Guatemala arrests lawmaker accused of plotting 2 journalists’ murders
New York, January 16, 2018–The arrest of a lawmaker accused of plotting the murders of two journalists in 2015 is an important step against impunity in Guatemala, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Guatemalan authorities arrested Congressman Julio Juárez Ramírez, who allegedly ordered the attack that killed Danilo López and Federico Salazar, near his…
Philippines revokes registration of news website Rappler
Washington, D.C., January 15, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned an order by the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission to revoke the certificate of incorporation of the critical news website Rappler, which effectively required it to close down.
Azerbaijani court sentences local journalist to six years in prison
New York, January 12, 2018–A district court in Azerbaijan today convicted veteran investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli on charges of illegally crossing the border, resisting police arrest, and contraband, and sentenced him to six years in prison, media reported.
Appeal hearing for Niger journalist postponed
New York, January 9, 2018–An appeals court in Niger’s capital, Niamey, yesterday postponed a hearing for Baba Alpha until March 12, the broadcast journalist’s lawyer, Amadou Boubacar Mossi, told CPJ. Alpha, a reporter for the privately owned radio and television news agency Bonferey, is serving a two-year sentence for using false documents, in what his…
Myanmar must free Reuters journalists, drop investigation
Washington, D.C., January 8, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Myanmar authorities to cease all legal proceedings and release from jail two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, whose work involved reporting on conflict-ridden Rakhine state. The two were arrested December 12 on suspicions of violating Myanmar’s colonial-era Official Secrets Act,…
At least one journalist killed in Kabul attack
New York, December 28, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned an attack today on a Shiite cultural center and office of the news agency Afghan Voice, in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least one journalist was killed and four media workers were injured in the attack, which killed more than 40 people and injured at least 80,…
Ahmed Abba to be freed after Cameroonian court reduces sentence on appeal
Durban, South Africa, December 21, 2017 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s ruling by a Cameroonian military appeal court that should result in Radio France Internationale radio journalist Ahmed Abba’s immediate release from prison.
Finnish police search journalist’s home following article on intelligence monitoring
Brussels, December 19, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Finnish authorities not to take action that could limit the flow of information to the public. Finnish police on December 17 searched the Helsinki home of journalist Laura Halminen, who had recently co-authored an article about a classified intelligence monitoring program, according to news…
Cameroon detains U.S.-Cameroonian writer over critical commentary
Lomé, Togo, December 8, 2017–Cameroonian authorities detained Patrice Nganang, a Cameroonian-American academic and columnist, as he attempted to fly to Zimbabwe from Douala on December 6, according to his lawyer and media reports. The lawyer, Emmanuel Simh, told CPJ that Nganang is being held in Yaoundé on accusations of offending the president in a Facebook…
Yemeni TV guards injured, others taken hostage by Houthi forces
New York, December 4, 2017 — Gunmen from the Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, on December 2 stormed the Sanaa headquarters of the television channel Yemen Today and detained the channel’s employees, according to news reports. Mohammed Ghobari, a Reuters correspondent in Sanaa, told CPJ that at least three building guards were…