The high cost paid by journalists in exile
Journalists forced to flee their countries face many challenges, including physical attacks and threats to family members they left behind. In some cases, they are pushed out of their professions completely. In a new feature released ahead of World Refugee Day, CPJ examines the risks facing journalists in exile, with recommendations on how nations, the…
In Belarus, authorities are ‘purging the media space’
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…
Ethiopia elections 2021: Journalist safety kit
Ethiopia is scheduled to hold general elections later this year amid heightened tensions across the country. Military conflict broke out in the Tigray region in November 2020, and is ongoing; over the past year, several other regions have witnessed significant levels of violence and fatalities as a result of protests and inter-ethnic clashes, according to…
Belarus makes it clear they will cross any red line to censor independent voices
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…
Israeli air strikes destroy buildings housing more than a dozen media outlets in Gaza
In Colombia, journalists covering mass protests have been robbed, harassed, and injured; nearly half of the violations against journalists were allegedly committed by the National Police and its Mobile Anti-Riot Squad, according to the Bogotá-based Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP). More information can be found in our safety advisory for journalists reporting on unrest in…
Dozens of journalists behind bars in Myanmar
Myanmar’s military junta is holding at least 40 journalists behind bars as of April 28, according to CPJ’s preliminary investigations. Many of the detained journalists have been denied access to lawyers or family since their arrests, and at least two are foreign journalists. “Myanmar’s military regime has almost overnight become one of the worst jailers…
Journalists describe ‘trench warfare’ for Polish press
Polish journalists paint a bleak picture, as they share with CPJ the increasing pressure they face from the government, and comparing ongoing protests to buck that pressure to “trench warfare.” Journalists said the government is purposely worsening the business environment in which Poland’s still-vibrant private media operates as a tactic to consolidate power ahead of…
CPJ joins calls for tech firms and Indian government to ensure free access to information
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined nine other human rights and free expression groups in a statement urging social media platforms to respect human rights, and for the Indian government to withdraw new regulations that could stifle free speech online. The statement listed some of the Indian government’s recent efforts to silence criticism and…
India state assembly elections 2021: Journalist safety guide
India is scheduled to hold legislative assembly elections in the states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry in March, April, and May 2021. Media workers covering any of these elections should be aware of the potential risk of physical attack, intimidation, and harassment; online bullying; COVID-19 exposure; arrest and detention; and government…
Deportation for Iranian journalist Mohammad Mosaed ‘not on the table’ in Turkey, official says
Washington, D.C., January 19, 2021 — Iranian journalist Mohamed Mosaed has requested asylum in Turkey, his lawyer Canan Pehlivan told the Committee Protect Journalist today. CPJ is calling on Turkish authorities to conduct an expedited review of his request, as Mosaed faces imprisonment in Iran in reprisal for his journalism. Pehlivan told CPJ that Mosaed…