Kurdish Iraqi security forces arrest journalist Guhdar Zebari at his home in Akre
New York, October 27, 2020 — Iraqi Kurdish authorities should immediately release journalist Guhdar Zebari, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 22, Kurdish security forces raided the house of Zebari, a reporter and editor for the news website Wllat News, in the northern Kurdish city of Akre, arrested him and took him…
Head of USAGM removes firewall regulation aimed to protect editorial independence
Washington, D.C., October 27, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a move by the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media to eliminate a regulation designed to protect editorial independence for the agency’s networks, including Voice of America. USAGM CEO Michael Pack said in a statement late yesterday that the regulation would be…
Media luminaries join the Committee To Protect Journalists annual awards to celebrate press freedom amid global turmoil
Actor Meryl Streep to honor lawyer Amal Clooney with CPJ’s Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award Award ceremony to be broadcast online on NBC, CBS and ABC November 19 at 8 p.m. EST. New York, Oct 27, 2020— In celebration of the resiliency of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists will honor four journalists from…
Russian journalist Irina Slavina dies of self-immolation after harassment by authorities
New York, October 26, 2020 – Russian federal authorities should investigate the circumstances of the death of journalist Irina Slavina, who died of self-immolation in early October after a campaign of legal harassment by authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 2, 2020, Slavina, founder and chief editor of independent news website Koza.Press,…
Kazakh police assault, injure journalist Saniya Toiken covering protests in Nur-Sultan
New York, October 26, 2020 – Kazakh authorities should immediately and thoroughly investigate the assault on journalist Saniya Toiken, punish the perpetrators, and ensure that members of the press can work safely in Kazakhstan. On October 24, Kazakh police officers assaulted Toiken, correspondent for Radio Azattyq, the Kazakh service of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio…
Colombia to file criminal charges against journalist Diana Díaz for revealing censorship at public media network
The Colombian Attorney General’s office announced on October 19, 2020, that it will file criminal charges against Diana Díaz, a former public TV station manager, for leaking to the Bogotá-based Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) a recording of a conversation in which her supervisor suggested canceling a program because its host had criticized a proposed…
Conspiracy theories grow in the U.S., creating threats to journalist safety
On the eve of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, conspiracy theories have abounded online amid the global pandemic and a polarized political climate. Journalists covering nearly every beat grapple with misinformation, which is false but may be spread by mistake, as well as disinformation, when falsehoods are shared intentionally. QAnon has emerged as one…
Al-Manassa editor Nora Younis on censorship in Egypt
This summer, Egyptian authorities raided Al-Manassa for the first time since the independent news website was established in 2016. News reports describe at least six police officers storming the outlet’s only office in Cairo, confiscating a laptop, and arresting Nora Younis, the editor-in-chief. The following day, the public prosecutor’s office charged her with multiple unfounded…
Violence hits journalists covering Nigeria protests
In Nigeria, local media say journalists are experiencing violence during demonstrations against police brutality. CPJ calls on Nigerian authorities to ensure that the press is able to do its work freely and safely. In 2019 and 2020, at least two Nigerian journalists–Precious Owolabi and Alex Ogbu–were killed during protests, according to CPJ research. The press…
Daily Sangram reporter arrested in Bangladesh sedition case
New York, October 22, 2020— Bangladeshi authorities should immediately release reporter Ruhul Amin Gazi and let him work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday evening, police officers in the Hatirjheel neighborhood of Dhaka, the capital, arrested Gazi, a reporter with the Daily Sangram newspaper, according to news reports. The arrest came after…