Turkish journalist Sedef Kabaş facing new trial for ‘insulting’ President Erdoğan
Istanbul, June 22, 2023—In response to an Istanbul court on Thursday, June 22, denying the request to dismiss another charge of “insulting the president” filed against journalist Sedef Kabaş, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Turkish authorities’ persistence in putting journalist Sedef Kabaş on trial for allegedly insulting the president is a…
Kenyan government minister Moses Kuria insults, threatens Nation Media Group
Nairobi, June 21, 2023—In response to Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Trade and Industry Moses Kuria’s derogatory remarks and threats of economic sanctions against the privately owned Nation Media Group, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The vile insults and threats that Kenya’s trade minister Moses Kuria hurled at the Nation Media Group…
South African court prohibits former president’s private prosecution of journalist Karyn Maughan
New York, June 8, 2023—In response to the Wednesday, June 7, ruling by the Pietermaritzburg High Court prohibiting former South African President Jacob Zuma from continuing the private prosecution of journalist Karyn Maughan, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement urging the former president to accept the ruling: “The unanimous ruling of three…
Pakistani journalists Ahmad Noorani and Shahid Aslam targeted in leak case
New York, June 8, 2023–Pakistan authorities must cease harassing journalists Ahmad Noorani and Shahid Aslam and allow them to work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In late May, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) issued an investigative report, which CPJ reviewed, accusing the journalists of involvement in illegally accessing the tax records…
CPJ welcomes overturning of Hong Kong journalist Choy Yuk-ling’s conviction, urges end of media persecution
New York, June 5, 2023—In response to a ruling by Hong Kong’s highest court on Monday to overturn the conviction of journalist Choy Yuk-ling, also known as Bao Choy, on charges of giving false statements, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following the statement calling on authorities to end their targeting of independent journalism:…
CPJ welcomes pardon of Belarusian journalist Raman Pratasevich, calls for release of others in jail
Paris, May 22, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday welcomed Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s pardon of journalist Raman Pratasevich and called for all other members of the press imprisoned for their work to be released immediately. “This decision should not overshadow the country’s shameful record on press freedom,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna,…
CPJ deeply disappointed by retrial verdict for murder of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak
Berlin, May 19, 2023 —The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for Slovak authorities to continue seeking justice for the 2018 murder of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, following Friday’s decision by a criminal court to acquit businessperson Marián Kočner, the suspected mastermind of the killing. The court convicted Alena Zsuzsová,…
In Marcos Jr.’s Philippines, milder tone belies harsh media reality
At a waterfront courthouse in Tacloban City, a long-time hotbed of communist insurgency in the Philippines’ Eastern Visayas island region, heavily armed guards were escorting jailed journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio to trial. The picturesque setting belied the harsh reality of the April 17 hearing. Cumpio could be put behind bars for life if found guilty…
In Turkey, cautious optimism that tough election could be good for press freedom
Turkey’s powerful Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) are facing one of the toughest challenges of their two decades in office. Polls ahead of the country’s May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections suggest that the president and his long-ruling party could lose to the opposition coalition of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of…
Mahoney: UN can help journalists beyond World Press Freedom Day
New York, May 1, 2023–Evan Gershkovich and Jimmy Lai are about to spend World Press Freedom Day behind bars. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal Moscow correspondent, and Lai, a pro-democracy Hong Kong media magnate, are among record numbers of journalists in prison as the United Nations marks the 30th anniversary of its special day for…