In Egypt, censorship, an arrest, and court hearings for journalists
Restrictions against the press continue in Egypt, with ongoing trials of journalists, some of whom have been in detention for more than three years, allegations that a TV station was ordered to drop a planned broadcast of an interview with a former official, and a reporter detained while trying to cover a sensitive story. Egypt…
Honoring courage and defying intimidation
CPJ’s 2016 International Press Freedom Awards New York, November 15, 2016–Four remarkable journalists who have navigated chilling media landscapes in Egypt, El Salvador, India, and Turkey will be honored at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 2016 International Press Freedom Awards, an annual ceremony that recognizes courageous journalism. The awardees have faced great risk to cover…
CPJ Newsletter: Exhibit of jailed photographer’s work moves to Photoville, journalist released from jail, and we join our partners at the UN
October edition Next stop for exhibit of Shawkan’s work: Photoville In mid-September, CPJ partnered with the Bronx Documentary Center to hold an exhibition of photographs taken by Mahmoud Abou Zeid, or Shawkan, a freelance journalist who has been imprisoned in Egypt since August 2013. Many of Shawkan’s photos–from protests and celebrations in Tahrir Square to…
CPJ urges Egypt to release journalists ahead of Eid al-Adha holiday
New York, August 25, 2016 – The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Egyptian media reports that President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi might release a number of imprisoned journalists ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday, which this year falls on September 11. Award-winning photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, better known as Shawkan, is among those who might be released,…
CPJ Newsletter: ECOSOC accepts our application, we announce IPFA winners, and more!
August edition Pentagon updates Law of War Manual to recognize journalists’ role in covering conflict Frank Smyth, CPJ’s security consultant, was stunned when he read the newly released Law of War Manual from the U.S. Department of Defense in June 2015. The manual included language that allowed journalists to be categorized as “unprivileged belligerents,” which…
Egyptian photojournalist sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison
A Cairo criminal court on July 18, 2016, sentenced Egyptian freelance photojournalist Belal Darder Mohamed to 15 years in prison in absentia on charges of participating in an unlicensed protest and membership in a terrorist organization, according to press reports. The charges were in connection with his work documenting a December 2014 protest by students…
CPJ International Press Freedom Awards 2016
CPJ’s annual International Press Freedom Awards and benefit dinner honored courageous journalists from around the world on November 22, 2016, in New York City. (Courtesy of CBS) Profile videos and speeches by the 2016 awardees are available: Malini Subramaniam: video profile and speech Mahmoud Abou Zeid (Shawkan): video profile Can Dündar: video profile and speech…
CPJ announces 2016 International Press Freedom Award winners
Awardees from Egypt, India, Turkey, and El Salvador New York, July 18, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor journalists from Egypt, India, Turkey, and El Salvador with its 2016 International Press Freedom Awards. The journalists have faced threats, legal action, and imprisonment. CPJ is also honoring Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor at…
Mahmoud Abou Zeid, Egypt
Mahmoud Abou Zeid, a freelance photographer also known as “Shawkan,” was detained on August 14, 2013. The journalist was covering clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi during the dispersal of the pro-Morsi sit-in at Raba’a Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo. After Morsi’s ouster on July 3, 2013, the military-supported government…
China, Egypt imprison record numbers of journalists
Egypt is second only to China as the world’s worst jailer of journalists in 2015. Worldwide, the number of journalists behind bars for their work declined moderately during the year, but a handful of countries continue to use systematic imprisonment to silence criticism. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser