Insult

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Supporters of detained opposition politician Omurbek Tekebayev protest in the Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, in February. A media group that reported on comments by Tekebayev is facing five separate charges of insulting the president. (AFP/Vyacheslav Oseledko)

Kyrgyzstan holds three trials in one day against independent outlet

New York, June 29, 2017–Kyrgyzstan should drop all charges against the independent media organization ProMedia and its co-founder, Naryn Idinov, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A Bishkek district court held three separate hearings today into charges of insult made against ProMedia, which runs the independent online news agency Zanoza, and Idinov who edits…

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Police disperse marchers who had tried to gather for an LGBTQI pride march in Istanbul, June 25, 2017. Police also briefly detained an AP reporter (not pictured here) at the march, according to reports. (Reuters/Murad Sezer)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of June 25, 2017

BBC reporter refused entry Police at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport yesterday detained BBC reporter Jiyar Gol for five hours before putting him on a plane out of the country, the journalist wrote on Twitter. The journalist tweeted that he believes he was not allowed in the country because of his reporting for the BBC. [June 30,…

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In this November 4, 2014, file photo, editor Rafael Marques de Morais smiles on a visit to Johannesburg, South Africa. (AP/Simon Allison)

Angolan journalists charged with crimes against state

New York, June 23, 2017–Angolan authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalists Rafael Marques de Morais and Mariano Bras Lourenco, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A journalist holds a press sign next to a placard reading 'Enough!' during a World Press Freedom Day rally in Istanbul. Turkey is a leading jailer of journalists. (AFP/Ozan Kose)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of May 7

Editor detained at courthouse Police in Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse today detained Çağlar Özbilgin, an editor for the leftist news website sendika.org, his employer reported. Özbilgin was there to attend a hearing of his trial on charges of “insulting the president,” but police detained him for a separate criminal investigation into him on suspicion of “provoking…

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Police detain a protester outside the Supreme Board of Elections in Ankara, April 16, 2017. (AP/Burhan Ozbilici)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 23, 2017

German magazine correspondent denied credentials for ‘insulting president’ Turkish authorities denied Raphael Geiger, the Turkey, Greece, and Middle East correspondent for the German magazine Stern, an extension of his press credentials, saying he had insulted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish service of Deutsche Welle reported on April 26. Geiger, who is currently in…

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President Almazbek Atambayev, pictured at a press conference in 2013. In recent weeks, the Kyrgyz leader verbally assaulted several critical journalists during a speech to foreign ambassadors. (AFP/Vyacheslav Oseldko)

In pivotal election year Kyrgyz media face verbal assaults from president and legal action

In Kyrgyzstan, once Central Asia’s most liberal country, President Almazbek Atambayev is tightening his grip on critical voices, including independent journalists and foreign media.

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Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe speaks to supporters gathered to celebrate his 93rd birthday near Bulawayo, February 25, 2017. (Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo)

Zimbabwean journalists charged with insulting Mugabe

New York, March 6, 2017–Zimbabwean authorities should immediately drop all charges against News Day editor Wisdom Mdzungairi and reporter Richard Chidza, and should cease threatening journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Ibrahim Eissa, editor of Al-Maqal newspaper, gestures in his office in Cairo, November 10, 2016. (AP/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian parliamentary leaders file criminal complaint against editor

New York, March 1, 2017–Egyptian lawmakers should immediately withdraw their criminal complaint against Ibrahim Eissa, editor of Al-Maqal newspaper, and should stop harassing and threatening journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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In Angola, two journalists charged over report on corruption

New York, December 29, 2016–Angolan authorities should immediately drop charges against two journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Rafael Marques de Morais, who runs the anti-corruption website Maka Angola, and Mariano Bras, of the weekly, O Crime, were charged with “crimen injuria,” which is similar to insult laws, the journalists told CPJ.

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Seen through a Turkish flag, people gather outside Istanbul's Vodafone Stadium to pay respects to those killed in a bombing, December 11, 2016. Turkish authorities imposed a ban on coverage of the attack. (AP/Emrah Gurel)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of December 11

Columnist jailed pending ‘insult’ trial for remarks on Syria Istanbul’s Ninth Court of Penal Peace this evening ordered Hüsnü Mahalli, a columnist for the leftist newspaper Yurt, jailed pending trial on charges of “insulting the president” and “insulting a board of civil servants in the course of discharging their duties,” the official Anatolia Agency reported.

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