CPJ joins call for Nicaragua government to stop restricting press freedom
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined three other human rights organizations in a joint statement commemorating Nicaragua’s national Day of the Journalist and calling on authorities to end the widespread harassment of members of the press, and ensure media outlets and press freedom organizations can work safely. In the statement, CPJ joined three regional…
CPJ calls on US and allies to sanction Saudi crown prince in wake of Khashoggi report
New York, February 25, 2021 – In response to today’s release of a declassified U.S. intelligence report alleging that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Committee to Protect Journalists released the following statement: “By releasing this intelligence report, President Joe Biden’s administration has reinforced what we…
L’Alternative newspaper suspended, director harassed in Togo
New York, February 26, 2021 — Togolese authorities should immediately reverse the suspension of the L’Alternative newspaper and ensure journalists in the country can work free of harassment and intimidation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 5, the Broadcast and Communications High Authority (HAAC), Togo’s media regulator, suspended the privately owned L’Alternative…
How U.S. copyright law is used to censor journalism globally
In a case with disturbing implications for press freedom globally, CPJ’s Senior Africa Researcher Jonathan Rozen’s latest investigation found that web hosting services received emails falsely claiming to be from journalists citing U.S. copyright law, in what appeared to be a move to force news websites to remove a report on Kenya’s gambling industry. The…
Northern Ireland police investigating graffiti threats to reporter Patricia Devlin
On February 12, 2021, graffiti painted by unidentified people appeared at three locations in Belfast, Northern Ireland, featuring a gun crosshair and the name of Patricia Devlin, a reporter for the Irish newspaper Sunday World, according to a report by her employer and Devlin, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. Police have opened an…
Demonstrators attack 2 RFE/RL journalists at political protest in Armenia
New York, February 25, 2021 – Armenian authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the attack on journalists Artak Khulyan and Karen Chilingaryan, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 23, in Yerevan, the capital, a group of about 20 protesters harassed and assaulted Khulyan, a reporter with…
CPJ welcomes sentencing and new indictments in killing of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
New York, February 25, 2021 – In response to the sentencing of one of the suspects in Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s 2017 murder, as well as new indictments for additional suspects, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We welcome the first sentencing in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s case as a long-awaited…
CPJ condemns Egyptian authorities’ judicial harassment of Sherif Mansour, family
New York, February 25, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists today issued the following statement in solidarity with Sherif Mansour, the Washington-based head of CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program, his family, and all those defending human rights and press freedom in Egypt: “Egypt, an ally of the United States, portrays itself as a democracy,…
Journalists harassed, threatened with death over Ghana election coverage
At least five Ghanaian journalists were separately harassed or threatened with death over their coverage of the country’s December 7, 2020, general elections, according to news reports and journalists who spoke with CPJ by phone and messaging app. In mid-December 2020, following the elections, Kevin Taylor, the founder of the Loud Silence TV YouTube channel,…
Physical and Digital Safety: Arrest and detention
Covering certain stories–such as human rights abuses, corruption, or civil unrest–can place you at a higher risk of arrest and detention, particularly in countries with authoritarian regimes or with a heavy militarized and police presence. When confronted by the authorities it is generally prudent to comply with their commands, even if they are not lawful,…