Iranian journalist Nada Sabouri begins 3.5-year jail term in 2014 protest case
Washington, D.C., September 2, 2020 — Iranian authorities should release journalist Nada Sabouri immediately and cease arbitrarily jailing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 7, Sabouri, a freelance sports reporter, began a 3.5-year jail term at Tehran’s Evin prison, five years after she was originally sentenced, according to…
Mohammad Mosaed, CPJ 2020 awardee, sentenced to more than 4 years in jail in Iran
Washington, D.C., September 2, 2020 – Iranian journalist Mohammad Mosaed was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, a two-year ban on journalism activities, and a two-year ban on using all communications devices by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court, according to a tweet from Mosaed earlier today. Mosaed, who will be honored with…
Egypt files new charges against 3 journalists held in pretrial detention since 2019
New York, September 2, 2020 – Since August 24, the Egyptian state prosecutor’s office has filed additional charges against imprisoned journalists Mohamed Salah, Solafa Magdy, and Esraa Abdelfattah, for actions they allegedly committed while in pretrial detention, according to local news reports. On August 24, the prosecutor’s office charged Salah with membership in a terrorist…
Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono released on bail, with restrictions, in Zimbabwe
New York, September 2, 2020 — Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono was released today after 44 days in pre-trial detention, following a ruling from Harare High Court Judge Tawanda Chitapi that imposed restrictions on the journalist’s actions while on bail, according to news reports and Doug Coltart, a member of the journalist’s defense team, who spoke…
China detains state-run CGTN anchor and Australian citizen Cheng Lei
Washington, D.C., August 31, 2020 – Chinese authorities have detained Cheng Lei, an anchor for the state-run, English-language China Global Television Network (CGTN) and an Australian citizen, according to news reports and a statement from Australia’s Foreign Ministry. The statement, issued today, said that the Australian government received word of Cheng’s detention on August 14….
Turkey to try 2 journalists for alleged membership in terrorist groups
Istanbul, August 31, 2020 – Turkish authorities should drop all charges against journalists Rawin Sterk and Selman Keleş, release Sterk from prison, and cease filing bogus terrorism charges against the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 2, the 34th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes, in Çağlayan, is scheduled to begin proceedings…
Jordanian security forces arrest cartoonist Emad Hajjaj over criticism of Israel-UAE deal
New York, August 27, 2020 — Jordanian authorities should immediately release cartoonist Emad Hajjaj, drop all charges against him, and let him work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, a police patrol arrested Hajjaj, a cartoonist for the Qatari-funded news website Al-Araby al-Jadeed, on the Jordan Valley road while the cartoonist was…
CPJ, nearly 400 journalists & civil society members call for release of imprisoned Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 397 writers, journalists, academics, press freedom advocates, and civil society members to urge Prime Minister Modi to immediately release Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan, who has been imprisoned for two years.
With colleagues sentenced to prison, Algerian journalists fear their new president’s attitude toward the press
Two weeks after the imprisonment of a high-profile Algerian journalist, a former reporter has been sentenced to prison for his online commentary, cementing fears that Algeria’s new president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, is on track to match his predecessor’s record of enacting restrictive policies toward the press even as he has promised democratic reforms. On August 24,…
Russian journalists imprisoned, beaten during arrests and detention
New York, August 25, 2020 – Russian authorities must immediately release journalists Aleksandr Dorogov and Yan Katelevskiy, drop all charges against them, and ensure that members of the press can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the early hours of July 29, police in the village of Mosrentgen, near…