Chilean journalist Felipe Soto Cortés convicted of criminal defamation
Bogotá, January 27, 2023 – Chilean authorities should not contest journalist Felipe Soto Cortés’ appeal of a recent criminal defamation conviction and should stop using criminal defamation laws against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On January 11, a criminal court judge in the southern city of Concepción convicted Soto,…
CPJ submits report on Brazil to United Nations Universal Periodic Review
Brazil’s human rights record is under review by the United Nations Human Rights Council through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This U.N. mechanism is a peer-review process that surveys the human rights performance of member states, monitoring progress from previous review cycles, and presents a list of recommendations on how a country can better fulfill…
Adani Group files criminal defamation suit against freelance Indian journalist Ravi Nair
New Delhi, July 28, 2022 – Indian authorities should not pursue criminal defamation charges against journalist Ravi Nair, and should ensure he can work free from legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 26, police in New Delhi ordered Nair to appear in a court in Gandhinagar, the capital of the…
Angolan journalists continue to face criminal insult and defamation proceedings
New York, June 30, 2022 – Angolan authorities should drop criminal defamation and insult investigations into journalists Escrivão José, Óscar Constantino, and Fernando Caetano and ensure that investigative journalism is not criminalized, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. The three journalists each told CPJ that they are facing ongoing legal processes over criminal defamation…
Angolan journalists questioned in criminal defamation complaint over gun trafficking report
Two reporters, José Kalembe and Diamantino Sangueve from the Catholic Church-run Radio Ecclésia Huambo, and its director, Father Alberto Java, were questioned by Angolan police on January 6 and 26 as part of a criminal defamation and insult complaint following a report about a local police commandant’s alleged dealings in arms trafficking, according to the…
Attorney general in Brazil files criminal defamation complaint against journalist Thiago Herdy
Rio de Janeiro, February 23, 2022 – Authorities in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state should not pursue criminal defamation charges against journalist Thiago Herdy, and should refrain from criminally investigating journalists in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 16, Minas Gerais state Attorney General Jarbas Soares Júnior filed a…
Pakistan expands prison terms for online defamation to 5 years
New York, February 22, 2022 – Pakistan authorities must immediately revoke a recently enacted ordinance that further criminalizes freedom of expression in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Sunday, February 20, President Arif Alvi enacted amendments to the 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, increasing the prison term for online defamation…
Polish court fines journalist Ewa Siedlecka for criminal defamation
Berlin, December 15, 2021 –Polish authorities should not contest journalist Ewa Siedlecka’s appeal of her criminal defamation conviction and should reform the country’s criminal defamation laws so they can no longer be used against journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 24, 2021, the District Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście convicted Siedlecka, a columnist…
Peruvian journalist receives threatening messages, demands to stop reporting on local officials
Bogotá, December 9, 2021 – Peruvian authorities must thoroughly investigate death threats against journalist Jairo Roque Gómez and hold the perpetrators to account, and local officials should refrain from using the country’s outdated defamation laws to threaten reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 1, Roque, editor of the independent Diario Hechicera…
São Paulo police arrest Brazilian sports blogger Paulo Cezar de Andrade Prado in defamation case
New York, September 29, 2021 — Brazilian authorities should release sports blogger Paulo Cezar de Andrade Prado and stop using defamation laws to harass and imprison journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday morning, São Paulo state civil police officers arrested Prado, who covers sports and politics on his blog Blog do Paulinho,…