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,…
Attacks on the Press in 2020
Attacks on the Press in 2020 Introduction Imprisonments Killings Explore 2020 Attacks on the Press Introduction Imprisonments Killings Explore Twitter Facebook Slider Amid a global pandemic and widespread political upheaval, a record number of journalists were imprisoned worldwide in 2020, and the number singled out for murder in reprisal for their work more than doubled…
How U.S. copyright law and fake Gmail accounts were used to censor a report on gambling in Kenya
On February 4, Emmanuel Dogbevi turned to Twitter with a plea for help. He tagged press freedom groups and colleagues in a series of tweets, lamenting how allegations that he violated U.S. copyright law had prompted his news website to be taken offline. Dogbevi told CPJ via phone that Ghana Business News, the Ghana-based website he edits,…
Vietnamese reporter Phan Bui Bao Thy detained over critical Facebook posts
Bangkok, February 18, 2021 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Phan Bui Bao Thy and stop jailing reporters for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 10, police in Vietnam’s central Quang Tri province arrested Thy, bureau chief of the state-run Giao Duc Va Thoi Dai (Age and Education) news…
Iranian journalist Nooshin Jafari begins 4-year jail term on propaganda and insult charges
New York, February 18, 2021 – Iranian authorities should immediately release Nooshin Jafari and stop imprisoning members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 16, police arrested Jafari at her home in Tehran and took her to the city’s Qarchak Prison to begin serving a four-year sentence,…
‘Not at the finish line’: Slovak editor Peter Bárdy on ending impunity for Ján Kuciak’s murder
Last month brought mixed news in the quest for justice for 27-year-old Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak, who was murdered with his fiancée Martina Kušnírová in their home outside Bratislava on February 21, 2018. The alleged mastermind, businessman Marián Kočner, is behind bars for forgery; on January 12 an appeals court upheld a lower court ruling sentencing Kočner to…