Leaders of Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate sentenced to 2 years in jail
New York, November 19, 2016 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the conviction of three leaders of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate today on charges of harboring a fugitive. A Cairo court sentenced Yehia Qallash, the chairman of the syndicate, and board members Khaled al-Balshy and Gamal Abdel Rahim to two years in prison, according…
Judge orders journalist’s arrest for publishing confidential documents
New York, November 15, 2016–An Ecuadoran judge last night approved an arrest warrant for journalist Fernando Villavicencio on charges of distributing emails sent by public officials, according to the journalist’s lawyer. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities to revoke the warrant.
For Zambia’s press, election year brings assaults and shut down orders
Zambia’s press has come under sustained assault in this election year, with station licenses suspended, journalists harassed or arrested for critical coverage, and one of the country’s largest privately owned papers, The Post, being provisionally liquidated in a move that its editors say is politically motivated.
Proposed changes to Mexico’s right to reply would increase burden on media
Mexico City, November 4, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today over proposed changes to Mexico’s media regulations that could force the press to publish or broadcast more replies to news stories. The changes are due to be voted on by the country’s Supreme Court November 7.
Liberian newspaper publisher arrested over civil libel case
Philipbert Browne, the publisher of Liberia’s Hot Pepper newspaper, was arrested at his office and jailed at the Monrovia Central Prison in the Liberian capital on October 7, 2016, for libel on the orders of a Civil Law Court over a story in his paper titled, “During Ebola Time: ‘I Lost My Virginity'” published the…
North Dakota court to review rioting charge against Amy Goodman
New York, October 17, 2016–A U.S. court is due today to review a charge of rioting filed against broadcast journalist Amy Goodman, who filmed security guards using dogs and pepper spray to disperse protesters on September 3. The charge against the host of global news program Democracy Now! was filed October 14 by North Dakota…
In India, online campaign seeks to free press from risk of criminal defamation
An online campaign to decriminalize defamation in India is being led by a member of the country’s main opposition party. “Criminal defamation can lead to people being put in jail for something they have said publicly. This law needs to be replaced by a modern, progressive law,” reads the statement on the campaign website.
In Nepal, critical editor flees and journal’s funding is blocked
.@cijnepal founder @kundadixit gives video message: Censorship allows despots to win elections, they coopt journalists. #IJAsia16 pic.twitter.com/Uo558PQX5i— GIJN (@gijn) September 24, 2016 Kunda Dixit cut his once mop-like white hair, grew a beard, and quietly went into hiding, eventually fleeing Nepal for the safety of the U.S. to avoid arrest. And in doing so, the…
Jordanian commentator Nahed Hattar shot to death in Jordan
Washington, September 25, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s assassination of controversial Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar outside an Amman court, where he was facing charges of “insulting religion” in connection with a cartoon he shared on Facebook, according to news reports. Relatives at the scene apprehended his killer, the reports said.
Mission Journal: Morocco’s new press law undermined by draft penal code
In the small, polished Moroccan capital of Rabat, pictures of King Mohamed VI, who took the throne in 1999, hang in many shops, offices, and hotels. In most of these, he is clean-shaven, smiling, and wearing a suit: a modern monarch. His image is part of the official narrative of the country as a place…