Cuban journalist questioned about social media posts, jailed
Editor’s note: Tan Estrada was released on May 1 and fined 4,000 pesos (US$12) for alleged “criminal intent” after he was accused by state security agents of seeking to disrupt May 1 celebrations in Havana, according to an interview the journalist gave to CubaNet. Miami, April 30, 2024—Cuban authorities must immediately and unconditionally release jailed local freelance journalist…
Mass raid in Turkey jails 3 Kurdish reporters, others put under judicial control
Istanbul, April 29, 2024—Turkish authorities should release reporters Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan, and Erdoğan Alayumat and end the systematic harassment of Kurdish journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On April 23, Turkish authorities took nine people, who local media reported were all Kurdish journalists and media workers, into police custody after conducting…
Israeli police detain and assault Palestinian journalist Saif Kwasmi
New York, April 29, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday called on Israeli security forces to stop harassing journalists in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank and allow them to report the news freely and without fear of reprisal. On April 24, Palestinian freelance journalist Saif Kwasmi was reporting on activities at Jerusalem’s…
Taliban detain 3 Afghan radio journalists for playing music, talking to female callers
New York, April 25, 2023—Taliban authorities should immediately and unconditionally release radio reporters Ismail Saadat, Wahidullah Masum, and Ehsanullah Tasal and stop harassing the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, the provincial directorate of the Taliban-controlled Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in eastern…
Texas police detain, charge FOX 7 Austin journalist covering pro-Palestinian protest
New York, April 25, 2024 — Texas authorities should immediately drop all charges against a FOX 7 Austin journalist detained while covering a pro-Palestinian protest and take steps to ensure journalists can do their jobs safely and without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Law enforcement officers arrested a FOX 7 Austin photographer…
CPJ recognizes vital role of free press on democracy ahead of White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner
New York, April 24, 2024 — Ahead of the White House Correspondents’ Association’s (WHCA) annual dinner on Saturday, April 27, the Committee to Protect Journalists reaffirms the importance of press freedom for democracy. This year’s WHCA dinner takes place at a time when journalists face grave threats globally and in a year when much of…
Iran arrests Kurdish editor-in-chief, Iranian cartoonist, sues several newspapers
Washington, D.C., April 19, 2024—Iranian authorities must immediately release Kurdish-Iranian journalist Rasoul Galehban and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Galehban, the publisher and the editor-in-chief of Urmiye24 Kurdish News, was arrested by the Iran’s Cyber Police Unit in the city of Urmia, in West Azerbaijan province, on April…
Belarus jails blogger Aliaksandr Ignatsiuk for 6 years on defamation, extortion charges
New York, April 19, 2023—Belarusian authorities must immediately release journalist Aliaksandr Ignatsiuk, who was sentenced to six years imprisonment, and ensure that no members of the press are jailed for their work. On April 5, a court in the southern city of Stolin convicted Ignatsiuk of extortion, organizing or participating in gross violations of public…
Canadian journalist detained during Israel-Gaza war protest
Washington, D.C., April 18, 2024—Canadian authorities must allow journalists to do their jobs and cover protests without fear of being detained or arrested and make public whether journalist Savanna Craig is facing charges following her arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday. Craig, a reporter with the Montreal news program Local 514, was…
Ukrainian journalists Heorhiy Levchenko, Anastasiya Glukhovska missing since Russia detention
New York, April 17, 2024—Russian authorities must confirm the whereabouts of Ukrainian journalists Heorhiy Levchenko and Anastasiya Glukhovska, and drop all charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. Levchenko’s and Glukhovska’s detention was not made public until late October 2023, when Vesti Nedeli, a program of Russian state-owned TV channel Rossiya…