As negotiations continue, the proposed UN Cybercrime Convention must not become a tool to undermine press freedom
The two-week session of negotiations on the draft UN Cybercrime Convention concluded on Friday, February 9, with member states unable to reach a consensus on critical aspects. Member states agreed to extend the negotiation process, with an additional session likely to be held in July 2024. Although the stated purpose of the treaty is to…
4 Nigerian journalists charged with cybercrime, defamation over fraud investigation
Abuja, February 9, 2024—Authorities in Nigeria should immediately drop all charges against journalists Adisa-Jaji Azeez, Salihu Ayatullahi, Salihu Shola Taofeek, and Abdulrahman Taye Damilola, and allow them to work without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. On Tuesday, police officers arrested Azeez, managing director, and Ayatullahi, editor-in-chief, of the privately owned The Informant247 news website, over…
Nigerian journalist Saint Mienpamo Onitsha charged with cybercrime
Abuja, October 23, 2023—Authorities in Nigeria should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Saint Mienpamo Onitsha, swiftly drop all charges against him, and stop criminalizing the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday. On October 10, police officers arrested Onitsha, founder of the privately owned online broadcaster NAIJA Live TV, in the home of…
Two Nigerian journalists charged with cybercrime over corruption reports
Abuja, October 3, 2023—Authorities in Nigeria should swiftly drop all charges against journalists Aiyelabegan Babatunde AbdulRazaq and Oluwatoyin Luqman Bolakale and allow them to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. On September 11, police officers detained AbdulRazaq and Bolakale, publishers of the independent news websites Just Event Online and The Satcom…
Niger journalist Samira Sabou arrested by unidentified men
Dakar, October 2, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists called for the immediate release of Nigerien online journalist Samira Sabou after her arrest by unidentified men on September 30. “The Nigerien authorities must urgently identify the men who arrested journalist Samira Sabou on September 30 and ensure her immediate release and safety,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s…
Jailed Nicaraguan journalist Victor Ticay accused of treason and false news
Guatemala City, May 22, 2023—Nicaraguan authorities should drop their criminal investigation into journalist Victor Ticay and release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 19, prosecutors accused Ticay, a correspondent for the Nicaraguan TV station Canal 10, of treason and false news, according to multiple news reports. He has been held…
Nigerian journalist Agba Jalingo detained on cybercrime charges
Abuja, March 27, 2023 – A federal court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Monday ordered the detention of CrossRiverWatch publisher Agba Jalingo for allegedly publishing false news that caused “annoyance, ill will and insult,” in violation of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act, according to a report by the outlet and CrossRiverWatch editor Jonathan Ugbal, who spoke to…
Nigerian journalist Agba Jalingo charged with cybercrime over report on governor’s relative
Abuja, January 26, 2023 – Authorities in Nigeria should swiftly drop the cybercrime charges against journalist Agba Jalingo, cease harassing him for his work, and reform the country’s laws to ensure journalism is not criminalized, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On December 8, 2022, authorities in the southern Nigerian state of Cross River…
Why the UN’s push for a cybercrime treaty could imperil journalists simply for using the internet
Cybercrime is on the global agenda as a United Nations committee appointed to develop a treaty on the topic plans for its first meeting amid pandemic-related delays. The process is slated to take at least two years, but experts warn that such a treaty – initially proposed by Russia – could hand new tools to…
Niger journalists Moussa Aksar and Samira Sabou convicted, fined under cybercrime act
New York, January 13, 2022 — Nigerien authorities should not contest the appeals of journalists Moussa Aksar and Samira Sabou, and should reform the country’s cybercrime law to ensure it is not used to prosecute the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 3, the High Court in Niamey, Niger’s capital, convicted…