Authorities detain 2 Ugandan journalists on charges of publishing without license
Nairobi, June 27, 2024 — Ugandan authorities should release journalists Dickson Mubiru and Alirabaki Sengooba, drop all criminal charges against them, and take steps to reform laws that can be used to stifle journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On June 20 the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court in the capital, Kampala, charged…
US journalist Evan Gershkovich faces 20-year sentence as trial begins in Russia
New York, June 26, 2024—As the closed-door trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich opened in a Russian court on Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists denounced it as a travesty of justice and renewed its call for the journalist’s immediate release. “U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich goes on trial today after nearly 15 months of unjust…
CPJ calls on Kenyan authorities to respect press freedom amid ongoing protests
Nairobi, June 25, 2024—Kenyan authorities must investigate reports of several journalists attacked while covering protests, desist from intimidating the media, and ensure reliable and secure access to the internet, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Thousands of Kenyans have taken to the streets several times since June 18 to protest a proposed law that…
After 8 months in detention, Syrian journalist Sleman Ahmed faces spying charges in Iraq
Sulaymaniyah, June 24, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iraqi Kurdish authorities to immediately and unconditionally free Syrian journalist Sleman Ahmed, who has been detained for eight months, and drop all charges against him. Ahmed — an Arabic editor for the local news website RojNews — is due to stand trial before Duhok Criminal…
Nigerian authorities detain journalist Precious Eze Chukwunonso for 18 days
Lusaka, Zambia, June 21, 2024—Nigerian authorities should drop all criminal charges against Precious Eze Chukwunonso, publisher of the privately owned outlet News Platform, who was detained for nearly three weeks, following a complaint about his reporting, and allow journalists to work without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On May 27,…
Moscow court detains journalist Artyom Krieger on extremism charges
Berlin, June 21, 2024—Russian authorities must release journalist Artyom Krieger, drop all charges against him, and stop persecuting the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On June 18, the Basmanny district court in the capital Moscow placed Krieger, a journalist with the independent news outlet Sota.Vision, under pretrial detention for two months, news…
Belarus jails journalist Alena Tsimashchuk for 5 years; reason for charges undisclosed
New York, June 20, 2024—Belarusian authorities must immediately disclose the reasons behind charges against journalist Alena Tsimashchuk, who was sentenced to five years imprisonment, and ensure that no members of the press are jailed for their work. On June 3, a court in the southwestern city of Brest convicted Tsimashchuk of discrediting Belarus, “incitement to…
Afghan journalist Abdullah Danish detained, beaten following reports critical of Taliban
New York, June 20, 2024—The Taliban must investigate the arbitrary detention and beating of journalist Abdullah Danish and cease intimidating members of the press over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On the evening of June 13, Taliban intelligence officers detained Danish, a freelance journalist, while he was traveling from the capital…
Fleeing prolonged media crackdown, Ethiopian journalists struggle in exile
When Belete Kassa’s friend and news show co-host Belaye Manaye was arrested in November 2023 and taken to the remote Awash Arba military camp known as the “Guantanamo of the desert,” Belete feared that he might be next. The two men co-founded the YouTube-based channel Ethio News in 2020, which had reported extensively on a conflict that…
US journalist Evan Gershkovich to stand trial June 26
New York, June 17, 2024—As a Russian court on Monday set the beginning of the trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich for June 26, the Committee to Protect Journalists renewed its call to immediately release him and drop all charges against him. “The start of Gershkovich’s trial comes after he has already spent more than…