Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Hamdi detained after publishing video on Arab Spring anniversary
New York, January 26, 2021 — Egyptian authorities must immediately release cartoonist Ashraf Hamdi and drop any charges filed against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the early hours yesterday, state security forces arrested Hamdi, owner and founder of cartoon blog Egyptoon, at his home in Giza, according to news reports and…
Russian police detain, beat, and harass dozens of journalists covering pro-Navalny protests
New York, January 26, 2021 – Russian authorities should allow journalists to cover protests freely and without fear, and refrain from attacking or detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 23, police in at least 20 cities throughout Russia detained, beat, and otherwise interfered with the work of…
Trump lit the fuse, but anti-media sentiment among his supporters may outlast him
Joe Biden’s subdued — if heavily guarded — inauguration at the U.S. Capitol was a marked contrast to the events there two weeks prior, when journalists were assaulted, harassed, and had their equipment destroyed by protesters who sought to overturn the election in favor of Donald Trump. Yet with Trump now out of the White House —…
Arrest warrant issued for Indian journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta in defamation case
New Delhi, January 22, 2021 – Authorities in the Indian state of Gujarat should drop their arrest warrant for journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, and the Adani Group conglomerate should stop trying to intimidate journalists with legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The Adani Group initiated criminal and civil defamation suits in 2017…
Indian authorities in Manipur investigate editors for sedition, conspiracy, terrorism
New Delhi, January 22, 2021 – Authorities in the Indian state of Manipur should drop their investigations into The Frontier Manipur and its editors, Sadokpam Dhiren and Paojel Chaoba, and allow them to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 17, police in Imphal, the Manipur state capital, summoned and detained…
Ten years after Arab Spring, journalism more dangerous and deadly in region
Ten years after the Arab Spring, journalists in the Middle East and North Africa confront grave threats while trying to report the news. The historic upheaval has had profound and wide-ranging consequences for press freedom, as authorities and non-state actors use both novel and traditional means to suppress reporting and target individual journalists—including imprisonment, online…
Russian authorities warn journalists, social media platforms, and news outlets ahead of pro-Navalny protests
New York, January 21, 2021 – Russian authorities should cease intimidating and harassing journalists covering protests in the country, and allow members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since yesterday, police and the country’s media regulator have issued warnings to at least four journalists, as well as to…
Comorian journalists detained, accused of participating in protests
New York, January 21, 2020 – Comorian authorities should immediately cease their legal harassment of journalists Oubeidillah Mchangama and Ali Abdou Mkouboi, and permit them and FBCK FM to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 7, members of the Comorian gendarmerie arrested Mchangama, a reporter with the Facebook-based news outlet…
Ten years after the Arab Spring, the region’s media faces grave threats. Here are the top press freedom trends
In early February 2011, Alaa Abdelfattah was in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, documenting and participating in the nascent pro-democracy uprising that would topple the government and transform the country and the region. Today, he is in prison on anti-state and false news charges, which his family believes are partly retaliatory for his work. Abdelfattah is one of…
Ugandan networks block The Elephant news website before election
Several Ugandan internet networks blocked Kenya-based news website The Elephant in mid-December 2020, according to the site’s publisher, John Githongo, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app in January 2021, and a report by Qurium, a non-profit foundation registered in Sweden that provides hosting services for the website. Githongo told CPJ on January 19 that…