Systematic attacks on journalists in Russia and other post-Soviet states
A free press is an essential pillar of democracy, keeping governments accountable and citizens informed. Autocratic regimes seek to intimidate and silence the press by systematically targeting journalists. A muzzled independent media is powerless to prevent the domination of the state-driven news narrative and public misinformation. Today, journalists in Russia and post-Soviet states risk intimidation,…
Venezuelan security forces detain Dutch freelancer
Venezuelan security forces on September 21, 2017, detained Dutch freelance journalist Bram Ebus for 18 hours while he was on a reporting trip in the country’s southern mining district in Bolívar state, according to Carlos Correa, the director of Caracas free speech organization Espacio Público.
Zimbabwe arrests NewsDay journalist over story on first lady’s underwear donation
New York, October 3, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Zimbabwean authorities to immediately release NewsDay journalist Kenneth Nyangani and drop all charges against him. Nyangani was arrested yesterday and charged with criminal nuisance for reporting that First Lady Grace Mugabe had donated used underwear to supporters of the country’s ruling ZANU-PF party,…
On the Record: The State of Press Freedom
Around the world, press freedom is under threat. Perhaps the most alarming indicator of this is the extent to which countries traditionally thought of as beacons of press freedom have seen a spike in hostility to the independent media. From President Trump’s threats to put journalists in jail, to physical assaults of the media, the…
Kurdish military forces expel Al-Ahad TV reporter from Kirkuk province
Beirut, October 2, 2017–Kurdish regional authorities in northern Iraq should immediately allow Al-Ahad TV correspondent Saif Rida to safely return to Kirkuk province and resume his work as a journalist, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
İnan Kızılkaya
İnan Kızılkaya, the former news editor of the shuttered pro-Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem, faces 105 criminal cases, 103 of which had moved to trial by the end of 2016, on charges of terrorism, “disrupting the unity of the state,” insulting the Turkish nation, and insulting the president, according to his lawyer and court documents. If…
CPJ Highlights: October edition
CPJ publishes report on press freedom in Cameroon On September 20, CPJ published a special report, called “Journalists Not Terrorists,” on Cameroon’s use of a broadly worded anti-terror law to arrest and threaten journalists. The legislation was put in place in 2014 as part of an effort to counter attacks by the extremist group Boko…
Kurdish security forces detain local reporter, whereabouts unknown
New York, September 29, 2017-Kurdish security forces in northern Syria should immediately release Ibrahim Ali al-Suleiman, a local reporter for the independent Euphrates Post, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Members of Asayish, the security force for the defacto authorities of the Rojava region in northern Syria, on September 15 detained al-Suleiman at his…
Several Indian journalists receive death threats
New Delhi, September 29, 2017–Authorities in India must move quickly to identify those responsible for sending at least five threats to kill journalists for critical coverage of the government and take steps to ensure the journalists’ security, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.