Inter-American Commission on Human Rights orders Colombia to protect journalist Ricardo Calderón
New York, January 20, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed the decision by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to grant precautionary measures to Colombian investigative journalist Ricardo Calderón Villegas, and called on Colombian authorities to take immediate action to ensure his safety. Yesterday, the commission made public a resolution, dated January…
Egyptian journalists Hamdi al-Zaeem and Ahmed Khalifa detained on false news and terrorism charges
New York, January 19, 2021 – Egyptian authorities should immediately release journalists Hamdi al-Zaeem and Ahmed Khalifa and drop all charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 4, authorities arrested al-Zaeem, a freelance photojournalist and documentary film producer, after raiding his home in Cairo, according to news reports and the…
Deportation for Iranian journalist Mohammad Mosaed ‘not on the table’ in Turkey, official says
Washington, D.C., January 19, 2021 — Iranian journalist Mohamed Mosaed has requested asylum in Turkey, his lawyer Canan Pehlivan told the Committee Protect Journalist today. CPJ is calling on Turkish authorities to conduct an expedited review of his request, as Mosaed faces imprisonment in Iran in reprisal for his journalism. Pehlivan told CPJ that Mosaed…
Portuguese police surveilled, interrogated journalists in leak investigation
Berlin, January 19, 2021 — Portuguese authorities must thoroughly investigate alleged police surveillance of journalists, and ensure that members of the press are not targeted in government leak investigations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. From April to June 2018, as part of a bribery investigation into executives of a local soccer team, the…
Ahead of US presidential inauguration, CPJ publishes safety advisory
CPJ issued an extensive safety advisory for covering the U.S. presidential inauguration and its lead-up, following the violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol last week. CPJ recommends that journalists be prepared for potential hostility and violence from militia groups, protesters, and the police. CPJ called for accountability for attacks on the media during the Capitol…
Internet access cut, social media banned during Uganda elections
Nairobi, January 14, 2021 – Ugandan authorities should immediately cease all efforts to disrupt internet access in the country and allow the press to cover the country’s elections freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the Uganda Communications Commission, the country’s broadcasting and telecommunication regulator, ordered telecommunications providers to suspend internet services in…
Turkish police raid Etkin News Agency, arrest reporter Pınar Gayıp
Istanbul, January 14, 2021 – Turkish authorities must release journalist Pınar Gayıp immediately and return all items confiscated in a recent raid on the Etkin News Agency, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Last night, police raided the Istanbul office of the Etkin News Agency, a news outlet supportive of the Socialist Party of…
Russian regulator announces fines for RFE/RL outlets under expanded ‘foreign agent’ law
New York, January 14, 2021 – Russian authorities should repeal the country’s foreign agents law to ensure that local and foreign news outlets can work freely, and in the meantime refrain from fining media organizations over alleged violations of the law, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 12, Roskomnadzor, the country’s media…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering the build-up to the U.S. presidential inauguration
Tensions remain high in the U.S. in the build-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021. Following the violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 6, which resulted in the death of five individuals and numerous media workers being threatened and attacked, as documented by CPJ, the Federal Bureau…
Investigative outlet Repórter Brasil targeted with cyberattacks, threats, attempted break-in
Rio de Janeiro, January 13, 2021 — Brazilian authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigate threats to Repórter Brasil, and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. From January 6 to 12, unidentified internet users orchestrated a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the website of Repórter Brasil, an investigative reporting and…