Statements by Year:
Five staffers of Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper released from jail
September 12, 2019 3:34 PM ET
Istanbul, September 12, 2019 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed a decision by the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals to overturn a verdict by a lower court and release five former staffers of the Cumhuriyet newspaper who have been imprisoned since April....
Montenegro authorities should not contest journalist Jovo Martinović’s appeal
September 9, 2019 11:22 AM ET
Berlin, September 9, 2019 -- A court in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, on September 12 will begin hearing investigative reporter Jovo Martinović’s appeal of his January conviction on charges of drug trafficking and criminal association, for which he was sentenced for 18 months in prison, according to a statement...
Detained Tanzanian journalist Erick Kabendera in need of medical attention
August 30, 2019 11:45 AM ET
Nairobi, August 30, 2019 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about reports that detained Tanzanian journalist Erick Kabendera’s health is failing and called for Tanzanian authorities to release him immediately....
Ukraine authorities should drop charges against Russian journalist Kirill Vyshynsky
August 28, 2019 12:33 PM ET
Washington, D.C., August 28, 2019 -- A Kyiv court today ruled to release Russian journalist Kirill Vyshynsky on bail while he awaits trial, according to news reports. Vyshynsky, the Kyiv bureau chief for Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, had been detained since May 2018 on treason charges, according...
Iran sentences journalist Marzieh Amiri to 10.5 years in prison, 148 lashes
August 26, 2019 12:45 PM ET
Washington D.C., August 26, 2019 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists today strongly condemned the Tehran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Branch 28 Court’s sentencing of Shargh Daily economics reporter Marzieh Amiri to 10 and a half years in prison and 148 lashes....
Israel eased export controls on surveillance technologies amid criticism
August 22, 2019 4:53 PM ET
New York, August 22, 2019--Israeli officials confirmed that, under a rule change by the Defense Ministry, Israeli surveillance companies are able to obtain exemptions on marketing license for the sale of some products to certain countries, Reuters reported today. It is not clear which companies, and which products, were...
Cuba sentences journalist Roberto Quiñones to one-year prison term
August 8, 2019 4:38 PM ET
Miami, August 8, 2019--A municipal court of the Cuban city of Guantánamo yesterday sentenced Roberto Jesús Quiñones, a contributor to the news website CubaNet, to one year in prison on charges of “resistance” and “disobedience,” according to advocacy group Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and of the Press...
Turkish court orders service providers to block access to news sites
August 6, 2019 4:05 PM ET
Istanbul, August 6, 2019--An Ankara court on July 16 ordered Turkish internet service providers to block access in Turkey to 136 web addresses, independent news website Bianet reported today. The blocked addresses include the websites of news outlets Bianet, ETHA news agency, Halkın Sesi TV, Özgür Gelecek, osp.org, geziyisavunuyoruz.org,...
Tanzania switches track, charges Kabendera with economic crimes
August 5, 2019 1:22 PM ET
Nairobi, August 05, 2019—Prosecutors in Tanzania today charged freelance journalist Erick Kabendera with money laundering, tax evasion, and assisting an organized crime racket, according to a copy of the charge sheet. When he was detained on July 29, the Dar es Salaam police chief said at a press conference...