Vigils across Mexico: Three journalists killed in two weeks
After the disturbing killings of three Mexican journalists in less than two weeks, journalists in nearly 40 locations around Mexico took to the streets Tuesday night to demand the federal government do more to ensure security for reporters under threat and to end impunity in cases of murdered journalists. The three Mexican journalists killed this…
Why the UN’s push for a cybercrime treaty could imperil journalists simply for using the internet
Cybercrime is on the global agenda as a United Nations committee appointed to develop a treaty on the topic plans for its first meeting amid pandemic-related delays. The process is slated to take at least two years, but experts warn that such a treaty – initially proposed by Russia – could hand new tools to…
‘All-out assault’ on Hong Kong’s press continues ahead of Beijing Olympics
As China prepares to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Chinese authorities continue to imprison journalists without consequence and crack down on the independent press in Hong Kong. Last month, Hong Kong authorities filed new charges against media entrepreneur and CPJ 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Awardee Jimmy Lai, along with six former staff…
How social media regulation could affect the press
The United Kingdom moved a step closer to regulating social media in December when a parliamentary committee recommended major changes to the country’s Online Safety Bill so as to hold internet service providers responsible for material published on their platforms. “We need to call time on the Wild West online,” said committee chair Damian Collins….
In Benin, growing fears over law that can jail journalists for posting news online
Posting on Facebook from Benin’s Central Office for Repression of Cybercrime on November 18, journalist Patrice Gbaguidi wrote that authorities had summoned him for a second time in two weeks over a defamation complaint about one of his articles. That day, he and Hervé Alladé, the owner of Le Soleil Bénin Infos newspaper where Gbaguidi…
US Summit for Democracy must address threats to press freedom
New York, December 8, 2021—On the eve of the U.S. government’s inaugural Summit for Democracy, the Committee to Protect Journalists reiterated that support for press freedom is critical to reversing the decline of democracy worldwide. “Journalists are being attacked and thrown in jail in record numbers for doing their jobs, so this meeting can’t be…
Journalist at risk in Afghanistan after 100+ days of Taliban rule
The Taliban has repeatedly failed to uphold its stated commitment to press freedom in Afghanistan since taking power more than 100 days ago, as violent attacks against journalists continue unabated. Last month in Kabul, two unidentified men beat and attempted to shoot journalist Ahmad Baseer Ahmadi, breaking his jaw and teeth. Ahmadi is one of…
Streaming today: The 31st annual International Press Freedom Awards #IPFA
In a small town in central Guatemala, authorities have repeatedly harassed radio journalist Anastasia Mejía in connection to her protest coverage. Mejía’s outlet Xolabaj Radio, which she co-founded, provides a platform for Indigenous women. In Mozambique, Matías Guente and his newspaper, Canal de Moçambique, have faced official harassment and intimidation in recent years, including a…
Journalists shot, beaten, and detained in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., November 2, 2021– The Taliban must thoroughly and swiftly investigate the attacks on Afghan journalists Abdul Khaliq Hussaini and Alireza Sharifi and the beating and detention of Zahidullah Husainkhil, and do everything in its power to ensure the safety of members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October…