Journalist Pavel Sheremet killed in Ukraine car bombing
New York, July 20, 2016 — Ukrainian authorities must credibly investigate the murder of award-winning journalist Pavel Sheremet and ensure all those responsible are swiftly brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Sherement, 44, was killed in Kiev today after an explosive device detonated under the car he was driving.
Azerbaijan suspends TV station’s license for Turkey coverage
New York, July 19, 2016 – Azerbaijani regulators should immediately reverse their decision to suspend the license of broadcaster ANS TV, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Broadcasting regulators yesterday said they were suspending the station’s license to broadcast for one month because of its coverage of events in Turkey.
Indian authorities shut down media outlets in Jammu and Kashmir
Washington, July 18, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to stop harassing and obstructing the media. Several newspapers in the state have been prevented from publishing for three days, while mobile internet services are shut down, and cable television has been blocked.
South Sudan authorities arrest editor, order Juba Monitor to cease publishing
Nairobi, July 18, 2016–Authorities in South Sudan should immediately and unconditionally release South Sudanese journalist Alfred Taban, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Taban, editor-in-chief of the independent English-language daily Juba Monitor, has been held without charge since July 16, according to colleagues and media reports.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of July 17
Police raid and seal Meydan offices Istanbul police raided the offices of the pro-Hizmet daily Meydan at about 5 p.m. yesterday, local press reported. Police searched the offices in the Şirinevler district for three hours and confiscated documents, before sealing the building. The website of Meydan has not been updated since yesterday. The raid comes…
Mahmoud Abou Zeid, Egypt
Mahmoud Abou Zeid, a freelance photographer also known as “Shawkan,” was detained on August 14, 2013. The journalist was covering clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi during the dispersal of the pro-Morsi sit-in at Raba’a Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo. After Morsi’s ouster on July 3, 2013, the military-supported government…
Óscar Martínez, El Salvador
Óscar Martínez is the co-founder, coordinator, and reporter for “Sala Negra” (Black Room), the investigative unit that covers gang violence for Central America’s first online-only newsmagazine El Faro (The Lighthouse). After working as a freelance reporter in Mexico, Martínez joined El Faro in 2008 to help carry out an in-depth investigation of Central American migration…
Malini Subramaniam, India
Malini Subramaniam, a contributor to the news website Scroll.In, was among the few journalists reporting from the Bastar area in the state of Chhattisgarh–the epicenter of the conflict between Maoist and security forces–until early 2016. Most journalists work in Chhattisgarh temporarily and are based in safer areas like the state capital, Raipur. In contrast with…
Can Dündar, Turkey
Can Dündar, chief editor of the Turkish daily newspaper Cumhuriyet, was arrested along with his colleague, Erdem Gül, on November 26, 2015, on charges of disclosing state secrets, espionage, and aiding a terrorist group. The two spent 92 days in custody before being released, pending trial, on February 26, 2016. The charges relate to a…
Christiane Amanpour
Christiane Amanpour was honored with the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for her extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom on November 22, 2016. The text of Amanpour’s acceptance speech, as prepared for delivery, is below. I never in a million years thought I would be up here on stage appealing for the…