Kenya cuts TV transmissions over live coverage of opposition’s Odinga
Nairobi, January 30, 2018–Authorities in Kenya should immediately allow four privately owned television stations to resume broadcasting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Officials from the broadcast regulator the Communications Authority, accompanied by police, switched off transmitters today while the stations were broadcasting live coverage of an opposition party event in the capital, Nairobi,…
Ahead of elections, Brazil’s police announce plan to crackdown on ‘fake news’
In November last year, Brazilian police stopped a truck on a highway in the center of the country and, after a thorough search, discovered more than six tons of marijuana stashed in false compartments. The truck had the name Romanelli on the side, but police said it was a label designed to confuse and that…
Reporters harassed, verbally assaulted covering Czech presidential election
Journalists covering election night at the Czech presidential campaign headquarters in a Prague hotel on January 27, 2018, were verbally assaulted, shoved, and prevented from filming, according to reports and videos posted to social media.
Ahead of March elections, Egypt extends state of emergency and tightens censorship
The New York Times reported this week that Egypt ordered a criminal investigation into the paper over its report alleging that an intelligence officer told several TV hosts they should persuade viewers to accept President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The investigation comes in the same week that Egypt’s parliament voted…
Iraq’s Al-Anbar Governor orders TV station to close
Beirut, December 18, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Iraqi regional authorities to reverse their decision to close the independent TV satellite channel Al-Sharqiya’s Al-Anbar offices, and allow the channel to operate freely in the area.
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering Kenya’s election ruling
Journalists covering the result of Kenya’s contested elections should be aware of the risk of unrest and violent protests. The Supreme Court on November 20 upheld incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory over opposition candidate Raila Odinga in last month’s repeat election, according to The New York Times. Odinga said he will not accept the result of…
Two former Radio Free Asia journalists detained in Cambodia
Bangkok, November 16, 2017–Two former reporters with the U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Asia were detained in Cambodia on November 14 on suspicion of illegally producing and disseminating news, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Cambodian authorities to immediately release the pair and drop any charges against them.
Russia’s RT network says it complied with US order to register as foreign agent
New York, November 13, 2017–The Russian government-funded international news network RT, formerly Russia Today, said that it complied today with a U.S. Department of Justice order for it to register as a foreign agent. Ordering foreign outlets to register could set a troubling precedent, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
CPJ calls on Paraguay to reject social media regulations
The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with more than 20 international and local rights organizations sent a letter to Paraguayan lawmakers on October 25, calling on them to reject a proposed law regulating anonymous online posts during elections.
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering Kenya’s repeat election and unrest
The risk of unrest and violent protests in Kenya has increased after the country’s electoral commission announced that repeat elections will be held on October 26. The order came after Kenya’s Supreme Court annulled the result of an election in August that kept President Uhuru Kenyatta in power.