Mauritanian authorities change legal code, could retry Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed
New York, November 20, 2017–Mauritanian authorities on November 16 approved an amendment to the country’s penal code that could allow courts to retroactively retry freelance blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, who was convicted of blasphemy in 2014, and potentially re-sentence him to death, the state-owned news agency AMI and Agence France-Pressereported. The Committee to Protect…
Correa’s legacy leaves a long road to recovery for Ecuador’s journalists
Since taking office in May, Ecuadoran President Lenín Moreno has pledged to end a decade-long battle between the government and the media. But several reporters and editors with whom CPJ spoke said that the anti-press campaign carried out by Moreno’s predecessor, former President Rafael Correa, has caused lasting damage to journalism in Ecuador.
Chadian journalist imprisoned after report on airline’s alleged weapons smuggling
New York, October 26, 2017–Chadian authorities should immediately release from detention and drop all charges against Juda Allahondoum, publisher of the weekly Le Visionnaire newspaper, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
St. Louis probe into police handling of protests must take press freedom into account
The Committee to Protect Journalists and other organizations write to the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, to express concern about police conduct toward reporters covering protests and urge that any investigation into law enforcement actions encompass press freedom.
Turkey convicts Wall Street Journal reporter of terrorism
New York, October 10, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the conviction today of Wall Street Journal reporter Ayla Albayrak, and called on Turkish authorities to stop their relentless crackdown on the press. As the Journal reported, a court in the southeastern city of Cizre convicted Albayrak in absentia of terrorism and sentenced her to…
Ecuador’s Moreno opens new era in relations with media
Less than a month after taking office, Ecuadoran President Lenín Moreno engineered a ceasefire in the decade-long battle between the government and the nation’s independent news media by inviting a group of radio, TV, and newspaper editors to the Carondelet presidential palace in Quito.
Pakistani journalist faces terrorism and defamation charges for article critical of regional government
New York, October 4, 2017–Authorities in Pakistan should drop charges against journalist Shabbir Siham, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region summoned Siham for a hearing on October 7 on accusations of fabrication and extorting a regional minister in violation of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act, according to news…
US Treasury Department decision risks future of two Panama newspapers
La Estrella de Panamá has kept Panama’s citizens informed since 1849. Now, as the country prepares for elections next year, the existence of the major newspaper, along with that of its sister title, El Siglo, may depend on the U.S. Treasury Department.