Iran arrests 2 female environmental journalists in mass raids
Washington, D.C., November 14, 2023—Iranian authorities must immediately release journalists Nasim Tavafzadeh and Helaleh Nategheh and stop trying to silence journalists by jailing them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Saturday, intelligence agents with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested Tavafzadeh, editor-in-chief of the local news website Moroor.org, and Nategheh, an environmental reporter…
Russian authorities deport Kazakh journalist Vladislav Ivanenko ahead of court hearing
New York, November 14, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Russian authorities to explain why Kazakh journalist Vladislav Ivanenko was deported ahead of a court hearing over his residence permit. On November 9, police arrested Ivanenko, a journalist with the independent regional news website Properm.ru, at his home in the central Russian city of…
‘Our kids miss their mom’: Husband of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva speaks out about her detention in Russia
Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor with the Tatar-Bashkir service of U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, has been in Russian detention since October 18, when authorities in the western city of Kazan charged her with failure to register herself as a foreign agent. If found guilty, Kurmasheva faces up to…
CPJ alarmed by ongoing detention of DRC journalist Stanis Bujakera
New York, November 8, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the Democratic Republic of Congo authorities’ insistence on keeping journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala behind bars and urges the approval of a second expert opinion on the evidence presented against him in the interest of fairness. On Tuesday, the Kinshasa/Gombe court rejected Bujakera’s third…
Malian journalist Abdoul Niang charged with making false statements
Dakar, November 2, 2023 — Malian authorities must drop all legal proceedings against journalist Abdoul Niang and allow him to report the news freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday. On October 19, police in Bamako, Mali’s capital, summoned Niang, director of the privately-owned Malian radio station Émergence FM and an online columnist,…
In Turkey, 3 journalists detained for ‘disinformation,’ 1 jailed, 3 others under investigation
Istanbul, November 2, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists urged Turkish authorities on Thursday to immediately release journalists Tolga Şardan and Cengiz Erdinç, drop “disinformation” charges against them, and overturn an order for editor Dinçer Gökçe to read and summarize books about his profession. In two separate cases on Wednesday, police in the Turkish capital of…
Egypt bans Mada Masr website for 6 months over report on Israel-Gaza war
New York, October 31, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) to revoke its six-month ban on the independent news website Mada Masr over its reporting on the Israel-Gaza war and to reverse its decision to refer the outlet for prosecution. On Sunday, the SCMR announced that, after…
CPJ calls on Kyrgyzstan parliament to reject Russian-style ‘foreign agents’ bill
Stockholm, October 25, 2023—Kyrgyzstan’s parliament should reject Russian-inspired legislation that would classify externally-funded media rights groups and nonprofits that run news outlets as “foreign representatives” and could force many nonprofits to close, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Wednesday, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament passed in a first reading a bill requiring nonprofits that receive foreign…
Nigerian journalist Saint Mienpamo Onitsha charged with cybercrime
Abuja, October 23, 2023—Authorities in Nigeria should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Saint Mienpamo Onitsha, swiftly drop all charges against him, and stop criminalizing the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday. On October 10, police officers arrested Onitsha, founder of the privately owned online broadcaster NAIJA Live TV, in the home of…
CPJ condemns Russia’s extended detention of RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva
New York, October 23, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Russian court’s decision on Monday to detain U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until December 5 on charges of failing to register herself as a foreign agent. In a closed-door hearing on Monday, a court in the western Russian city of Kazan ordered Kurmasheva, an editor…