Iraqi Kurdish police arrest journalist Sherwan Amin Sherwani
New York, October 8, 2020 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities should disclose any charges against journalist Sherwan Amin Sherwani or release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, a group of 10 police officers raided Sherwani’s home in Sebiran, a village on the outskirts of the Iraqi Kurdish city of Erbil, and arrested…
CPJ condemns Montenegro High Court conviction of investigative journalist Jovo Martinović
New York, October 8, 2020–Montenegro’s High Court in the capital, Podgorica, today found investigative journalist Jovo Martinović guilty in a retrial and sentenced him to one year in prison for drug trafficking, according to news reports; the court acquitted him of charges of criminal organization. Martinović, an investigative freelance journalist who covers organized crime, already…
Germany revisits influential internet law as amendment raises privacy implications
On October 1, a new law to regulate content posted on social media platforms took effect in Turkey, The Guardian reported. Turkish journalists already face censorship and arrest because of social media posts, CPJ has found, and the law offers just one more tool to censor news. Yet the legislation was not solely conceived in Ankara; it follows the example of one…
Journalist Pham Doan Trang arrested on anti-state charges in Vietnam
Bangkok, October 7, 2020 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Pham Doan Trang and drop anti-state charges against her, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Trang, a prominent journalist who contributes regularly to several independent news sites, was arrested just before midnight yesterday in Ho Chi Minh City, according to news reports….
Uttar Pradesh police arrest journalist on his way to cover Hathras gang rape case
New Delhi, October 6, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to immediately release journalist Siddique Kappan and drop any investigation into him. Kappan was arrested yesterday while traveling from the capital Delhi to Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh to report on a…
Israeli security forces arrest Palestinian journalist Tareq Abu Zeid in Nablus
New York, October 6, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about the recent arrest of Palestinian freelance journalist Tareq Abu Zeid by Israeli security forces. On October 1, Israeli security forces raided Abu Zeid’s home in the northern West Bank city of Nablus and arrested him, according to news reports and…
CPJ calls on Cuban security forces to stop threatening Washington Post columnist Abraham Jiménez Enoa
Miami, October 6, 2020—Cuban authorities must immediately cease harassing and threatening journalist Abraham Jiménez Enoa, and allow him and all journalists in the country to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 2, state security agents dressed as civilians strip-searched and handcuffed Jiménez and transported him to their headquarters, where he…
CPJ, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International express concern over Somalia’s amended media law
The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International today sent a joint letter to the president of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, expressing concern over a restrictive amended media law and asking the president to take concrete steps to safeguard press freedom and journalist safety during upcoming elections. The…
Police question 2 Slovenian journalists at public broadcaster RTV
On September 15, 2020, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a uniformed police officer informed Mojca Šetinc Pašek, a reporter and editor at the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia, and Miša Molk, a host on the network, that a criminal complaint had been filed against them, according to Pašek, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview, and a…
Egypt detains freelance journalist Basma Mostafa on false news, other charges
New York, October 5, 2020 – On October 3, state security forces arrested freelance journalist Basma Mostafa upon her arrival at a bus stop in the southern city of Luxor, where she had traveled to cover the alleged killing of a man, Ewais al-Rawy, during a police raid for the al-Manassa newspaper, according to her lawyer and husband Karim…