Bangladesh blocks Sweden-based news website Netra News
Beginning on December 28, 2019, Bangladeshi authorities have blocked domestic connections to Netra News, a recently launched news website based in Sweden, according to a report by Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera and Netra News editor-in-chief Tasneem Khalil, who wrote to CPJ via email.
Burundi prosecutor seeks 15-year prison term for Iwacu journalists
Nairobi, January 3, 2020—Burundi’s public prosecutor on December 30 asked for a 15-year prison term for four journalists for privately owned online news outlet Iwacu and their driver who are charged with undermining state security, according to Iwacu and other news reports. The prosecutor is also seeking to have the five stripped of their right…
Pakistani journalist sentenced to five years in prison under anti-terrorism laws
Washington, D.C., December 31, 2019—Pakistani authorities should immediately release and drop all legal proceedings against journalist Nasrullah Chaudhry, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Chaudhry was convicted under anti-terrorism laws and sentenced to five years in prison on December 21 over the alleged possession of banned literature, according to news reports.
CPJ Insider: Year-end edition
Thank you for standing with us in our work protecting journalists around the world. Together, we will defend freedom of expression, democracy, and the public’s right to know. Here are some highlights of 2019, made possible only with your support: Journalist killings dropped sharply in 2019, though imprisoned tally remained high The number of journalists…
Nepal’s hard-fought press freedom at risk amid restrictive bills, government pressure
Last year, when Raju Basnet was covering landgrabs in the Nepali city of Lalitpur, he knew he was playing with fire. His reports in the weekly Khojtalas alleged that powerful people, including government officials, were involved in the scheme and Basnet had already received multiple warnings to back off the story. Despite this, Basnet told…
In Turkey, reporting is a daily struggle
Turkey is notorious as a leading jailer of journalists worldwide, a fact that can overshadow the other problems for its press. Alongside the risk of arrest, journalists must contend with daily interference. From police denying reporters access to courtrooms, arbitrarily moving them on or forcing them to leave certain areas when they are reporting on…
We couldn’t have done this without you: a note from CPJ’s advocacy director
Dear friend of CPJ, As the year draws to a close, we want to thank you for your support and share some of the press freedom successes of the past year. Often, positive developments are public in nature; a conviction is secured for a journalist’s murder, a draconian piece of legislation is struck down, a…
Assailants attack Rave Television journalist, break camera during Nigeria protest
On November 9, 2019, a group of people attacked Jimoh Ogirima, a journalist with the privately owned broadcaster Rave Television, in Nigeria’s southern Edo State, and damaged his camera while he filmed a protest, according to the news website Newspad, the Ghana-based press freedom organization Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), and Ogirima, who spoke…