Angolan authorities charge journalist with criminal defamation over corruption report
New York, September 20, 2023—Prosecutors should drop the criminal defamation, insult, and forgery charges against Angolan journalist Liberato Furtado Pereira and stop retaliating against the journalist for his public interest reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Furtado, a reporter for privately owned Radio Luanda, is expected to appear before the district court in…
Turkish courts keep 2 reporters in pretrial detention, grant bail to bodyguards charged with attack on a journalist
Istanbul, September 15, 2023—Turkish authorities should not continue imprisoning journalists for their reporting while granting bail to those charged with assaulting them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Thursday, September 14, the 2nd Tatvan Court of Penal Peace granted bail to Yücel Baysali and Engin Kaplan, two bodyguards of the mayor of the…
Venezuelan authorities detain, charge environmental journalist Luis Alejandro Acosta
Editor’s note: The Venezuela Press Workers Union posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on September 21, that government authorities placed journalist Luis Alejandro Acosta on probation with a 15-day reporting schedule, a ban on publishing information about his arrest, and the obligation to request permission to leave the country. Bogotá, September 14, 2023—Venezuelan authorities must immediately…
Two exiled Russian journalists sentenced to 11 years for disseminating ‘fake’ news on Ukraine war
New York, August 31, 2023—Russian authorities should not contest the appeals of exiled journalists Ruslan Leviev and Michael Nacke and drop all charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, August 29, the Basmanny Court in Moscow sentenced Leviev, founder of the Russian independent investigative project Conflict Intelligence Team, and Nacke,…
Russian authorities request 19-year prison term for journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev
New York, June 29, 2023—Russian authorities should release journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and stop prosecuting reporters for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On June 22, during a hearing in the Yuzhniy Military Court in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, a prosecutor requested a 19-year prison term for Gadzhiev, the religion editor of…
Nicaraguan journalist Hazel Zamora arrested, charged with spreading false news
Guatemala City, May 9, 2023—Nicaraguan authorities should drop all criminal charges against journalist Hazel Zamora and end their legal harassment of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On May 5, police arrested Zamora while she traveled on a bus with her two children in the capital city of Managua, according to multiple…
French reporter Toufik-de-Planoise charged over protest coverage
Berlin, May 3, 2023—French authorities should drop all criminal charges against journalist Toufik-de-Planoise and ensure that members of the press do not face legal retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On April 26, police summoned de-Planoise, a reporter with the privately owned local outlets Média 25 and Radio Bip, to…
Nigerian journalists Gidado Yushau and Alfred Olufemi convicted of conspiracy, defamation
Abuja, April 14, 2023–The conviction of Nigerian journalists Gidado Yushau and Alfred Olufemi on conspiracy and defamation charges sends a chilling message to the Nigerian press and highlights the urgent need for authorities to reform the country’s laws and ensure journalism is not criminalized, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On February 7, a…
Turkey charges 17 Kurdish journalists, media worker with membership in a terrorist organization
Istanbul, April 14, 2023 – Turkish authorities must immediately release all imprisoned members of the press and stop prosecuting journalists who cover Kurdish issues, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, April 12, the 4th Court of Serious Crimes in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır charged 17 Kurdish journalists and a media worker…