Libel

27 results arranged by date

Khadija Ismayilova, who has been jailed for two months pending trial, speaks here at the 2012 Courage in Journalism Awards hosted by the International Women's Media Foundation. (AP/Invision/Todd Williamson)

Investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova jailed in Azerbaijan

New York, December 5, 2014–An Azerbaijani court in Baku today ordered the imprisonment of award-winning investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova for two months pending trial after a local man accused her of urging him to commit suicide, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the ruling and calls on authorities in Azerbaijan to…

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Justus Ochieng at the Central Police Station in Kisumu. The journalist has been threatened and harassed in recent weeks. (The Star)

Kenyan journalist covering police detained, harassed

Nairobi, November 4, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kenyan police to stop harassing and threatening a journalist in Kisumu city, western Kenya. Last month, police threatened and briefly detained Justus Ochieng, a reporter for the privately owned daily The Star, in connection with a story he wrote that alleged criminal activity by police…

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CPJ urges Renzi to bring Italian libel laws up to European standards

Prime Minister Renzi: As Italy today takes the rotating presidency of the European Union, we call on your government to abolish criminal libel and bring Italian laws in line with European and international standards.

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Journalist flees Kazakhstan after court orders her arrest

New York, March 28, 2014–Authorities should drop all charges against a Kazakh journalist who has been accused of libel in connection with a story she has denied writing, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. If convicted, Natalya Sadykova faces up to three years in jail under Kazakhstan’s criminal libel law. 

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Journalists assaulted amid protests in Ukraine

New York, January 22, 2014–Dozens of journalists were attacked, and their equipment damaged, while reporting on anti-government protests that began over the weekend in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, according to local and international news reports. The protests come as the government has approved new legislation imposing restrictions on the media.

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CPJ hails elimination of criminal defamation in Jamaica

New York, November 7, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the repeal of criminal libel provisions by the Jamaican Parliament on Tuesday as a step forward in the campaign to eliminate criminal defamation in the Americas.

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Two journalists are being held on libel charges after writing a critical article on President Koroma, seen here. (AFP/Pius Utomi Ekpei)

In Sierra Leone, journalists held on libel, sedition charges

Lagos, Nigeria, October 24, 2013–Authorities in Sierra Leone should immediately release two reporters being held on charges of sedition and libel in connection with a story criticizing President Ernest Bai Koroma, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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CPJ welcomes release of Liberian journalist Rodney Sieh

New York, October 8, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Monday’s decision by Liberia’s Ministry of Justice to grant Rodney Sieh–the publisher of FrontPageAfrica who has been jailed since August for not paying libel damages–“compassionate release” for 30 days. The conditions behind Sieh’s release were not clear, but the journalist’s health had deteriorated in prison.…

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CPJ holds Liberia responsible for Rodney Sieh’s well-being

New York, August 28, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by today’s hospitalization of leading Liberian independent journalist Rodney Sieh, who has been on hunger strike since his imprisonment on August 21.

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A screen shot of FrontPageAfrica's home page.

Liberian news outlet shut down, publisher jailed

Abuja, Nigeria, August 23, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemns moves by Liberian authorities to shut down FrontPageAfrica and jail its publisher for not paying US$1.5 million in damages related to a libel conviction.

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