CPJ welcomes sentencing and new indictments in killing of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
New York, February 25, 2021 – In response to the sentencing of one of the suspects in Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s 2017 murder, as well as new indictments for additional suspects, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We welcome the first sentencing in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s case as a long-awaited…
‘Not at the finish line’: Slovak editor Peter Bárdy on ending impunity for Ján Kuciak’s murder
Last month brought mixed news in the quest for justice for 27-year-old Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak, who was murdered with his fiancée Martina Kušnírová in their home outside Bratislava on February 21, 2018. The alleged mastermind, businessman Marián Kočner, is behind bars for forgery; on January 12 an appeals court upheld a lower court ruling sentencing Kočner to…
CPJ joins call for accountability in attacks on journalists in Sri Lanka
The Committee to Protect Journalists joins the Center for Justice and Accountability in calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to take action against impunity in attacks on journalists in Sri Lanka. In a report released today, the Center for Justice and Accountability, with support from CPJ, outlined the Sri Lankan government’s systematic and…
Former Mexican governor arrested for role in abuse of journalist Lydia Cacho
Mexico City, February 4, 2020 – Mexican authorities should thoroughly investigate Mario Marín for his alleged connection to the physical abuse in custody of journalist Lydia Cacho, and ensure that all the perpetrators of that crime are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, federal authorities announced that they had arrested…
Pakistan Supreme Court orders release, issues acquittals in Daniel Pearl murder case
Washington, D.C., January 28, 2021–The Supreme Court of Pakistan today ordered the release of Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was previously convicted in the 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl, and acquitted him and three others of the murder charges, according to news reports. “We are deeply disappointed that Pakistan’s Supreme Court…
Ten years after the Arab Spring, the region’s media faces grave threats. Here are the top press freedom trends
In early February 2011, Alaa Abdelfattah was in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, documenting and participating in the nascent pro-democracy uprising that would topple the government and transform the country and the region. Today, he is in prison on anti-state and false news charges, which his family believes are partly retaliatory for his work. Abdelfattah is one of…
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…