‘Permanent fear’: Togolese journalists on their lives 1 year after Pegasus Project revelations
One year after news broke about a list of over 50,000 phone numbers allegedly selected for surveillance with Pegasus spyware, journalists around the world continue to live and work with the fear that their phones can be used to track their conversations and penetrate all the personal and professional data stored on their devices. The…
DRC journalist Chilassy Bofumbo acquitted; two other reporters remain behind bars
Kinshasa, July 5, 2022 — A judge at the High Court in Mbandaka, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s western Équateur province, on Tuesday acquitted and released journalist Chilassy Bofumbo, who had been jailed since he covered a November 2021 protest, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ by messaging app…
CPJ Insider: July 2022 edition
CPJ opens the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Freedom Center in New York In early June, CPJ held its grand opening of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Freedom Center, the site of our global headquarters in New York. The new space will serve as a convening hub for…
Guinean police detain, question journalist Mamadou Sagnane
Dakar, June 28, 2022 — Guinean authorities should drop any ongoing investigation into journalist Mamadou Sagnane and ensure that the press can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 15, police in the north-central town of Dinguiraye summoned Sagnane, a reporter with the community broadcaster Dinguiraye Rural Radio, according to the…
New details raise questions about whether Sri Lankan president was complicit in the killing of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge
Nishantha Silva is obsessed with details. The missing notebook. The unusual telephone number. The motorcycle tossed into a lake and the person who knew exactly where to find it. Those details and others are the pointillist dots of color that Silva, formerly a detective with Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department, has assembled into a vivid…
Congolese journalist Chilassy Bofumbo denied provisional release, back in court tomorrow
Kinshasa, June 27, 2022 – Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should unconditionally release journalist Chilassy Bofumbo and all other members of the press jailed for their work, and ensure that the media in the country can work without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Thursday, June 23,…
Bangladesh journalist arrested, 2 charged under Digital Security Act
On June 7, 2022, police in the Bangladesh town of Rangamati, in the southeastern Chittagong division, arrested Fazle Alahi, editor of the privately owned newspaper Dainik Parbatto and the privately owned news website Pahar24, under the Digital Security Act, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ by phone. A Rangamati magistrate…
24 US senators call on Biden to ensure full investigation into shooting death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
On Thursday, 24 U.S. senators sent a letter to President Biden calling on his administration to protect press freedom and ensure direct U.S. involvement in the investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. “We believe that, as a leader in the effort to protect the freedom of the press and the safety…
Taliban members beat journalist at Kabul checkpoint, detain 2 others
Washington, D.C., June 22, 2022 – Taliban authorities must investigate the beating of journalist Mohammad Ikram Esmati and immediately and unconditionally release journalist Abdul Hannan Mohammadi and broadcasting manager Khan Mohammad Sial, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. “The Taliban must take immediate measures to halt repeated arbitrary detentions and abuse of journalists in…
Commonwealth Secretariat denies entry to at least 2 journalists seeking to cover summit in Rwanda; others left in limbo
Durban, June 17, 2022 — The Commonwealth Secretariat should ensure that all journalists can freely cover the upcoming summit in Rwanda, and should not allow the press accreditation process to be used as a political tool, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which brings together the leaders of…