Statements by Year:
Honduras court upholds journalist's 10-year prison sentence for defamation
January 15, 2019 2:58 PM ET
New York, January 15, 2019 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the Honduran Supreme Court's decision to uphold a 2016 ruling sentencing journalist David Romero Ellner to 10 years in prison on criminal defamation charges....
Conviction obtained in 2002 murder of Indian journalist Ram Chandler Chaterpatti
January 11, 2019 2:03 PM ET
Washington, D.C., January 11, 2019 - India's Central Bureau of Investigation obtained convictions today in the 2002 murder of journalist Ram Chandler Chaterpatti, editor of the Hindi-language newspaper Poora Sach, according to news reports. The CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana state, convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head of the...
In Canada, police block media from covering break up of indigenous pipeline protest
January 8, 2019 5:27 PM ET
New York, January 8, 2019--The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) yesterday blocked reporters from covering a pipeline protest near Houston, British Columbia, where police were due to dismantle camps set up by indigenous activists, according to reports....
In Zambia, journalist jailed for 18 months for contempt of court
December 21, 2018 1:47 PM ET
Nairobi, December 21, 2018--Zambia's Supreme Court yesterday sentenced Derrick Sinjela, editor-in-chief of the privately owned Rainbow Newspaper, to 18 months in prison for contempt of court. Sinjela was convicted in September in relation to articles that accused the Supreme Court of corruption and questioned its handling of a case...
Sudan must stop trying to censor newspapers, websites
December 21, 2018 1:44 PM ET
Washington D.C, December 21, 2018--The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Sudanese authorities to stop trying to stifle news coverage of this week's widespread anti-government protests. Internet service in Sudan, including access to social media websites, was disrupted today, according to Access Now and NetBlocks, two organizations that...
Venezuela's biggest daily, El Nacional, latest casualty of newsprint restrictions
December 17, 2018 4:23 PM ET
New York, December 17, 2018--Venezuela's biggest independent daily, El Nacional, printed its last edition on December 14, its editor and owner Miguel Henrique Otero announced. In an interview published in the paper, Otero, who manages the paper from self-imposed exile in Madrid, said that El Nacional would be available...
CPJ calls on Brazil to end its use of criminal defamation to persecute journalists
December 13, 2018 6:18 PM ET
New York, December 13, 2018--Brazilian authorities should cease prosecuting journalists for defamation and repeal the country's outdated criminal defamation laws, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police took Paulo Cezar de Andrade Prado, a blogger known as "Paulinho," into custody on November 9 to serve a prison sentence...
Canada's Supreme Court rules against Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch
November 30, 2018 2:33 PM ET
New York, November 30, 2018--The Canadian Supreme Court today upheld a lower court ruling that Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch should hand over his communications with a source. In a 9-0 decision, the court dismissed an appeal from Vice Media Canada Inc. and Makuch that challenged a Royal Canadian...
China detains award-winning photographer in Xinjiang
November 28, 2018 11:46 AM ET
Washington, D.C., November 28, 2018--Police in Xinjiang detained Lu Guang, an award-winning, New York-resident, freelance photographer whose work has focused on environmental and social issues in China, in early November, according to media reports. Lu's family lost contact with him on November 3 and later confirmed his arrest with...
US has filed secret charges against Julian Assange, reports say
November 16, 2018 4:14 PM ET
New York, November 16, 2018--The Committee to Protect Journalists is closely monitoring news reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has secretly filed charges against the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange....