Nigeria police charge 4 journalists with cybercrimes for corruption reporting
Despite recent reforms to Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act, journalists continue to be targeted for publishing news in the public interest, with four reporters being charged under the law last month. Cybercrime laws and other regulations governing online content have been widely used to jail journalists around the world. In Nigeria, at least 29 journalists have faced…
Cameroon ratchets up media censorship ahead of 2025 election
After a month of seeing an empty television studio with the word “censored” splashed across the screen, Cameroonians are finally able to watch Équinoxe TV’s flagship Sunday politics show “Droit de Réponse” again. The privately owned station fell foul of Cameroon’s regulatory National Communication Council (NCC), which judged it to have harmed the reputations of…
Award-winning journalist Mech Dara arrested for incitement in Cambodia
Bangkok, October 1, 2024—Cambodian authorities must release and drop criminal incitement charges against investigative journalist Mech Dara, who was arrested Monday by military police at an expressway toll booth near the coastal city of Sihanoukville, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. “Journalist Mech Dara’s arrest and detention shows just how far Cambodia’s government is willing to go to…
CPJ, partners condemn Georgian bill banning LGBTQ+ content
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 22 other organizations advocating for press freedom on Monday in condemning Georgia’s Family Values Bill that would ban broadcasters from reporting on LGBTQ+ issues. The bill would fine broadcasters who air content that promotes LGBTQ+ gender identification and relationships. Georgian press freedom advocates say state authorities often use legislation…
Kyrgyzstan prosecutors seek 6-year prison terms for 11 investigative journalists
New York, September 26, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kyrgyz authorities to drop the prosecution against 11 current and former staff of anti-corruption investigative outlet Temirov Live and release those in detention, after prosecutors on Thursday requested 6-year prison sentences for the journalists on charges of calling for mass unrest. “The conviction of…
Iranian Kurdish journalist Fardin Mostafaei detained in undisclosed location
Washington D.C., September 24, 2024—Islamic Republic of Iran authorities must free Iranian Kurdish journalist Fardin Mostafaei, who was arrested on September 18 in a cafe in the northwestern Kurdistan province and detained in an undisclosed location on unspecified charges, according to news reports. “Iranian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Fardin Mostafaei and…
Belarus detains journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich ahead of trial
New York, September 23, 2024—Belarusian authorities should disclose their reason for detaining journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich ahead of his September 26 trial on charges of violating public order in the southwestern city of Pinsk, and ensure that no journalists are jailed because of their work, said the Committee to Protect Journalist on Monday. “Journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich’s detention, despite a spate…
Turkey investigates Kurdish journalist for ‘spreading disinformation’ over crime reporting
Istanbul, September 23, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the Turkish authorities on Monday to drop the disinformation investigation into Rabia Önver, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish news website JİNNEWS, and stop using house raids to harass journalists. “The police raid of JİNNEWS reporter Rabia Önver’s house was completely unjustified for an alleged disinformation investigation…
Israeli forces raid Al Jazeera’s West Bank office, issue 45 day ban on its journalism
Editor’s note: On April 4, 2025, Israeli forces raided Al Jazeera’s West Bank office and renewed its closure for a further 60 days. Beirut, September 22, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to stop harassing and obstructing Al Jazeera after armed Israeli forces raided the Qatari broadcaster’s office in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah…
Russia fines 11 journalists, restricts 2 outlets with anti-state laws
Russian authorities have deployed laws penalizing “foreign agents,” “undesirable” organizations, and those who “discredit” the army to issue fines against 11 journalists, at least five of whom live in exile, and to retaliate against two media outlets in the last two months. The latest figures show that Russia’s crackdown has continued apace since CPJ’s previous…