Turkish journalist Rojhat Doğru sentenced to life in prison
Istanbul, January 10, 2022 – Turkish authorities should not contest journalist Rojhat Doğru’s appeal, and should cease sentencing members of the press to lengthy jail terms for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 6, the Eighth Diyarbakır Court of Serious Crimes sentenced Doğru, a Turkey-based camera operator who covered conflict…
‘All-out assault’ on Hong Kong’s press continues ahead of Beijing Olympics
As China prepares to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Chinese authorities continue to imprison journalists without consequence and crack down on the independent press in Hong Kong. Last month, Hong Kong authorities filed new charges against media entrepreneur and CPJ 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Awardee Jimmy Lai, along with six former staff…
As Armenia legislates libel and insult, journalists worry ‘selective justice’ will be used against the press
When Armenia’s government took office after the 2018 Velvet Revolution, it seemed to usher in a new era of press freedom for the former Soviet Republic. But local journalists fear those days could be over as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government implements new legal amendments on insult and defamation. Under the amendments to the country’s…
Yemeni journalist Hala Fuad Badhawi detained in Hadramout
New York, January 5, 2022 – Authorities in Hadramout, Yemen, should immediately and unconditionally release freelance journalist Hala Fuad Badhawi, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 30, 2021, military intelligence forces in Hadramout province detained Badhawi in the provincial capital, Mokalla, according to reports by the privately owned Yemeni newspapers Al-Masdar and…
Islamabad High Court to indict three Pakistani journalists for criminal contempt
Washington, D.C., January 5, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed grave concern over the Islamabad High Court’s decision to indict Pakistani journalists Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Aamir Ghauri, and Ansar Abbasi, calling it a dangerous attack on press freedom and freedom of expression. On December 28, 2021, the Islamabad High Court decided to indict…
How social media regulation could affect the press
The United Kingdom moved a step closer to regulating social media in December when a parliamentary committee recommended major changes to the country’s Online Safety Bill so as to hold internet service providers responsible for material published on their platforms. “We need to call time on the Wild West online,” said committee chair Damian Collins….
Marcela Turati on the chilling implications of Mexico’s probe into her reporting
For more than a decade, Marcela Turati has painstakingly documented disappearances and mass graves in Mexico, cementing her reputation as one of the country’s foremost investigative reporters. But even with her knowledge of human rights abuses and corruption, she was shocked to learn that she has been under investigation by Mexican federal authorities for years….
Algerian journalist Merzoug Touati sentenced to 1 year in prison
New York, January 4, 2022 – Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Merzoug Touati and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 28, 2021, police arrested Touati, editor of the independent news website Al-Hogra, after he appeared at a police station in the northern city of…
Turkish court issues suspended prison terms to 5 over reporting on leaked emails
Istanbul, January 4, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a Turkish court’s recent sentencing of four journalists and one media worker to suspended prison terms relating to the 2016 coverage of the president’s son-in-law’s leaked emails. On December 31, 2021, the 29th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes convicted the five of “illegally…
Hong Kong authorities file new charges against Jimmy Lai and six other Apple Daily executives in fresh media crackdown
Taipei, December 29, 2021 – Hong Kong authorities must immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Jimmy Lai, founder of the Next Digital Limited media company and the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, as well as six former Next Digital and Apple Daily staff, and release them immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On…