Iraqi Kurdish authorities question Assyrian National Broadcasting manager, shutter outlet
In October 2020, a captain with the Iraqi Kurdish Asayish security forces ordered the closure of the Erbil office of Assyrian National Broadcasting (ANB), according to a statement by the Assyrian Policy Institute, a local rights group, and ANB’s Erbil office manager, William Bnyameen Adam Khlapieel, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. ANB, a…
Kyrgyz journalist Kanat Kanimetov questioned, family harassed by authorities
Stockholm, May 3, 2021 — Kyrgyz authorities should cease their harassment of journalist Kanat Kanimetov and allow him to work freely and without fear, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 11, officers of the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security (GKNB) summoned Kanimetov, a reporter and presenter with the independent television broadcaster Aprel, to their headquarters…
‘Trauma makes its way back to you’: Four US journalists on covering mass shootings
In the photograph published in The Washington Post, a woman kneels on the ground, her hands in her lap, her body bathed in red neon light. She is mourning outside of the Aromatherapy Spa in Atlanta, Georgia, one scene of a mass shooting in March 2021 that killed eight people. Behind every photograph and news report of a…
From Syria to Spain: The story of Madrid’s first refugee-led news site
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, which came out of a conference attended by independent journalists and was supported by a dozen international organizations. Two years after that gathering in Namibia, the United Nations declared May 3 World Press Freedom Day. As UNESCO notes, “The ideas exchanged by African journalists and media…
Journalists struggle to work amid extended internet shutdowns in Myanmar, Ethiopia, Kashmir
By CPJ Africa and Asia Program Staff Even a brief shutdown of the internet impedes the press from doing its job. But some disruptions last for months, severely undermining safety and access to information, CPJ has found. Recently, authorities have imposed such measures in Myanmar and Ethiopia amid serious crises. India leads the world in internet…
Somali security forces detain and assault journalists and raid media outlet
April 29, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed alarm at recent actions by Somali security forces who detained and beat journalists and raided a private news outlet, and called on regional and federal authorities to ensure that members of the media can do their jobs without fearing for their safety. Over the last…
Kazakh journalist Aigul Utepova convicted of participating in banned political groups
Stockholm, April 29, 2021 – Kazakh authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Aigul Utepova and should allow her to report and comment on the news without restriction, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, the Saryarkinskiy District Court in the capital, Nur-Sultan, convicted Utepova of participating in two banned political groups, sentenced…
New Uzbekistan laws ban using internet to ‘disrespect’ the government, organize protests
Stockholm, April 28, 2021 – Uzbek authorities should repeal recent legal amendments that deepen restrictions on online speech, and should ensure that journalists are free to report and comment on issues of public importance without fear of prosecution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 31, new amendments to the country’s criminal code,…
Police summon Daily Nigerian publisher Jaafar Jaafar following governor’s threat
On April 15, 2021, five armed police officers arrived at the office of the privately owned Daily Nigerian news website in the Wuye district of Abuja, the capital, in search of publisher Jaafar Jaafar, according to a report by the outlet and its associate editor, Ibrahim Ramalan, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app. Jafaar…
CPJ joins letter urging NSO to act on commitments to curb spyware abuse
The Committee to Protect Journalists and eight other civil society groups today co-signed an open letter asking the Israel-based NSO Group company to deliver on its commitments to improve transparency about sales of its advanced spyware, and due diligence to protect human rights. Research by CPJ and other organizations indicates that the company’s Pegasus product…