Statements
2018
In Zambia, journalist jailed for 18 months for contempt of court
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 between two private companies, said Hyde…
Sudan must stop trying to censor newspapers, websites
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 track internet shutdowns. Yesterday, the local…
Venezuela’s biggest daily, El Nacional, latest casualty of newsprint restrictions
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 online only because of restrictions that…
CPJ calls on Brazil to end its use of criminal defamation to persecute journalists
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December 13, 2018–Brazilian authorities should cease prosecuting journalists for defamation and repeal the country’s outdated criminal defamation laws, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.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 for criminal defamation, according to local…
Canada’s Supreme Court rules against Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch
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 Mounted Police order requiring Makuch to…
China detains award-winning photographer in Xinjiang
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 authorities in Xinjiang, according to a…
CPJ outraged at Tanzania’s treatment of its Africa program team
New York, November 12, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed indignation at statements from Tanzanian authorities and South Africa’s foreign minister justifying the detention of CPJ’s Africa team in Dar es Salaam on November 7. Officials from both countries falsely claimed CPJ’s Africa program coordinator Angela Quintal and sub-Saharan Africa representative Muthoki Mumo were in…
CPJ calls on Cameroon to release and drop charges against Mimi Mefo
Abidjan, November 8, 2018–Authorities in Cameroon should immediately release and drop all charges against Mimi Mefo, the head of English news and a presenter for the privately owned Equinoxe television and radio station, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Mefo, who also runs Mimi Mefo Info, her own news website, was arrested and taken…
CPJ calls on White House to restore credentials of CNN correspondent, stop denigrating media
New York, November 8, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the White House to restore the credentials of Jim Acosta, CNN’s chief White House correspondent. The White House last night suspended Acosta’s credentials after a heated exchange with President Donald Trump during a press conference earlier in the day.