Turkey should drop terrorism charges against detained VICE crew
Dear Prime Minister Davutoğlu: The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent international press freedom organization, is writing to express its concern about recent charges leveled against two British journalists and a local fixer who were detained while reporting from the southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakir.
CPJ welcomes acquittal of journalists charged with defamation in Thailand
Bangkok, September 1, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s court decision in Thailand to acquit two journalists of criminal defamation and cybercrime charges. Phuketwan journalists Alan Morison, an Australian national, and Chutima Sidasathian, a Thai citizen, had each faced up to seven years in prison.
CPJ condemns 7.5-year prison term for Khadija Ismayilova
New York, September 1, 2015–The Baku Court of Serious Crimes today convicted Khadija Ismayilova, one of Azerbaijan’s most prominent investigative reporters, of illegal business, tax evasion, abuse of power, and embezzlement, and sentenced her to seven and a half years in prison, according to local press reports. The court dropped the charge of incitement to…
Chinese state TV airs footage of journalist saying he regrets writing stock market story
New York, August 31, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention of a Chinese journalist who has been held since Tuesday and accused of spreading false information. The Chinese state broadcaster on Monday aired footage of Wang Xiaolu appearing to say that he regrets writing a story about the stock market.
In the Philippines, three journalists killed in two weeks
Bangkok, August 31, 2015–A radio anchor was shot dead on Thursday in the Philippines, the third journalist to be killed in the country in unclear circumstances in two weeks. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Philippine authorities to thoroughly investigate the killings, identify the motives, and bring the perpetrators to justice.
CPJ condemns conviction, sentence in Egypt’s retrial of Al-Jazeera journalists
New York, August 29, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the conviction of three Al-Jazeera journalists in their retrial in Egypt today. A Cairo court sentenced Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, Baher Mohamed, and Peter Greste to three years in prison each for “aiding a terrorist organization,” spreading false news, and working without a license, according to…
Amid claims of police beatings during Gujarat clashes, India should step up press protection
Images of police forcibly suppressing protesters, such as the one above, are seen in many places around the world. Too frequently, journalists trying to cover these events find themselves caught in the crosshairs, with news crews beaten by police batons, exposed to teargas or hit by water cannon. From race riots in Ferguson in the…
Journalist shot dead in Mozambique
New York, August 28, 2015–An unidentified gunman shot dead a Mozambican journalist who was out jogging in the capital city of Maputo early today, according to news reports. Paulo Machava was the publisher of the news website Diario de Noticias and had worked with Rádio Moçambique and the weekly Savana, according to reports.
CPJ calls for the release of VICE News reporters, fixer, in Diyarbakir, Turkey
New York, August 28, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakir to release British journalists Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury immediately. The journalists were on assignment with the U.S.-based global news channel VICE News when they, along with their fixer, were detained by police in Baglar district…
CPJ joins call for Syria to drop charges against press freedom activists
The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined 16 other human rights and press freedom organisations calling on Syrian authorities to drop charges against Mazen Darwish, the founder of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, who was released from prison on August 10.