Turkey’s parliament expected to vote on ‘foreign agent’ law this week
Istanbul, October 29, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges members of Turkey’s parliament to vote against the foreign “influence agent law” when it comes up for a vote in the Grand National Assembly this week as expected. “Unfortunately, Turkey seems to be following the regional trend of establishing a judicial tool for demonizing and censoring independent…
Broadcast bill passed by Uruguay Senate threatens press freedom
Mexico City, May 30, 2024—Uruguayan authorities should not approve a proposed broadcast law passed by the Senate and should ensure that all media legislation is discussed broadly, including with civil society organizations and journalist representatives, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On May 14, the Uruguayan Senate approved the proposed “Law of Audiovisual Content…
Kyrgyzstan parliament approves ‘foreign agents’ law
Stockholm, March 15, 2024—Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov should reject Russian-inspired legislation that would designate externally funded media rights groups and nonprofits that run news outlets as “foreign representatives,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Thursday, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament approved in a third and final reading, without debate, a bill requiring nonprofits that receive foreign…
CPJ welcomes Kyrgyzstan’s withdrawal of restrictive media bill
Stockholm, March 13, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Wednesday’s decision by Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov to withdraw from parliament a draft law that could have been weaponized against the independent press. “Alongside Kyrgyzstan’s ongoing media crackdown, jailing of journalists, and Russian-inspired ‘foreign agents’ bill, the vague and repressive mass media bill could have been…
Hungary’s Russian-style national sovereignty bill threatens independent media
Berlin, December 15, 2023—Hungary’s president should decline to approve a law creating a Sovereignty Protection Authority, which local media outlets have warned could be used to stifle independent journalism supported by overseas donors, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Tuesday, December 12, Hungary’s parliament passed a bill to establish a government authority with…
CPJ to EU: The time to act on spyware is now
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the European Union to include effective legal safeguards in its planned legislation to rein in the abusive use of spyware against journalists. Negotiations on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), a draft EU law seeking to strengthen media freedom and pluralism in EU member states, are likely to…
CPJ calls on Sri Lanka to reconsider bills likely to undermine press freedom
New York, October 18, 2023—Sri Lankan authorities should withdraw the proposed Online Safety Bill and Anti-Terrorism Bill or significantly amend them in line with international human rights standards, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. In parliament on October 3, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles tabled the Online Safety Bill, which would empower a five-member…
Malta must protect the press, 6 years after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder
The Committee to Protect Journalists and 12 other press freedom groups on Monday called on Maltese authorities to bring to justice all those responsible for the killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and to make the European Union’s smallest state safer for the media. Read the full statement below and read more about press…
EU under pressure to defend journalists against abusive lawsuits
Brussels, October 11, 2023—As the European Union negotiates a landmark law to prevent the powerful and wealthy using malicious litigation to silence the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday called on the bloc to ensure that proposed legislation is robust and ambitious enough to protect the press. On Monday, the European Parliament and…
Journalists call on European Parliament to ban spyware
Some 500 journalists have called on members of the European Parliament since September 14 to introduce an absolute ban on surveillance of the press through spyware in the upcoming European Media Freedom Act. Spyware, which secretly takes over electronic devices without being detected, puts journalists around the world at risk of increased harassment and violence and…