Iranian journalist Hossein Shanbehzadeh, others imprisoned ahead of presidential election
Washington, D.C., June 11, 2024—Iranian authorities must immediately release blogger and book editor Hossein Shanbehzadeh and drop the espionage charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Officers with the Iranian Cyber Police arrested Shanbehzadeh on espionage charges in the northwestern city of Ardabil, in Ardabil province, on Thursday, June 6. His social…
Turkmenistan releases journalist imprisoned for 4 years for COVID photo
Stockholm, June 10, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is relieved by the Saturday release of Nurgeldi Halykov, a freelance correspondent for independent Netherlands-based news website Turkmen.news, after he completed a four-year prison sentence on trumped-up fraud charges. “We are relieved that Nurgeldi Halykov is free after enduring a shockingly unjust prison term in one of…
Journalist says Kenyan official threatened to kill him over report on ambulance shortages
Kampala, June 7, 2024—Kenyan authorities should credibly investigate reports that a government official threatened to kill reporter Douglas Dindi, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Dindi, who works with the People Daily newspaper, told CPJ that on May 20, David Alilah, Chief Officer of Medical Services in Kenya’s western Kakamega County, threatened to kill…
South Africa police briefly detain journalist Sandiso Phaliso, force him to delete crime scene photographs
South African police arrested freelance journalist Sandiso Phaliso while he was photographing a crime scene in the country’s legislative capital of Cape Town on April 25 and held him for about two hours, the journalist told CPJ. Phaliso, who regularly writes for the non-profit news agency GroundUp, said that he went to a crime scene in…
I was a journalist in Gaza. The place I call home is gone now.
I was 13 when my father moved our family from Libya back to my parents’ hometown of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. It was 1994, a time of optimism. Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization had signed the Oslo Accords and Palestinians were heading toward an independent state. Gaza, with its successful businesspeople and its…
Prominent journalist Truong Huy San not heard from since arrest
Bangkok, June 6, 2024—Vietnamese authorities must reveal the whereabouts of independent journalist Truong Huy San, release him, and drop any pending charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. San, a well-known political commentator and author also known by his pen names Huy Duc and Osin, was apprehended by the police on June…
Pro-government publisher attacks journalist Vuk Cvijić over investigative report
Berlin, June 5, 2024—Serbian authorities should conduct a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation into the recent physical attack against journalist Vuk Cvijić, hold those responsible to account, and ensure the journalist’s safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Vuk Cvijić, a reporter for the weekly newspaper Radar, was walking by a cafe around 1…
Broadcast bill passed by Uruguay Senate threatens press freedom
Mexico City, May 30, 2024—Uruguayan authorities should not approve a proposed broadcast law passed by the Senate and should ensure that all media legislation is discussed broadly, including with civil society organizations and journalist representatives, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On May 14, the Uruguayan Senate approved the proposed “Law of Audiovisual Content…
Pegasus spyware targeted exiled journalists from Russia, Latvia, Belarus, report finds
New York, May 30, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by a Thursday report by rights group Access Now and research organization Citizen Lab alleging that Pegasus spyware was used to surveil at least five journalists. The report, “Exiled, then spied on: Civil society in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland targeted with Pegasus spyware,”…
CPJ alarmed by Cameroonian authorities’ use of administrative detention law
Dakar, May 29, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is highly concerned by a Cameroonian administrator’s use of a law granting him the ability to indefinitely detain journalist Engelbert Mfomo in what he said was retribution for his critical reporting. Cameroonian authorities must reform the country’s laws to ensure journalists cannot be detained for their work,…