New York, November 23, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Vatican to drop charges against Italian journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi. The journalists are due to face a trial Tuesday over claims they pressured a source to “obtain and publish confidential information” in their respective books alleging corruption, according to a statement…
New York, November 22, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Iranian authorities to release Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, who has been sentenced to an unspecified prison term, according to state media reports that provided no additional details. Last month, state media reported that Rezaian, a U.S. citizen who faces espionage and other…
New York, October 30, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Turkish authorities to investigate and bring to justice the murderers of two Syrian journalists found slain in an apartment in the city of Urfa in southeastern Turkey today. Ibrahim Abd al-Qader worked as the executive director and Fares Hamadi as head of the…
Nairobi, October 16, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the acquittal by an Ethiopian court today of four Zone 9 bloggers charged with terrorism. Abel Wabella, Atnaf Berhane, and Natnail Feleke, jailed since April 2014, are scheduled to be released today, while exiled blogger Soleyana S. Gebremichael was acquitted in absentia, news reports said. A…
New York, October 15, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the passage late Wednesday by Kenya’s national assembly of a bill that would impose a harsh fine or two years in jail, or both, for a journalist who is found guilty of defaming the Kenyan parliament or its members. The bill must be approved by…
New York, October 14, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release from prison of Bülent Keneş, editor-in-chief of the English-language daily Today’s Zaman, who was arrested on Friday on charges of insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Twitter. The daily reported today that the İstanbul 7th Penal Court of Peace ordered Keneş to…
New York, October 9, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces today’s arrest in Istanbul of Bülent Keneş, the editor-in-chief of the English-language daily newspaper Today’s Zaman. Keneş was taken from his office by police after İstanbul 5th Penal Judge of Peace Cevdet Özcan issued the warrant for his arrest on charges of insulting Turkish President…
New York, September 23, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the presidential pardon today of Al-Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, who have been in prison since they were sentenced in a retrial on charges including “aiding a terrorist organization.” Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi pardoned 100 prisoners today, on the eve of the…
New York, September 20, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release from prison of Vietnamese blogger Ta Phong Tan and calls on authorities to release all other journalists and bloggers imprisoned in the country. Tan was freed from prison and traveled to the United States, where she arrived late Saturday, according to local and…
New York, September 17, 2015–Ukrainian authorities today removed six international journalists from a list of at least 41 journalists and bloggers who have been banned from visiting the country for one year, according to news reports. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the decree on Wednesday which banned a total of 388 individuals who it said…