CPJ joins call for Armenia to amend draft law allowing comprehensive wartime censorship
On Tuesday, April 11, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined an open letter by the KeepItOn coalition of press freedom and human rights groups calling on the Armenian government to remove clauses in proposed legislation that would allow authorities to restrict access to websites and the internet during times of war. Provisions in the draft…
CPJ appalled by killing of journalist reporting on Florida shootings
On Wednesday, Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons was shot and killed in Orange County, Florida, while covering a separate fatal shooting earlier in the day. Another member of the news crew, photographer Jesse Walden, was critically injured in the shooting, which also killed a 9-year-old girl and injured her mother. Police arrested a 19-year-old…
Kazakh outlet Orda, staff subjected to months of threats, online harassment, cyberattacks
New York, October 12, 2022—Authorities in Kazakhstan should thoroughly investigate recent threats against independent news website Orda and its chief editor Gulnara Bazhkenova, and ensure the outlet and its staff’s safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On October 5, unidentified individuals sent a severed pig’s head to Orda’s editorial offices in the southern…
Keeping hope alive
Afghan journalists in exile continue reporting despite an uncertain future “I lost my family, my job, my identity, and my country,” Afghan journalist Anisa Shaheed told CPJ in a phone interview. A former Kabul-based reporter for TOLONews, Afghanistan’s largest local broadcaster, Shaheed is one of hundreds of journalists who fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover…
Journalists face growing hostility as Ethiopia’s civil war persists
Ethiopia’s 21-month-old civil war is accelerating the deterioration of press freedom in the Horn of Africa nation. The conflict between the federal government and the rebel forces led by the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) has prompted a media crackdown that extinguished the glimmer of hope sparked by the initial reforms of Prime Minister Abiy…
Tajikistan outlet threatened with closure; 4 journalists attacked during unrest coverage
New York, May 20, 2022 – Tajikistan authorities must withdraw their official warning against independent outlet Asia Plus, swiftly and transparently investigate attacks on four journalists, and ensure that reporters can freely cover events of public importance, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Tuesday, May 17, Asia Plus announced that it was ceasing…
Kashmir media at a ‘breaking point’ amid rising number of journalist detentions
Sajad Gul’s mother had prepared his favorite dishes as she anxiously awaited his return home. The Kashmiri journalist, who had been granted bail the day before, on January 15, 2022, was to be released following his arrest earlier that month in a criminal conspiracy case, according to a journalist friend who spoke on condition of…
As Russia invades Ukraine, risks mount for reporters covering conflict, CPJ calls for journalists’ protection
As Russian forces invade Ukraine, Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, explains in a Q&A the possible risks for journalists on the ground, including being killed, injured, or taken hostage, and the potential challenges of reporting amid misinformation and disinformation. If a new pro-Kremlin regime is installed in Ukraine, it “would likely…
CPJ calls for protection of journalists in Ukraine
New York, February 24, 2022 – As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine escalates into a full-scale attack, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls for the protection of Ukrainian journalists, along with the international reporters and media workers who join them in covering the conflict. “At this critical moment, it is crucial that all parties involved…