Statements

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

Indian authorities say jailed photographer Kamran Yousuf not ‘real journalist’

New York, February 16, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Indian authorities and the National Investigative Agency (NIA) to immediately drop charges against photojournalist Kamran Yousuf and release him.

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An undated picture of members of the Zone 9 blogging collective. One of the bloggers is waiting for a court to drop an incitement charge against him. (Endalkachew H/Michael)

CPJ calls on Ethiopia to drop case against Zone 9 blogger

Nairobi, February 16, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Ethiopian authorities to drop an incitement charge against Zone 9 blogger Atnafu Berhane. Prosecutors told a court on February 14 they planned to drop the charge today, but the process was delayed by a paperwork error, Atnafu told CPJ. He added that a judge…

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Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega was released on February 14, 2018, after serving nearly seven years in prison. (Befekadu Hailu)

Ethiopian journalists Eskinder Nega and Woubshet Taye released from prison

New York, February 14, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes news that Ethiopian journalists Eskinder Nega and Woubshet Taye are free from prison after each served nearly seven years.

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A supporter of Gambia's President Adama Barrow waves an ECOWAS flag at his swearing-in ceremony in February 2017. An ECOWAS court ruling calls on Gambia to repeal its criminal libel and false news laws. (Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon)

ECOWAS court rules Gambia violated rights of journalists

New York, February 14, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Gambian government to act on a judgment passed today by the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to immediately repeal its laws on criminal libel, sedition, and false news.

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Eskinder Nega is still in jail after refusing to sign a false confession in exchange for freedom. (Eskinder family)

Ethiopia’s Eskinder Nega refuses to sign false confession in exchange for prison release

New York, February 9, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Ethiopian government’s attempts today to compel Ethiopian journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega to sign a false confession before releasing him under a presidential pardon. Eskinder, who has spent almost seven years in jail for his work, was one of 746 prisoners due to be…

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A poster in Jeddah depicts Saudi Arabia's King and Crown Prince. A Saudi court has jailed a journalist for five years for insulting the royal court. (Reuters/Reem Baeshen)

Saudi journalist jailed for five years for insulting royal court

New York, February 8, 2018–A specialized criminal court in Saudi Arabia sentenced al-Watan columnist Saleh al-Shehi to five years in prison for “insulting the royal court,” and imposed a five-year travel ban that will go into effect on his release, according to a report published today in the privately-owned Saudi newspaper Okaz. Saudi security forces…

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A man reads a newspaper in a park in Bogota, Colombia in January 2018. A Colombian court on February 1 sentenced the gunman responsible for the 2015 murder of Colombian radio journalist Luis Antonio Peralta Cuéllar and his wife Sofía Quintero. (Reuters/Jaime Saldarriaga)

Colombia sentences gunman for 2015 murder of local radio journalist

New York, February 2, 2018–The sentencing of the gunman responsible for the 2015 murder of Colombian radio journalist Luis Antonio Peralta Cuéllar and his wife Sofía Quintero is a welcome step toward justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A court in Florencia, the capital of the southwestern province of Caquetá, yesterday sentenced Yean…

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NTV employees in the station's Nairobi studio on January 19. Kenya is ignoring a court order suspending a broadcasting ban on NTV and three other stations. (AFP/Simon Maina)

Kenyan government ignores court order over broadcasting ban

New York, February 2, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Kenyan government to obey a court order suspending a broadcasting ban on four privately owned television stations. A high court yesterday ordered the government to lift the ban on Citizen TV, Inooro TV, NTV, and KTN News, for 14 days while a…

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Belarusian journalist Natalya Radina, left, receives the 2011 International Press Freedom Award from Anne Garrels. Belarus has blocked access to Radina's news website, Charter 97. (Getty Images/AFP/Michael Nagle)

Belarus cuts access to independent news website Charter97

New York, February 1, 2018– The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Belarusian Ministry of Information to unblock access to the independent news website Charter 97. Natalya Radina, the site’s editor-in-chief, told CPJ today that access to the site has been blocked in Belarus since January 24, and that from today, the web…

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Indian paramilitary troopers stand guard in Srinagar in December, 2017. Freelancer Kamran Yousuf, who covers the Kashmir region, is facing anti-state charges. (AFP/Tauseef Mustafa)

India charges photojournalist arrested in Kashmir in September with sedition, other crimes

New York, January 18, 2018–India’s National Investigation Agency today charged photojournalist Kamran Yousuf with criminal conspiracy, attempting to wage war against India, and sedition, according to news reports. Authorities charged Yousuf alongside 12 others accused of anti-state activities, reports said. Yousuf, a freelancer working in the Jammu and Kashmir region, who contributes to the daily…

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