Cameroon ratchets up media censorship ahead of 2025 election
After a month of seeing an empty television studio with the word “censored” splashed across the screen, Cameroonians are finally able to watch Équinoxe TV’s flagship Sunday politics show “Droit de Réponse” again. The privately owned station fell foul of Cameroon’s regulatory National Communication Council (NCC), which judged it to have harmed the reputations of…
On Edge: What the US election could mean for journalists and global press freedom
Journalists are bracing for the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. CPJ’s research ahead of the November vote finds that the hostile media climate fostered during Donald Trump’s presidency has continued to fester, with members of the press confronting challenges – including violence, lawsuits, online harassment, and police attacks – that could shape the…
Haitian journalist threatened over article about Reuters reporters’ gifts to gang leader
Miami, September 30, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is disturbed by threats made against journalist Widlore Mérancourt by Haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier over his article about a Reuters journalist giving Cherizier gifts of balaclavas, alcohol, and cigarettes. “We are very concerned about the threats made against AyiboPost’s editor-in-chief Widlore Mérancourt by the Haitian…
Hong Kong editor sentenced to 21 months on sedition charges
Taipei, September 26, 2024 — A Hong Kong court on Thursday sentenced two former Stand News editors on charges of conspiracy to publish seditious publications following their convictions in late August. Chung Pui-kuen received one year and nine months in prison, and Patrick Lam, who received 11 months, was released after the hearing as he…
Hong Kong denies work visa to photojournalist Louise Delmotte
Taipei, September 25, 2024—Hong Kong authorities should renew Associated Press (AP) photojournalist Louise Delmotte’s visa, and allow foreign correspondents to work freely in the city, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. “Denying Louise Delmotte’s entry is a petty act of retaliation against her journalistic work,” said Iris Hsu, CPJ’s China representative. “This pattern…
Quimy de León, Guatemala
CPJ is honored to present its 2024 International Press Freedom Award to Guatemalan journalist Quimy de León. Quimy de León is a Guatemalan journalist, medical professional, and historian with over 20 years of professional experience. She is one of Guatemala’s leading journalists and has collaborated with international outlets such as Forbidden Stories. In 2012, de León…
Belarusian journalist Andrei Tolchyn released following presidential pardon
New York, September 18, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the September 17 release of Belarusian journalist Andrei Tolchyn, who received a presidential pardon after serving almost a year of a two-and-a-half year prison sentence. “While we welcome the release of journalist Andrei Tolchyn, he should not have spent a single day in prison,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe…
Mexico City police arrest 2 journalists at human rights protest
Mexico City, September 9, 2024—Police beat at least two journalists and arrested two others during a protest for human rights in Xochimilco, a southern borough of Mexico City, on Thursday, September 5, according to members of the media who witnessed the incidents. “By brutally repressing a social protest and attacking journalists who were simply covering…
CPJ, others: China criminalizing journalism in Hong Kong with Stand News verdict
Taipei, September 2, 2024—Hong Kong authorities are criminalizing normal journalistic work with the “openly political” conviction of two editors from the shuttered news portal Stand News for subversion, the Committee to Protect Journalists and four other rights groups said. By weaponizing the legal system against journalists, China has ruthlessly reneged on guarantees given to Hong…
Hong Kong is ‘descending further into authoritarianism’
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Thursday’s conviction by a Hong Kong court of former Stand News editors Patrick Lam and Chung Pui-kuen on charges of conspiracy to publish seditious publications and called on authorities to stop using anti-state charges against journalists. The ruling showed that Hong Kong is “descending further into authoritarianism,” CPJ Asia…