Pakistan

As the EU moves forward with sanctions against Belarus, in response to the detention of journalist Raman Pratasevich, CPJ held a press briefing Wednesday to shed light on the broad range of restrictions and reprisals facing journalists there. CPJ noted the upcoming Biden-Putin summit as an opportunity to focus on press freedom and welcomed a…

In Zimbabwe, authorities arrested New York Times freelancer Jeffrey Moyo and charged him over allegedly misrepresenting the accreditation status of two of his Times colleagues. Authorities denied Moyo’s bail request, and ordered him to remain in custody until June 10. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in jail. In Myanmar, authorities’ crackdown…

In a shocking move, even for Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, authorities in Belarus forcibly diverted a jet to Minsk to arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich. The next day, Pratasevich appeared in a government video apparently confessing to “organizing mass riots.” In an op-ed for CNN, CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said stressed how…

The U.K. government emphasized press freedom this month when it published the draft online safety bill for social media companies, pledging that the bill would protect both “citizen journalism” and “recognized news publishers” from censorship. Vocal segments of the media not only welcomed the legislation, but actively campaigned for it. When Oliver Dowden, secretary of…

As protests against police violence in the U.S. persisted, CPJ urged law enforcement in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, and other cities to respect journalists’ rights and allow them to continue working and reporting the news. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, of which CPJ is a founding partner, documented at least 26 assaults, 24 arrests or detentions,…

CPJ turns 40! On April 3, 1981, three journalists in New York—Michael Massing, Victor Navasky, and Laurie Nadel—filed the certificate of incorporation for a new organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists, which was dedicated to the defense and promotion of the “human and professional rights of journalists around the world.” Forty years later, we remain…

This week, CPJ called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allow journalists to access detention facilities and Border Patrol activities along the U.S.-Mexico border. D.H.S. and Border Patrol officials have recently barred the press from entering detention facilities, citing privacy and COVID-19 concerns. In Morocco, press freedom advocates and journalists’ families told CPJ…

Myanmar’s military seized power from the elected government February 1, obstructing news stations, temporarily shuttering phone and internet access, and later restricting access to social media platforms. “Social media and communication platforms are crucial for journalists to report the news as democracy is upended,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative, urging officials to…

Russian law enforcement has detained, beat, and interfered with the work of dozens of journalists covering protests in support of opposition leader and anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, assaulting at least eight and detaining at least 49. Ahead of expected demonstrations on Saturday, police continue trying to intimidate independent journalists covering the demonstrations. CPJ urges Russian…

A proposal to the incoming Biden administration from the Committee to Protect Journalists  November 17, 2020 Introduction The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. Founded in 1981, we defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal. CPJ and our partners…