Statements

Ahead of national elections in the Philippines on May 9, the State has stepped up its attacks on Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa and the news outlet she leads, Rappler. “This dramatic escalation in the legal harassment of Maria Ressa and Rappler highlights the urgent need for the Philippines’ to decriminalize libel and do away with laws…

Paris, April 2, 2022 — In response to news reports that Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin, who had been missing since March 13, was found dead, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for accountability: “We are deeply saddened by the news of photojournalist Maks Levin’s death in Ukraine while he was reporting…

Nairobi, April 1, 2022 — In response to the release of Ethiopian freelance journalists Amir Aman Kiyaro and Thomas Engida from detention on Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement welcoming their release: “It is a great relief that Ethiopian journalists Amir Aman Kiyaro and Thomas Engida are home with their families,…

Berlin, March 28, 2022 – In response to an announcement Monday that the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta would suspend publication after receiving a warning from the country’s media regulator, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of concern: “In their attempt to quash all independent coverage of the war in Ukraine, Russian…

New York, March 24, 2022 – Nicaraguan authorities should release publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro from prison immediately, and should ensure that members of the press do not face criminal penalties for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, March 23, at the end of a three-day closed-door trial, a judge…

Paris, March 23, 2022 — In response to the death of Russian journalist Oksana Baulina amid Russian forces’ attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the safety of journalists and all civilians to be respected during the conflict: “We are profoundly saddened by the death of…

Paris, March 22, 2022 – Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ukrainian journalist Maks Levin should come forward at once, and Russian and Ukrainian security forces should ensure that journalists can cover the conflict safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On March 13, Levin, a freelance photojournalist and documentary filmmaker who has…

New York, March 22, 2022 – In response to the newly proposed legislation penalizing the distribution of “fakes” concerning the Russian government’s activities abroad, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Russian legislators and President Vladimir Putin should drop new amendments banning so-called ‘fakes’ and allow free reporting about the war in Ukraine,”…

New York, March 21, 2022 — In response to news reports that a federal court on Monday acquitted Nigerian journalist Agba Jalingo on all charges, including anti-state and defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Today’s acquittal of journalist Agba Jalingo on trumped-up charges is welcome, but he should never have been…

New York, March 20, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Ukrainian journalist Oleh Baturyn and renews calls for anyone with information about the whereabouts of missing reporter Viktoria Roshchina to come forward immediately, CPJ said in a statement Sunday. Baturyn was missing for eight days after he went to meet…