Algerian journalist Merzoug Touati arrested over protest coverage
New York, June 17, 2020 – Algerian authorities must immediately release journalist Merzoug Touati and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 12, Algerian police arrested Touati, a reporter for the news website L’Avant-Garde, while he was covering anti-government protests in the city of Béjaïa, according to journalist…
Journalist Afgan Sadygov detained since May in Azerbaijan
New York, June 17, 2020 – Azerbaijani authorities should release journalist Afgan Sadygov and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The journalist has been jailed for his work at least three times in three years, according to CPJ research. At about 3 p.m. on May 13, Sadygov, chief editor…
One journalist in hiding, 2 others detained over protest coverage in Djibouti
New York, June 17, 2020 — Authorities in Djibouti should stop harassing journalists working with the La Voix de Djibouti broadcaster, and ensure that the press can cover matters of public interest without intimidation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 5, police in the southern city of Ali Sabieh arrested Kassim Nour…
Turkey blocks Ozguruz radio website for 20th time
Istanbul, June 17, 2020 – Turkish authorities should cease trying to censor the Ozguruz radio station’s website, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, a Turkish court issued an order blocking the broadcaster’s website at the request of the Radio and Television Supreme Council, the country’s media regulator, according to news reports. The council…
Audit finds that Argentine intelligence services compiled files on hundreds of journalists
New York, June 16, 2020 – Argentine authorities should conduct a transparent and impartial investigation into allegations that intelligence agents compiled dossiers of journalists in 2017 and 2018, and should ensure that such programs are not conducted in the future, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 5, a federal prosecutor conducting an…
EUobserver reporter Eszter Zalan on covering the EU amid coronavirus, disinformation, and economic crisis
Eszter Zalan is a correspondent for the Brussels-based EUobserver. She covered conflict and war zones for Népszabadság, the now-shuttered Hungarian daily, for several years, and covered Hungary for Agence France-Presse, before joining EUobserver in 2015. Recently, she has reported on EU affairs, including Brexit, Hungary, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. CPJ spoke with Zalan via…
Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva facing trial over terrorism commentary
New York, June 15, 2020 – In advance of tomorrow’s trial of Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva on charges of “justifying terrorism,” the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Russian authorities should drop the absurd charges against journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva, lift the travel ban imposed against her, unfreeze her assets, and allow her to…
Journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan arrested on anti-state charge in Vietnam
Bangkok, June 15, 2020 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately release journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan and drop the charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalist said today. On June 12, Ho Chi Minh City authorities arrested Tuan and charged him under Article 117 of the country’s criminal code, a provision that criminalizes “opposing the…
CPJ calls on Philippine authorities not to contest editor Maria Ressa’s cyber libel appeal
Bangkok, June 15, 2020 — Philippine authorities should not contest the appeal of journalists Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos, and should reform the country’s libel laws to ensure that members of the press do not face jail time for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. This morning, Branch 46 of the Manila…
Journalists in Syria tell CPJ of fear of humanitarian catastrophe if COVID-19 spreads
Syria hasn’t been greatly impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Syrian Health Ministry has counted 123 cases, and six deaths as of June 1, according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The country has begun to relax restrictions it imposed in mid-March, including curfews and…