Russian draft legislation threatens to further silence independent media
Paris, June 23, 2022 – Russian legislators should not enact newly proposed legislation that threatens to further restrict the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On June 14, the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s legislature, passed a bill amending the country’s criminal code to impose prison terms for vague actions against…
British Home Secretary approves Assange extradition to the United States
New York, June 17, 2022–In response to British Home Secretary Priti Patel’s decision on Friday to approve a U.S. request to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The extradition of Julian Assange to the United States to face trial on charges under the…
Indian police investigate 2 journalists following critical social media posts
New York, June 16, 2022 – Indian police must immediately drop investigations into journalists Saba Naqvi and Mohammed Zubair in response to their social media posts criticizing right-wing Hindu politics and activists, and allow all members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On June 3, police in the…
Brazilian court orders journalist Juliana Dal Piva to pay damages to Bolsonaro lawyer
Rio de Janeiro, June 15, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday condemned a recent civil court ruling against journalist Juliana Dal Piva, and expressed concern that the ruling could set a dangerous precedent. On June 9, São Paulo state Sixth Civil Court Judge Fabio Coimbra Junqueira ruled that Dal Piva’s 2021 publication…
Italian police search newsroom and journalist’s home, surveil news crew in leak investigation
Berlin, June 13, 2022 – Italian authorities should stop harassing journalists and refrain from actions that could endanger the confidentiality of their sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 24, agents of the Italian Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate (Direzione Investigativa Antimafia) raided and searched the newsroom of public broadcaster RAI3’s investigative program “Report,”…
Proposed amendment to Mozambique’s anti-terror law threatens press freedom
New York, June 7, 2022 — Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi should not sign amendments to the country’s anti-terror legislation into law and should instead ask parliament to change a sweeping clause that could criminalize reporting about the insurgency in northern Mozambique, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. On June 3, the amendment bill…
Police charge ZimLive editor Mduduzi Mathuthu with insulting the president
Lusaka, June 6, 2022 – On Monday, police in Bulawayo in southwest Zimbabwe detained Mduduzi Mathuthu, editor of privately owned news website ZimLive, and charged him with insulting or undermining the authority of President Emmerson Mnangagwa over a tweet he wrote about the president’s fiscal policies, according to news reports and a statement from the regional press freedom group, Media Institute…
At least five independent Belarusian journalists face trials, years in jail
Paris, June 3, 2022 – Ahead of the imminent trials of at least five independent Belarusian journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the country’s authorities to drop the charges against them and immediately release them from jail, CPJ said Friday. The journalists, whose trials are scheduled to begin between Monday, June 6,…
Kashmir Walla interim editor Yashraj Sharma summoned for questioning by Jammu and Kashmir authorities
New York, June 3, 2022– The Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday called on authorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to immediately cease harassing and intimidating Yashraj Sharma, interim editor of the online news portal of The Kashmir Walla, and the portal’s staff. The newly created State Investigation Agency (SIA), a body of the Jammu and Kashmir police…
Turkish legislators introduce disinformation bill, seek more online control
Istanbul, June 1, 2022 – Turkish lawmakers must reject a proposed law aimed at combating disinformation, as it is vague and will serve as an additional tool for prosecuting journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On May 27, lawmakers from Turkey’s governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and their ally, the Nationalist Movement…