Legal Action

‘Insult’ trial for Free Journalists Initiative spokesperson Hakkı Boltan, a spokesperson for the Free Journalists Initiative (ÖGİ), is due to stand trial in Diyarbakır on charges of “insulting the president” and “insulting a public servant because of their duty,” the news website Gazete Karınca reported. The charges are related to Boltan’s public statements about President…

New York, June 25, 2019 — Egyptian authorities should immediately unblock the website of al-Tahrir newspaper and ensure that media outlets can publish online freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

New York, June 24, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over a U.S. Supreme Court decision that restricts journalists’ access to government records.

Nairobi, June 21, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today urged Tanzanian lawmakers to revise a set of proposed legislative amendments, some of which would pose undue restrictions on freedom of expression.

The Trump administration’s decision to charge Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act has generated significant controversy. One legal expert described it as “crossing a “constitutional Rubicon.” CPJ warned that the indictment could be the opening salvo in a broader attack on First Amendment journalistic protections. The 18th charge against Assange–of violating…

Nairobi, June 14, 2019 — Authorities in Uganda should end the criminal proceedings against Pidson Kareire, managing editor of privately owned news website The Drone Media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Berlin, June 12, 2019 — German authorities should reject criminal complaints filed by former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache against news outlets that published a video that led to his resignation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On May 26, 2019, Bengaluru police opened a criminal investigation into Vishweshwar Bhat, the editor-in-chief of privately owned Kannada-language newspaper Vishwavani, after a complaint was filed against him by a member of the state’s ruling Janata Dal (Secular) party, according to Indian news portal The News Minute.

Bogotá, Colombia, June 7, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a decision by the Venezuelan Supreme Court, which according to news reports ordered the independent news site La Patilla to pay US$5 million damages to a former vice-president as part of a civil defamation lawsuit.

Berlin, June 7, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the German Ministry of the Interior to drop draft legislation that would make it easier for intelligence services to surveil journalists and their sources.