internet shutdown

241 results

CPJ joins call urging Ethiopia to maintain internet access during elections

The Committee to Protect Journalists recently joined 46 other human rights, free expression, and technology organizations in a letter calling on Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to guarantee secure and reliable internet access during and following the country’s elections. In the letter, sent on June 18, members of the #KeepItOn Coalition against internet shutdowns also…

Read More ›

Cuban internet access cut amid free expression protest; journalist harassed

Miami, January 29, 2020 — Cuban authorities should stop disrupting internet access in the country and allow journalists to cover protests freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 27, starting at around 3:30 p.m. internet access was shut down on the island for approximately two hours, according to news reports and several local journalists posting on Twitter. To get…

Read More ›

Internet access cut, social media banned during Uganda elections

Nairobi, January 14, 2021 – Ugandan authorities should immediately cease all efforts to disrupt internet access in the country and allow the press to cover the country’s elections freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the Uganda Communications Commission, the country’s broadcasting and telecommunication regulator, ordered telecommunications providers to suspend internet services in…

Read More ›

Supporters of the ruling party are seen in Bugendana, Burundi, on April 27, 2020. CPJ recently joined a letter calling on Burundi to maintain internet access during the elections. (AP/Berthier Mugiraneza)

CPJ joins call urging Burundi to maintain internet access during elections

The Committee to Protect Journalists yesterday joined 30 other rights organizations in a joint letter urging the government of Burundi to ensure that the internet remains accessible before, during, and after the presidential elections scheduled for tomorrow.

Read More ›

An antenna is seen in Bogota, Colombia, on December 19, 2019. The Global Network Initiative, a coalition of groups including CPJ, recently called on govermnents to maintain internet connectivity during the COVID-19 crisis. (Reuters/Luis Jaime Acosta)

Network shutdowns restrict reporting during COVID-19 crisis

The Global Network Initiative, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations of which CPJ is a member, issued a statement yesterday calling on governments to refrain from shutting down internet access amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More ›

An internet cafe manager works on his computer in Tehran, Iran on July 25, 2019. Iranian journalists say monitored connections and technology companies' concerns about U.S. government sanctions are making it harder for them to bypass censorship. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

To cement internet control, Iran helps journalists get online

In early 2020, a journalist in Iran received a form from Iran’s National E-commerce Union, a nominally independent group that is close to the government, requesting their name, the news website they work for, and their IP address. “With all due respect,” it read, “provide the following information to prevent any potential problem during future…

Read More ›

A billboard of President Faure Gnassingbe is seen in Lome, Togo, on February 19, 2020. CPJ recently joined a letter calling for the Togolese government to maintain internet access throughout the upcoming election. (Reuters/Luc Gnago)

CPJ joins letter calling on Togo government not to shut down internet

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 27 other press freedom and human rights organizations in a letter dated February 19 calling for authorities in Togo to maintain the stability and openness of the internet and social media platforms.

Read More ›

Kashmiri students use the internet at a Tourist Reception Centre in Srinagar on December 3, 2019, amid an internet suspension across the region as part of a partial communication blockade by the Indian government. Despite a Supreme Court ruling in January 2020, internet access has only been partially restored, and many news outlets remain offline. (AFP/Tauseef Mustafa)

Kashmiri journalists, news outlets still offline after India partially restores internet

New York, January 28, 2020—Internet access was partially restored in most of Jammu and Kashmir on January 25, but service remained slow and social media platforms and many local news websites remain blocked, The New York Times and other outlets reported. In a statement circulated to CPJ and news outlets, the Kashmir Press Club said…

Read More ›

Indian security forces personnel patrol a street in Srinagar on January 10, 2020. Press freedom concerns persist in Jammu and Kashmir, where internet has been only partially restored after a months-long shutdown. (Reuters/Danish Ismail)

Lawyer Mishi Choudhury on what India shutdowns ruling means for journalists

On January 14, the Jammu and Kashmir administration partially restored mobile internet in a handful of districts, according to news reports. The administration, which is directly controlled by the Indian government, had imposed a complete communication ban in the restive region after withdrawing its special status under the Indian constitution in August 2019, as CPJ…

Read More ›

Security forces and protesters are seen in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 2, 2019. Security forces have harassed reporters covering the protests, and authorities recently cut internet access to much of the country. (Reuters/Khalid al-Mousily)

Iraqi authorities obstruct journalists, cut internet access amid protests

Beirut, October 4, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned restrictions on news coverage of protests in Iraq and called on authorities to unblock news and social media websites throughout the country and let the press operate freely.

Read More ›