, and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since January 18, when Șercan published an article alleging…
How Venezuela’s government uses private internet providers to restrict access to the news
After seven years of painstakingly building up its audience, Crónica Uno, one of the only high-quality news websites that caters to poor and working-class Venezuelans, was recording up to 15,000 unique page views per day. But after private internet service providers (ISPs) teamed up with Venezuela’s authoritarian government in February to block Crónica Uno and…
Two more journalist deaths in Ukraine
Seven journalists have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. Most recently, Lithuanian documentarian Mantas Kvedaravičius was killed “with a camera in his hand” trying to leave Mariupol on April 2, and police disclosed that Ukrainian journalist Maks Levin, who had been missing since mid-March, was found dead on April…
New El Salvador law threatens up to 15 years in prison for reporting on gangs
New York, April 7, 2022 – El Salvador lawmakers should repeal new legislation that criminalizes reporting on gangs, and should allow the press to cover issues of public interest freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “As journalists and press freedom organizations have feared, Salvadoran authorities are using the country’s state of emergency as…
CPJ condemns decision to move Jamal Khashoggi murder trial from Turkey to Saudi Arabia
New York, April 7, 2022 – In response to a decision by Turkish authorities on Thursday, April 7, to transfer the trial of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The Turkish government’s trial of Jamal Khashoggi’s suspected killers was politicized…
Russian prosecutor requests harsh sentences for editors of student-run magazine DOXA
Paris, April 6, 2022 — Russian authorities should immediately drop all charges against four former editors of the student-run magazine DOXA and stop listing journalists from independent media outlets as foreign agents, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On April 1, at a hearing at Dorogomilovsky district court in the capital Moscow, the state…
Guatemalan journalist Juan Luis Font leaves the country after former official accuses him of ‘unlawful association’
Guatemala City, April 6, 2022 — Guatemalan authorities should immediately dismiss criminal proceedings against journalist Juan Luis Font, allow him to work freely without fear of reprisal, and stop using lawsuits to harass members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. In late March 2022, the country’s former communications minister Alejandro Sinibaldi…
At least 2 Jordanian journalists targeted by Pegasus spyware
Beirut, April 6, 2022 – Jordanian authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into allegations that two journalists were targeted with Pegasus spyware, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Throughout 2021, Suhair Jaradat, a freelance columnist for media outlets including the London-based Arabic news website Today’s Opinion, was repeatedly targeted by the spyware,…