Statements

2018

  
The Capitol Building is seen from Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. in December 2017. A group of senators is trying to attach the CLOUD Act to an upcoming spending bill that needs to be passed before midnight on March 23 to avoid government shutdown, according to news reports. (Reuters/Aaron P. Bernstein)

CPJ expresses concerns with the U.S. CLOUD Act

New York, March 20, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed its concerns with the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act and its potential to expose journalists to targeting by foreign governments. The CLOUD Act would make it easier for some foreign governments to obtain data from U.S. technology companies and allow U.S.…

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Maldivian police pictured at a protest in the capital, Malé, on March 2. Three Raajje TV journalists are detained over their coverage of anti-government protests held on March 16. (AFP/Ahmed Shurau)

In Maldives, at least three journalists detained over protest coverage

New York, March 16, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Maldivian authorities to immediately release three Raajje TV journalists who, according to their pro-opposition station, were detained today over their coverage of anti-government protests in the capital, Malé.

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Photojournalist Kamran Yousuf, pictured, is facing charges after covering unrest in Jammu and Kashmir state. (Younis Khaliq)

India releases photojournalist Kamran Yousuf on bail

New York, March 13, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomes the release on bail of Kashmiri photojournalist Kamran Yousuf and calls on Indian authorities to drop all remaining charges against him. Yousuf was granted bail by a National Investigative Agency (NIA) special court in Delhi on Monday and was released today after providing 100,000…

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Pakistani journalist Hafiz Husnain Raza (center with garland) was released on bail March 10, 2018. (Hassaan Raza)

Pakistan releases journalist on bail

New York, March 12, 2018 –The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomes the release on bail of Pakistani journalist Hafiz Husnain Raza and calls on Pakistani authorities to drop all remaining charges against him. Authorities released Raza from prison on March 10 after an Anti-Terrorism Court in Punjab province acquitted the journalist on eight charges…

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Police patrol in Addis Ababa. Security officers detained a critical blogger near the Woliso campus of Ethiopia's Ambo University. (Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

Ethiopia arrests critical blogger Seyoum Teshome

Nairobi, March 9, 2018–Ethiopian authorities should immediately release Seyoum Teshome, who publishes the Ethiothinktank blog, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Security forces yesterday arrested Seyoum at his home near the Woliso campus of Ambo University, where he lectures, according to witnesses who spoke with Voice of America and Deutsche Welle. The reason for…

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Indian policemen stand guard on a road, after Kashmiri separatists called for a day-long strike against the recent killings in Kashmir in March 2018. Kamran Yousuf, a freelancer working in the Jammu and Kashmir region, who contributes to the daily Greater Kashmir, has been in custody since September 5, 2017. (Reuters/Danish Ismail)

Indian court delays photojournalist’s bail hearing

New Delhi, March 8, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Indian authorities to grant photojournalist Kamran Yousuf bail. The bail decision was expected March 7, according to news reports, but has not been handed down yet. Yousuf, a freelancer working in the Jammu and Kashmir region, who contributes to the daily Greater Kashmir, has…

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Equatoguinean cartoonist and blogger Ramón Nsé Esono Ebalé served more than five months in prison on false charges of money laundering and counterfeiting. (Eloísa Vaello Marco)

Equatorial Guinea releases from prison journalist Ramón Nsé Esono Ebalé

New York, March 7, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed news that Equatoguinean cartoonist and blogger Ramón Nsé Esono Ebalé is free from prison after serving more than five months in a Malabo jail on false charges of money laundering and counterfeiting.

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A mobile phone screen shows that Facebook will not open following a government decision on March 7, 2018, to shut down social messaging networks across the island for 72 hours. (Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte)

Sri Lanka’s telecom authority blocks social media sites, messaging apps

New Delhi, March 7, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Sri Lankan authorities to restore access to social media and messaging applications. Citing Cabinet Spokesman Rajitha Senartne, Reuters reported that the government today asked service providers to block the networks amid anti-Muslim riots and violence. Sri Lanka yesterday imposed a state of emergency,…

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Nigerian journalist Tony Ezimakor released; colleague remains behind bars

New York, March 6, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed the release today of Tony Ezimakor, Abuja bureau chief of the privately owned Daily Independent newspaper, who was held by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) since February 28. Ezimakor was released unconditionally from DSS custody in Abuja around 10:30 p.m. local time, according to…

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Police detain protesters while the National Guard removes a camp near the parliament building in Kiev on March 3. At least two journalists were injured while covering the unrest. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)

In Ukraine, at least two journalists injured at Kiev protest

New York, March 5, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Ukrainian authorities to investigate claims that police attacked journalists covering a protest in Kiev, and to ensure the safety of the press. At least two journalists were injured in Kiev on March 3 when police dispersed a protest camp outside parliament, where activists…

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2018