Philippines’ Maria Ressa detained and released over ‘political’ charge
The Philippine government’s legal harassment of the news website Rappler and Maria Ressa, its founder and executive editor, took an alarming turn Wednesday when officers from the National Bureau of Investigation arrested Ressa at Rappler‘s bureau in Manila and held her overnight over a cyber libel case filed against her by the Justice Department. Ressa’s…
Journalist shot in anti-government demonstrations in Haiti
Miami, February 14, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Haitian authorities to investigate the shooting of a reporter during an anti-government demonstration and to ensure the safety of journalists covering ongoing protests.
CPJ welcomes Mexican Supreme Court ruling in Carmen Aristegui case
Mexico City, February 14, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes a ruling yesterday by the Mexican Supreme Court declaring that the firing of journalist Carmen Aristegui from her morning radio show on broadcaster MVS Noticias in 2015 was illegal. The verdict was first reported on Aristegui’s news website, AristeguiNoticias.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of February 10
Police detain two journalists in separate raids Police on February 12 detained Salih Turan, a freelance journalist who formerly worked for the U.S. government-funded broadcaster Voice of America and the Kurdish service of the Russian-state-funded outlet Sputnik, on accusations of “making propaganda of a [terrorist] organization” on social media and “being a member of a…
CPJ board denounces arrest of Philippine journalist Maria Ressa
New York, February 13, 2019–The board of directors of the Committee to Protect Journalists passed the following resolution in support of Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, executive editor and founder of critical news website Rappler, after she was arrested today in Manila: Freedom of the press is an essential pillar of democracy and human rights. The…
Editor of Russia’s Novye Kolyosa due in court after 15 months in custody
New York, February 13, 2019–Igor Rudnikov, editor-in-chief and owner of the independent Kaliningrad-based weekly Novye Kolyosa, is due to appear in court on extortion charges in St. Petersburg tomorrow, according to local news reports. Rudnikov, who faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, has been in pre-trial detention since his arrest on November…
Italian photojournalist severely injured covering clashes in eastern Syria
Gabriele Micalizzi, an Italian freelance photojournalist, was severely injured by shrapnel while covering clashes between the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the Islamic State militant group in the eastern Syrian village of Baghuz on February 11, 2019, according to news reports, the pro-opposition Rojava Information Center, and CNN photographer and filmmaker Gabriel Chaim, who was…
CPJ condemns 15-day ban on Thai TV news station
Bangkok, February 13, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the decision by a Thai media regulator to suspend the broadcasting license of Voice TV for 15 days and called on the country’s military government to allow all media to report freely on the nation’s politics.
Syrian journalist injured in shelling in Idlib province
Ahmed al-Khatib, a reporter for the pro-opposition Edlib Media Center, was injured by shrapnel in Idlib province while covering a town’s shelling by the Syrian army on February 9, 2019, according to his employer, news reports, the local press freedom group Syrian Journalists’ Association, and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.