Angolan journalists questioned in criminal defamation complaint over gun trafficking report
Two reporters, José Kalembe and Diamantino Sangueve from the Catholic Church-run Radio Ecclésia Huambo, and its director, Father Alberto Java, were questioned by Angolan police on January 6 and 26 as part of a criminal defamation and insult complaint following a report about a local police commandant’s alleged dealings in arms trafficking, according to the…
Zimbabwe court declines to dismiss case against NY Times freelancer Jeffrey Moyo in immigration case
New York, March 15, 2022 – In response to news reports that a court in Zimbabwe on Tuesday declined to dismiss the 2021 immigration case against New York Times freelance correspondent Jeffrey Moyo, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement expressing disappointment: “We are disappointed that more than nine months after his arrest,…
Calling the war ‘war’: Meduza’s Galina Timchenko bucks Russia’s censorship on Ukraine
The Kremlin was infuriated by editor Galina Timchenko’s coverage of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. So it pressured her boss to fire her. Timchenko left Moscow with much of the staff from her popular website, moving to Riga, Latvia, where they could work free of Kremlin censorship. That may sound like today’s news, but it actually…
UK Supreme Court refuses Julian Assange appeal request in extradition case
New York, March 14, 2022 — In response to the U.K. Supreme Court’s announcement Monday refusing an appeal by Julian Assange to prevent his extradition to the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are deeply disappointed that the U.K. Supreme Court has denied the latest attempt by WikiLeaks founder…
Belarus authorities sentence journalist Aleh Hruzdzilovich to prison; label more media ‘extremist’
Stockholm, March 11, 2022 – Belarus authorities should reverse their recent designations of German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), local independent news site Regiyanalnaya Gazeta, and three videos by Russian blogger Yuriy Dud as “extremist”; release journalist Aleh Hruzdzilovich, a former correspondent with U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Belarusian service known locally as…
Opinion: How the West can help the media victims of Putin’s war
Russia’s independent journalists are fleeing. That’s not only a tragedy for Russians but also for the rest of us who need to know what the increasingly isolated leader of a nuclear superpower is doing. Since sending tanks into Ukraine on February 24, President Vladimir Putin has threatened to jail anyone who dares question the invasion…
‘Censor yourself or don’t work at all’: Why squeezed Russian journalists are fleeing in droves
Last week, Taisia Bekbulatova, chief editor of Russian independent news site Holod, began frantically looking for plane tickets. Bekbulatova, who is based in Georgia, wanted to evacuate her Russia-based staff after the country passed legislation threatening up to 15 years in prison for the publication of “fake” information about the invasion of Ukraine. “It was apparent that the law was…
European Parliament speaks out on violence against journalists in Mexico
Brussels, March 10, 2022 — The European Union must strengthen its criticism of the deterioration of press freedom in Mexico and ensure that Mexican authorities guarantee immediate resourcing and funding of their protection program for journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday, March 10, that condemns…
Peru legislators propose law criminalizing reporting based on leaked information
Miami, March 10, 2022 — Peru’s Congress should reject a bill that would criminalize reporting based on leaked information from informants cooperating in criminal investigations, as it would negatively impact journalists’ ability to operate, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On February 23, the Commission of Justice and Human Rights unanimously approved a bill…
Indian authorities arrest journalist Nilesh Sharma, re-arrest Fahad Shah
New Delhi, March 9, 2022 – Authorities in Chhattisgarh state and the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region must immediately release journalists Nilesh Sharma and Fahad Shah and drop all investigations launched based on their journalistic work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On March 2, police in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur arrested Sharma, editor of…