Omani authorities suspend radio journalist following guest’s on-air critical comments
Omani authorities suspended Kholoud al-Alawi, a journalist at privately owned Hala FM, from her work for at least a month in December 2021, according to BBC Arabic and Beirut-based regional human rights organization the Gulf Center for Human Rights. The Ministry of Information informed the radio station by phone of the suspension on December 1,…
CPJ joins call urging Polish president to veto media bill
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 16 other media and press freedom organizations in a letter calling on Polish President Andrzej Duda to veto an amendment to the country’s broadcast media law. The letter states that the amendment “poses a fundamental threat to media freedom and pluralism in Poland,” and calls it a “direct…
Number of journalists imprisoned around the world sets new record
China remains the world’s worst jailer of journalists; India and Mexico rank among the deadliest New York December 9, 2021–The number of journalists behind bars reached a record high in 2021, with 293 behind bars as political upheaval and media crackdowns reflect increasing intolerance for independent reporting around the world. At the same time, targeted…
How China’s Huawei technology is being used to censor news halfway across the world
When a staffer at the independent media website Iwacu in the central African state of Burundi tried to visit the outlet online in late October, they received an error message instead. “Hum. Nous ne parvenons pas à trouver ce site;” the site could not be found – even though the local media regulator had promised…
CPJ extremely concerned by court order restricting New York Times coverage
Washington, D.C., November 19, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed grave concern over a New York Supreme Court order restricting the New York Times’ coverage of Project Veritas. Yesterday, Judge Charles Wood issued an order blocking the newspaper from publishing materials concerning Project Veritas, a conservative nonprofit that targets groups it perceives…
Iran shutters newspaper that implied supreme leader was responsible for poverty
Washington, D.C., November 8, 2021 — Iranian authorities must immediately reverse their decision to shut down the Tehran-based state-run daily newspaper Kelid, and should allow media outlets to report the news freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Earlier today, the Press Supervisory Board of Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance indefinitely revoked…
Russia expels Dutch newspaper correspondent Tom Vennink
Berlin, November 4, 2021–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Russian authorities today to reverse their decision to revoke Dutch journalist Tom Vennink’s visa and residence permit and allow him to continue his work in Russia. On November 1, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs gave Vennink, Moscow correspondent for Dutch daily newspaper de Volkskrant,…
Belarus journalists charged, detained over alleged Facebook interactions with banned outlets
Vilnius, Lithuania, November 4, 2021 — Belarusian authorities should cease their practice of banning news outlets, and should not punish journalists for allegedly interacting with such banned outlets, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 1, Belarusian courts convicted two journalists, Iryna Slaunikava and Syarhei Niarouny, on charges of spreading extremism over their alleged…
Tunisia’s media regulator shuts down Nessma TV and al-Quran al-Kareem radio station over licensing issues
New York, October 27, 2021 – Tunisian authorities should allow Nessma TV and al-Quran al-Kareem radio station to resume broadcasting immediately and stop using the country’s licensing procedures as a means of censorship, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 11, the High Independent Authority of Audiovisual Communication (HAICA), Tunisia’s media regulatory…
Eight press freedom threats to watch ahead of Nicaragua’s presidential elections
On November 7, Nicaraguans are set to go to the polls to vote for president, the culmination of a campaign that has included the detention of opposition candidates, the banning of civil society organizations, and continued suppression of the country’s independent press. Nicaragua’s press freedom environment sharply deteriorated in 2018, when journalists covering protests against…