Proposed Venezuelan foreign funding law could have ‘huge impact’ on independent outlets
When Ewald Scharfenberg launched the investigative news website Armando.Info in 2014, about half of his start-up funds came from Venezuelan donors, subscribers, and advertisers, while overseas foundations provided the rest. But amid the worst economic crisis in Venezuela’s history, local income has disappeared, forcing Scharfenberg to rely almost entirely on international donations to keep Armando.Info…
Report: Chilean army allegedly monitored investigative journalists
Miami, April 15, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today over the findings of an April 9 report by the Chilean nonprofit news site Center for Investigative Journalism (CIPER) that Chile’s army appears to have allegedly monitored journalists covering corruption and human rights abuses. CIPER’s report is related to the ongoing September 2019 investigation by the…
Some much-needed good news: Journalists released in Turkey and Egypt after years behind bars
Some long-overdue good news. After several painful years behind bars, three journalists imprisoned in Turkey and Egypt are finally free and reunited with their families. On Wednesday, it was announced that Egyptian journalists Solafa Magdy and Hossam el-Sayyad were released, after having been imprisoned since November 2019. Separately, in Turkey, prominent journalist Ahmet Altan was…
Russian law enforcement raid student magazine DOXA, place 4 editors under home detention
New York, April 15, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately drop all charges against DOXA editors Armen Aramyan, Natalia Tyshkevich, Vladimir Metelkin, and Alla Gutnikova, and allow them to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, law enforcement officers in Moscow raided the office of the independent student-run magazine DOXA…
Palestinian journalist Muath Hamed questioned in Spain by alleged Israeli intelligence agent
New York, April 15, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over an account by Palestinian journalist Muath Hamed that he was summoned by Spanish authorities under false pretenses and questioned about his journalistic activity by someone he believes to be an Israeli intelligence operative. In early February, officers with Spain’s Civil…
Mexico elections 2021: Journalist safety kit
Mexico will hold the largest elections in its history on June 6, 2021. Candidates will run for, among other offices, the federal Chamber of Deputies, governorships in 15 states, and mayor in hundreds of municipalities. Journalists and media workers covering the elections anywhere in Mexico should be aware of a number of risks, including physical…
Cameroonian journalist Emmanuel Mbombog Mbog Matip detained since August 2020
New York, April 14, 2021 — Cameroonian authorities should immediately release journalist Emmanuel Mbombog Mbog Matip and all other members of the press imprisoned for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 17, 2020, six armed men in plainclothes arrested Mbombog Mbog Matip, director of the privately owned CliMat Social newspaper…
CPJ welcomes release of Turkish journalist Ahmet Altan
Istanbul, April 14, 2021 — Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals today overturned the convictions of journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak, who were found guilty of “aiding a terrorist organization” and sentenced to 10 and a half years and eight years and nine months, respectively, in a 2019 retrial, according to reports and CPJ research. Both journalists had been freed…
Vietnam detains journalist Nguyen Hoai Nam for alleged anti-state crimes
Bangkok, April 14, 2021 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately release journalist Nguyen Hoai Nam, drop any pending charges against him, and stop jailing journalists on trumped-up anti-state allegations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 3, authorities in Ho Chi Minh City detained Nam, an independent journalist who publishes commentary and reporting on…
Masked men ransack Epoch Times printer in Hong Kong
Taipei, April 13, 2021 — The Hong Kong police should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the attack on the printing facility of The Epoch Times and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 4:30 a.m. yesterday, four masked men broke into the newspaper’s printing facility in the Tsuen Wan…