Killings of journalists rise as reprisal murders more than double in 2020
New York, December 22, 2020 –The number of journalists singled out for murder in reprisal for their work more than doubled this year, leading to a rise in overall work-related killings, CPJ found in a report released today. Globally, at least 30 journalists were killed on duty in 2020, including 21 reprisal murders, up from…
CPJ welcomes arrest in case of slain Mexican journalist Miroslava Breach
Mexico City, December 18, 2020 – Mexican authorities yesterday arrested a second suspect in the 2017 killing of La Jornada reporter Miroslava Breach Velducea, according to La Jornada and a statement by the Special Federal Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes Committed Against Freedom of Expression. The prosecutor’s statement named the suspect as Hugo Amed S.,…
‘The Cartel Project’ investigates crimes against reporters in Mexico
Forbidden Stories—a network of journalists whose mission is to continue the work of reporters who are threatened, censored, or killed—yesterday published a new investigation into the murder of Mexican journalist Regina Martínez. The report, part of five-part series about the killings of reporters in Mexico, lays bare serious flaws in the investigation in a context…
Philippine soldiers shoot and kill journalist Ronnie Villamor at checkpoint
Bangkok, November 23, 2020 – Philippine authorities should independently investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing of journalist Ronnie Villamor, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the afternoon of November 14, Philippine Army soldiers shot and killed Villamor, a contributor to the local independent Dos Kantos Balita weekly tabloid, outside…
Legal setbacks could thwart progress in resolving journalist murders
Global Impunity Index spotlights countries where killers of journalists go free New York, October 28, 2020—Fragile gains toward reducing the murders of journalists worldwide could be thwarted by legal appeals and lack of political leadership, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in a new report published today. The 2020 Global Impunity Index spotlights countries where…
Despite convictions, justice for murdered journalists in Mexico remains abstract
Some recent convictions in the cases of journalists murdered in Mexico may give the impression that the state is making significant progress in the fight against impunity. While CPJ has welcomed the convictions as an important step, the outlook for breaking the cycle of impunity and violence in Mexico has grown more dim under President…
Philippines makes premature claim to end of impunity in journalist murders
When the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural classified the 2009 Maguindanao massacre — the deadliest attack on the press ever recorded by CPJ — as “resolved,” Philippine authorities were quick to echo and tout this designation. Too quick, as it turned out. UNESCO’s then-assistant director-general for communication and information, Moez Chackchouk, made the official…
CPJ, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International express concern over Somalia’s amended media law
The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International today sent a joint letter to the president of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, expressing concern over a restrictive amended media law and asking the president to take concrete steps to safeguard press freedom and journalist safety during upcoming elections. The…
Doubts over investigation plague Pavel Sheremet trial as Ukraine journalists cite continued fear
The trial of three people charged for the 2016 killing of Pavel Sheremet is set to begin before year’s end, but friends and colleagues of the journalist wonder if the right people are facing justice. It has been more than four years and two months since a powerful car bomb killed journalist Pavel Sheremet in…
Appeals court overturns murder convictions in 1999 killing of Serbian journalist Slavko Ćuruvija
New York, September 9, 2020 – The Belgrade Appeals Court announced on September 7 that it had overturned the convictions of four former Serbian State Security officers involved in the 1999 killing of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija, according to news reports. “CPJ is troubled and disappointed by a Serbian court’s decision to overturn the convictions of…