CPJ condemns ‘harsh’ Jimmy Lai jail sentence in Hong Kong fraud case
Taipei, December 10, 2022 – In response to news reports that a Hong Kong court on Saturday sentenced Jimmy Lai, founder of the Next Digital media company and the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, to five years and nine months imprisonment on fraud charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the sentencing and called for Lai’s…
Indonesia adopts new criminal code that undermines press freedom
New York, December 6, 2022 – In response to news reports that Indonesian lawmakers passed a new criminal code with provisions that restrict press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement Tuesday calling for authorities to rescind the legislation: “President Joko Widodo and the Indonesian legislature must reverse course and revise the country’s new criminal…
Burkina Faso suspends French broadcaster RFI
New York, December 5, 2022 – In response to Burkina Faso authorities’ suspension of programming by French broadcaster Radio France Internationale (RFI), the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement Monday condemning the decision: “Burkina Faso authorities should reverse their suspension of RFI programming and ensure that journalists can work without fear of being…
Belarusian journalist Dzmitry Luksha sentenced to 4 years in prison
Paris, December 2, 2022 — In response to a Belarusian court’s sentencing of journalist Dzmitry Luksha to four years in prison on Friday, December 2, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The four-year prison sentence imposed on Dzmitry Luksha, just for doing his job as a journalist, shows that Belarusian…
Guatemalan daily elPeriódico ends print publication as co-founder, financial manager remain imprisoned
New York, December 1, 2022 – In response to independent daily Guatemalan newspaper elPeriódico’s recent announcement that it would end print publication as of Thursday, December 1, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement expressing alarm: “The painful decision by elPeriódico to halt print publication, leaving the future of the outlet’s reporting and…
CPJ condemns 14-year jail sentences for Crimean journalists Osman Arifmemetov and Rustem Sheikhaliev
Paris, November 25, 2022 – In response to news reports that a Russian court on Thursday sentenced Crimean Tatar journalists Osman Arifmemetov and Rustem Sheikhaliev to 14 years in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The draconian 14-year prison sentences for Crimean Tatar journalists Osman Arifmemetov and Rustem Sheikhaliev demonstrate just how intent Russian authorities are on eliminating any…
Kyrgyz authorities deport investigative journalist Bolot Temirov to Russia
New York, November 23, 2022—In response to news reports that Kyrgyz authorities on Wednesday deported investigative journalist Bolot Temirov to Russia, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The deportation of Bolot Temirov, a Kyrgyz citizen and arguably Central Asia’s leading anticorruption investigator, is an outrageously irresponsible and vindictive move, which…
CPJ condemns Biden administration decision that Saudi crown prince has immunity in U.S. Khashoggi lawsuit
New York, November 18, 2022 – In response to news reports that the Biden administration told a U.S. court late Thursday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should be immune in a civil lawsuit over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, CPJ issued the following statement condemning the decision: “The Biden administration’s submission that…
CPJ calls on North Carolina prosecutors to drop charges against Asheville Blade reporters
New York, November 18, 2022 – Prosecutors in Buncombe County, North Carolina, should immediately drop all charges against Asheville Blade reporters Veronica Coit and Matilda Bliss, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. Coit and Bliss were arrested while covering a homeless camp eviction in Asheville, North Carolina, on December 25, 2021, and charged…
Myanmar releases journalists Toru Kubota and Than Htike Aung, but dozens remain behind bars
Bangkok, November 18, 2022–In response to news reports that Myanmar on Thursday released Japanese documentary filmmaker Toru Kubota and editor Than Htike Aung of the local Mizzima news website as part of a wider amnesty of 5,774 prisoners, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the release of all jailed journalists in the country:…